PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


BX  8947  .13^^67^1879    " 

Norton,  A.  T.  1808-1884 
History  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  in  the  state  of 


J'AJM'IZ'  SYR.  STPJXT 


'■?/a''srjnjiN  sfmrnar 


^^C^^r-l^      ^:^^^  ^1^/^^^^^) 


HISTO|^,,,,,e 


'iimf^' 


OF  THE 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH, 


IN  THE 


STATE  OF  ILLINOIS. 


BY 


A.  T /NORTON, 


VOL.  I. 


ST.    LOUIS: 

W.  S.  BRYAN,  PUBLISHER, 

FOR   THE   AUTHOR. 
1879. 


Copyrighted,  1879,  by  A.  T.  NORTON. 


Ryan,  Jacks  &  Co., 
Printers. 


PREFACE. 


This    volume    is    called    Presbyterianism   in    Illinois 

> 

Volume  I.  It  is,  however,  confined  to  the  portion  of  the  State 
upon  and  south  of  Wabash  Railroad,  from  Danville  to  Naples, 
and  east  of  the  Illinois  river,  with  the  exceptions  of  Har- 
din, Calhoun  county,  and  the  sketch  of  Aratus  Kent.  I 
intended  originally  to  have  brought  it  forward  to  1876,  but 
the  material  was  much  more  than  I  had  anticipated,  and 
after  severe  condensation,  and  leaving  out  entirely  much 
that  I  would  have  gladly  inserted,  I  have  been  obliged  to 
stop  with  the  period  of  the  re-union. 

About  a  second  volume,  which  may  embrace  the  remaining 
portions  of  the  State,  I  have  at  present  no  formed  purpose. 
This  volume  is  stereotyped  and  copy-righted.  Another  may 
be  prepared,  uniform  with  this  and  upon  the  same  general 
plan,  if  circumstances  favor. 

Of  the  United,  Associate  and  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Church,  I  have  not  spoken.  I  have  a  pretty  strong  convic- 
tion that  in  one  or  two  generations  all  these  will  be  one  with 
•ours. 

Neither  have  I  given  any  space  to  the  Assembly's  Portu- 
guese Presbyterian  churches  in  Jacksonville  and  Springfield. 
This  is  owing  simply  to  lack  of  space. 

I  have  taken  no  notice  of  Deacons  as  such.  The  practice 
of  our  churches  is  various  with  reference  to  this  class  of  offi- 
cers. Some  have  none  and  feel  no  lack.  In  very  many 
•churches  the  office  is  merely  nominal.  The  records  of  nearly 
all  our  churches  on  this  point  are  exceedingly  defective — so 


IV  PREFACE. 

much  SO  that  in  most  cases  the  making  out  of  full  lists  is'- 
utterly  impossible.  Indeed,  with  Trustees  to  hold  the  prop- 
erty and  look  after  the  material  interests  of  our  congregations, 
I  am  free  to  say  the  office  of  Deacon  in  our  American  Pres- 
byterian Church  is  superfluous. 

Explanations. — When  a  licentiate  is  ordained  as  pastor,  I 
do  not  say — except  inadvertantly — ordained  and  installed. 
The  ordaination  includes  the  installation.  When  a  licentiate 
supplies  a  church,  I  speak  of  him  as  s.  s.  or  stated  supply. 
When  a  minister,  ordained  sine  titulo,  or  as  an  evangelist, 
supplies  a  church,  I  speak  of  him  as  supply  pastor.  This- 
is  the  rule,  though  I  am  afraid  not  always  adhered  to. 

For  my  spelling  of  the  principal  town  and  church  in  Perry 
county,  DucoiGN,  I  refer  the  reader  to  page  352,  I  prefer  it 
to  Du  Quoin,  Duquoin  or  Duquoine. 

Ihe  labor  of  preparing  this  volume  has  been  immense.  I 
have  read  twenty-nine  volumes  of  Presbyterial  and  Synod- 
ical  records  and  about  two  hundred  volumes  of  Sessional 
records.  The  correspondence  necessary  to  secure  the 
sketches  of  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  individuals  has. 
been  wearying  to  the  flesh.  I  have  purchased  and  consulted, 
numerous  books  of  reference.  Complete  sets  of  the  Minutes 
of  both  the  Assemblies  have  been  at  my  disposal.  About 
forty  of  the  first  volumes  of  the  Home  Missionary,  the  vol- 
umes of  Presbytery  Reporter,  Presbyterian  Monthly  and  di- 
vers other  publications  have  been  consulted. 

The  accumulated  recollections  of  forty-four  years  of  min- 
isterial labor  have  been  pressed  into  this  service;  but  it  has 
been  a  labor  of  love. 

I  commend  the  result  to  our  ministers  and  churches,  thank- 
them  for  their  sympathy  and  assistance  in  gathering  the  ma- 
terials and  their  pecuniary  aid.  Withal,  I  bespeak  their  in- 
dulgence. 

Aug.  T.  Norton. 
Alton,  III,,  October,  1879. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


GIDEON  BLACKBURN,  .  -  .  .  .    frontisiiece. 

B.  F.  SPILMAN,         - -  23 

JOHN  M.  ELLIS, 56 

JOHN  G.  BERGEN.  -.---.  120 

THOMAS  LIFPINCOTT,             ...                        .  147 

AUG.  T.  NORTON,                -            -            .            .            .  233 

GEORGE  IVES  KING,                .....  64+ 

BENJ.  GCXDFREY,                 .           .           -           .           ,  70, 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCTO  RY. 

The  first  church — The  first  Presbytery — First  Synod — Constitution  of 
early  New  England  churches — Division  of  the  Synod — Increase  of 
the  Church  and  Ministry — Growth  in  Virginia — Episcopalian  To- 
ries— General  Assembly — Routes  Westward — Extension  Westward,         i-io 

CHAPTER   II. 

MISSIONARIES  AND  CHURCHES  FROM  THE  BEGINNING  TO  1820. 

John  Evans  Finley — John  F.  Schermerhorn — Samuel  J.  Mills — Daniel 
Smith — St.  Louis  in  1814 — Sharon  church — James  McGready — 
Martin  B.  Darrah — Backus  Wilbur — Andrew  O.  Patterson — Con- 
cord church,  Mo. — Benjamin  F.  Spilman — Benjamin  Spilman — 
Shoal  Creek  church — Salmon  Giddings — Oren  Catlin — Daniel  G. 
Sprague — David  Tenney — Edwardsville  church — Edward  Hollister 
— Daniel  Gould-=-Abraham  Williamson — Golconda  church — John 
Crawford — Nathan  B.  Derrow — Robert  A.  Lapsley — Hopewell,  or 
New  Hope  church,       ......  10-48 

CHAPTER   III. 

FROM  1820  TO  FIRST  MEETING  OF  CENTER  PRESBYTERY. 

Turkey  Hill  church — Kaskaskia  and  Chester  church — Timothy  Flint — 
Benjamin  Low — Mrs.  PermehaBurr — John  Mann — John  M.  Ellis — 
Mrs.  Frances  C.  Brard  Ellis — John  Matthews — The  first  Alton 
church — Stephen  Bliss — David  Choate  Procter — CoUinsville  church 
— The  first  Presbyterian  church  in  Greene  county,  or  Apple  Creek 
church — Paris  church,  Edgar  county — Isaac  Reed — John  Young — 
Elbridge  Gerry  Howe — Betliel  church — Thomas  A.  Spilman — 
Greenville  church — Solomon  Hardy — Jesse  Townsend — Mrs.  John 
Tillson — Shawneetown — Shawneetown  church — First  Presbyterian 
church,  Jacksonville — Carmi  church — Sangamon  church,  or  First 
Springfield — John  G.  Bergen,  D.  D. — Hillsboro  church — John 
Tillson — Vandalia  church — Illinois  Riggs — First  Bell,  .  48-138 


Vlii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

CENTER    PRESBYTERY. 

First  meeting  at  Kaskaskia — Second  at  Jacksonville — Third  meeting  at 
Vandalia — New  Providence  church — Sugar  Creek  church — 'New 
Haven  church — Adjourned  meeting — Thomas  Lippincott — Cyrus 
L.  Watson — Fourth  meeting  at  Springfield — Theron  Baldwin — J. 
M.  Sturtevant — John  McDonald — Stiles  Hawley — Fifth  meeting 
with  Wabash  church — Measures  taken  for  a  new  Synod — Henry 
Herrick — Benoni  Y.  Messenger — Horace  Smith — Pleasant  Prairie 
church,    .  .      ^-    .  .  .  .  .  .  138-166 

CHAPTER  V. 

YEARS      183I      TO      1S34. 

Eight  regular  meetings  each  of  Illinois,  Kaskaskia  and  Sangamon  Pres- 
byteries— Four  meetings  of  Palestine  Presbytery — Four  meetings  of 
Synod — Edward  Beecher — William  J.  Eraser — Union  church — 
Gilead  church — Palestine  church — William  K.  Stewart — Alton 
church,  the  first — Horace  Smith — Bethel,  or  Oakland  church — Wil- 
liam Kirby — Elisha  Jenney — Naples  church — John  Montgomery — 
John  F.  Brooks — Albert  Hale — Equality  church — Pisgah  church 
— William  Hamilton — Alexander  Ewing — Isaac  Bennet — Elkhorn, 
or  Nashville  church — Belleville  church,  the  first — Roswell  Brooks — 
First  Presbyterian  church  of  Edwards  county,  Shiloh,  or  Trinity^ 
Lemuel  Foster — String  Prairie,  or  Walnut  Grove  church — South 
Greene,  or  Jerseyville  church — Robert  Stewart — Gideon  Blackburn, 
D.  D. — Samuel  E.  Blackburn — Spring  Cove  church — Carlinville 
church — Marine  church — Sugar  Creek  church — Lick  Creek  chuich 
— Dewey  Whitney — Enoch  Kingsbury — fohn  C.  Campbell — Dan- 
ville  church — Darwin  church — Brulitt's  Creek  church,  .  166-215 

CHAPTER  VI. 

YEARS      1835      TO      1837. 

Six  regular  meetings  each  of  Illinois,  Kaskaskia,  Sangamon  and  Pales- 
tine Presbyteries — Four  regular  meetings  of  Alton  Presbyteiy — 
Three  meetings  of  Synod — Wm.  G.  Gallaher — Alfred  H.  Dasheill, 
D.  D. — Milton  Kimball — Frederick  W.  Graves — Hugh  Barr — Man- 
chester church  —  Second  Presbyterian  church  of  Springfield — 
Chatham  church — Reuben  White — Pisgah  church,  Morgan  county 
—Samuel  Baldrldge,  M.  D.— T.  B.  Hurlbut— Aug.  T.  Norton, 
D.  D. — Amos  P.  Brown — James  Stafford — Charleston  church- 
John  Silliman — West  Liberty  church — Upper  Alton  church — Elijah 
P.  Lovejoy — Enoch  S.  Huntington — Charles  Selleck — ^Joshua  T. 
Tucker,  D.  D.,  ....  .  .   215-262 


CONTENTS.  IX 

CHAPTER  VII. 
YEARS      1838     TO     184I. 

Eight  regular  meetings  each  of  Illinois,  Kaskaskia,  Sangamon  and  Pal- 
estine, o.  s..  Presbyteries — Three  meetings  of  Palestine  Presbytery, 
n.  s. — Ralph  W.  Gridley — Peccan  Bottom  church — Panther  Creek 
church — Cyrus  Riggs — John  W.  Little — William  C.  Greenleaf — Ed- 
wardsville  church,  the  second — Daniel  E.  Manton — L.S.  Williams — 
George  C.  Wood — Mud  Creek  church — Walnut  Grove,  or  McClus- 
key  church — Nathaniel  Kingsbury — Okaw,  or  Areola  church — New- 
ton church — Mt.  Carmel  church — Andrew  Todd — Central  church, 
Jacksonville — Greenville  church,  n.  s.  —  Joseph  Fowler — Robert 
Kirkwood — Luke  Lyon — Whitehall,  at  first  Apple  Creek  church — 
Pisgah  church,  Gallatin  county — Andrew  M.  Hershey — Carlinville 
church,  o.  s.,  Dry  Point  or  Bayless  church — Henry  I.  Venable — 
Robert  H.  Lilly — Erastus  W.  Thayer  —  York  church — Belleville  » 
church,  the  second — Charles  E.  Blood — Carlyle  church — Mt.  Ver- 
non church,  o.  s. — Crab  Orchard  church — Shiloh  church,  Lawrence 
county — Hebron  church,  Ashmore  postoflrce — David  D.  McKee — 
William  Chamberlin,   .......  262-307 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

YEARS      1842      TO    I     845. 

Eight  regular  meetings  of  Illinois,  Kaskaskia,  Sangamon,  Palestine, 
Wabash  and  Alton  Presbyteries — Thomas  Laurie,  D.  D. — William  H. 
Williams — Salem  Church,  Macoupin  county — Archibald  C.  Allen — 
West  Union,  or  Murrayville  church — Hubbel  Loomis — Troy  church — 
Josiah  Porter — Belleville  church,  o.  s. — Waveland  church — Sparta, 
Jordan's  Grove,  or  Baldwin  church — Liberty,  or  Rockwood  church 
— Nine-Mile  Prairie,  or  old  Ducoign  church — Joseph  A.  Ranney — Jo- 
siah Wood — Heniy  B.  Whittaker — Exeter  church — Chauncy  Eddy 
.  — Hopewell  church.  Bond  county — Bethany,  or  Staunton  church — 
Joseph  Piatt — Shelbyville  church,  o.  s.^Plum  Creek  church — Wil- 
ham  E.  Chittenden — George  W.  Pyle — William  Fithian — Charles 
B.  Barton — Titus  Theodore  Barton — Galum  church — Elisha  F. 
Chester — Blackburn  Leffler — Hurricane  church — Williston  Jones — 
Mulberry  Grove  church — Marion  church,     ...  .   307-35$ 

CHAPTER  IX. 

YEARS      1846     TO    I    848. 

Six  regular  meetings  of  Illinois,  Kaskaskia,  Sangamon,  Palestine  and 
Alton  Presbyteries — Three  meetings  of  o.  s.  and  n.  s.  Synods — 
Socrates  Smith — Harvey  Blodgett — Rochester  church — Hopewell, 
or  Knob  Prairie  church,  Franklin  county  —  John  Smith  How- 
ell— Thomas   Woodruff    Hynes  —  Marshall    church  —  Grandview 


X  CONTENTS. 

church — James  R.  Dunn — Adjourned  meeting  of  Alton  Presbytery 
— N.  A.  Hunt — Western  Saratoga  church — Murphysboro  church — 
John  L.  Hawkins— P.  D.  Young— W.  B.  Gardner— C.  H.  Palmer 
— ^Joseph  Adams — Jos.  Gordon — W.  H.  Bird — Brighton  church — 
Vergennes  church — Liberty  Prairie  church — E.  B.  Olmsted — A.  M. 
Dixon — Livingston  M.  Glover — Joseph  Wilson — P.  W.  Thomson 
— Lawrenceville  church — Joseph  S.  Graves — Lemuel  Grosvenor — 
John  Gibson — George  Spaulding — Hickory  Creek  church — Van 
Burensburg  church,     ......  .   355-392 

CHAPTER  X. 

YEARS     1849     TO     1852. 

Eight  regular  meetings  of  Illinois,  Kaskaskia,  Sangamon,  Palestine  and 
Alton  Presbyteries — Six  meetings  of  Wabash  Presbytery — Joseph  M. 
Grout — Robinson  church — Third  church,  Springfield — Rattan's 
Prairie,  or  Moro  church — James  Smith,  D.  D. — Richard  V.  Dodge 
— Valentine  Pentzer — Calvin  Butler — John  Kennedy  —  John  V. 
Dodge — ^John  K.  Deering — John  H.  Russ — Ewington  church — Me- 
tropolis City  and  church — Ft.  Massac — John  G.  Rankin — Gideon 
C.  Clark — George  Pierson,  M.  D. — Shelby ville  church,  n.  s. — Da- 
vid Ewing — Redbud  church — Pleasant  Ridge  church — Long  Point 
church — Hillery  Patrick — Liberty  Prairie,  or  Cerro  Gordo  church — 
Robert  Simpson — James  Cameron — George  M.  Tuthill — Joseph  £. 
McMurray  —  Pinckneyville  church  —  Union  church,  Macoupin 
county — Ml  Vernon  church.  Bond  county — McLeansboro  church, 
n.  s. — John  Crozier — David  A.  Wallace — North  Arm  church — First 
and  Second  Decatur  church — Hardin  church — David  Dimond,  D. 
D.— H.  D.  Piatt— William  T.  Bartle,     ....  392-433 

CHAPTER  XL 

YEARS1853TO1856. 

Meetings  of  Presbyteries  and  Synods — Rufus  Nutting — Peter  Hassinger 
— Bethel  church,  Crawford  county — Ebenezer  church — Hiram  F. 
Taylor — Caledonia  church — Virden  church — Robert  M.  Roberts — 
Pocahontas  church  —  Elm  Point  church — Cave  Spring  church — 
Samuell  Newell,  D.  D. — Robert  A.  Mitchell — Martinsville  church — 
Samuel  C.  Baldridge — Union  church — Sullivan  church — Henry  R. 
Lewis — Samuel  R.  H.  Wylie — Mt.  Vernon  church — Carbondale 
church — John  W.  McCord — William  D.  Sanders — Lively's  Prairie 
church— John  B.  Saye — W.  W.  Wells— Monticello  church— Sig- 
mund  Uhlfelder — Samuel  Ward — Litchfield  church  —  Nathan  S. 
Palmer — John  H.  Brown,  D.  D. — Noah  Bishop — Albert  Smith,  D. 
D. — A.  S.  Avery — Josejih  S.  Edwards — Shipman  church — Pana 
church — Centralia  church — New  Ducoign  church,         .  .  433-475 


CONTENTS.  Xr 

CHAPTER  XII. 
YEARS  1857  TO  1858. 
Meetings  of  Presbyteries  and  Synods — Edward  McMillan — Caleb  J. 
Pitkin — Salem  church — James  M.  Alexander— Friendsville  church 
— Dawson  church — Taylors-ille  church — Second  church,  Jerseyville 
—Robert  W.  Allen— Charles  Kenmore— William  S.  Post— Church 
of  Gillespie — Richview  church— Cumberland  Precinct,  or  Browns- 
town  church — Tamaroa  church — P.  R.  Vanatta — Zion  (German) 
church— Samuel  B.  Smith— B.  H.  Charles— William  R.  Sim— But- 
ler church — Xenia,  or  Flora  church — Trenton  church  —  Mason 
church,  o.  s. — William  R.  Palmer — F.  A.  Deming — First  and  Sec- 
ond church,  Mattoon — John  Huston — Ellis  D.  Howell  —  Neoga 
church — Olney  church — Hopewell  church,  Lawrence  county — S.  K. 
Sneed — Andrew  Laicc — C  H.   Taylor — Cairo  church,  .  .  47S"5^S' 

CHAPTER  XIIL 

YEARS     1859    TO     I  860. 

Meetings  of  Presbyteries  and  Synods — Greenfield  church — Georgetown, 
or  Steele's  Mills  church — William  H.  Templeton — F.  H.  L.  Laird — 
Unity  church — Allen  McFarland — James  W.  Allison — Henry  T. 
Morton— Wakefield,  or  ML  Olivet  church — Kansas  church — Tacusa, 
or  Assumption  church — Alton  Presbytery  and  A.  H.  M.  S. — James  S. 
Walton — Almond  G.  Martin — Mound  City  church — Henr}'  Blanke 
— David  R.  Todd — Lazarus  B.  W.  Shryock — Sandoval  church — 
W' illiam  L.  Tarbet — Prairie  Bird  church — Westminster  church — Mar- 
tin P.  Ormsby — Norman  A.  Prentiss — Mascoutah  church — Bement 
church — Charles  P.  Spining — Charles  H.  Foote — George  W.  Good- 
ale — Gennan  church,  Jerseyville  —  W.  L.  Mitchell  —  Alfred  N. 
Denny SiS-554' 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

YEARS  1861  TO  1862. 
Meetings  of  Presbyteries  and  Synods  of  1861  and  1862 — David  H. 
Hamilton — George  D.  Miller — New  Hope  church,  Jasper  county — 
Milton  church — Beckwith  Prairie  church — West  Okaw  church — 
Thomas  Sherrard — E.  G.  Bryant — Ezekiel  Folsom — Thomas  Rey- 
nolds— Joseph  J.  Gray — H.  M.  Corbett — St.  John's  German  church 
— B.  C.  Swan — ^J.  C.  Thornton — Union  county  church — J.  W.  Stark 
— A.  S.  Kemper — Union  church,  Clark  county — David  F.  Mc- 
Farland— George  W.  F.  Birch — Nokomis  churcli — R.  L.  McCune 
— Grayville  church,  ......  5S4"576' 

CHAPTER  XV. 

YEARS     1863     TO     1864. 
Meetings   of  Presbyteries   and   Synods — Morgan    L.   Wood  —  William 


Xii  CONTENTS. 

Barnes — Nathaniel  Williams — Samuel  E.  Vance — Alfred  Hamilton 
—Eli  W.  Taylor— Elijah  Buck— A.  R.  Naylor— Thomas  H.  New- 
ton— William  R.  Adams — Timothy  Hill — James  B.  Sheldon — Sam- 
uel B.  Taggart — Sandford  R.  Bissell — Odin  church — Bridgeport 
church — Clark  Loudon — J.  Jerome  Ward — Charles  F.  Beach — Wil- 
liam Ellers, 576-593 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

YEARS     1865     TO     1867. 

Meetings  of  Presbyteriea  and  Synods — John  L.  Jones — David  R.  Love 
— Thomas  Spencer — Watson  church — Effingham  church — Stephen 
Jay  Bovell — Frederick  H.  Wines — William  B.  Spence  —  F.  N. 
Ewing — Macon  church — Charles  F.  Halsey — George  L.  Little — 
Smith  H.  Hyde — J.  Rogers  Armstrong — Buffalo  church — William 
Bridgman — Cornelius  Van  H.  Monfort — Mulberry  Grove  church — 
John  B.  Brandt— Garnett  A.  Pollock— Charles  P.  Felch— Noble 
Township  church — Prairie  City  church — Samuel  W.  Mitchell — Har- 
ristown  church — John  H.  Dillingham — Mason  church — H.  N.  Wil- 
bur— James  Brownlee — Joseph  D.  Barstow — Willard  P.  Gibson — 
W.  P.  Teitsworth — Anna  church — Lebanon  church — John  B.  L. 
Soule — G.  H.  Robertson — Thomas  D.  Davis — A.  J.  Clark — Russell 
D.  Van  Deursen — Homer  church — James  E.  Lapsley — Elisha  D. 
Barrett — Samuel  Conn — Moawequa  church — ^Joseph  H.  Scott — An- 
drew D.  Jacke — Adam  Johnston — America  church — Tower  Hill 
church — Edwardsville  church — East  St.  Louis  church — WiUiam  H. 
Smith — Herman  church — Larkinsburg  church — Timberville,  or  Al- 
lendale church — Thomas  Gould — Joseph  Warren,  D.  D. — Eliza- 
bethtown  church,  ......  594-635 

CHAPTER  XVn. 

YEAR     I  8  6  8. 

Meetings  of  Presbyteries  and  Synods — Asahel  L.  Brooks — George  Steb- 
bins — Thomas  E.  Spilman — Henry  Mattice — New  Amity  church — 
Denmark  church — Pinckneyville  church — Thornton  K.  Hedges — 
Illiopolis  church — Washington  Maynard — Lucius  L  Root — Leb- 
anon German  church — George  Ives  King — Peter  S.  Van  Nest — W. 
D.  F.  Lummis — Martin  B.  Gregg — McLeansboro  church — Harris- 
burg  church  —  Enfield  church  —  George  B.  McComb — Thomas 
Smith — George  K.  Perkins — Joseph  M.  Wilson,  .  .  636-654 

CHAPTER  XVIIL 

YEARS     1867     TO     1870. 

Meetings  of  Presbyteries  and  Synod — Isaac  N.  Candee — Robert  Gaius 
Ross — J.    A.    Williams — John    H.    Reints — Salem   church — Sparta 


CONTENTS.  XIU 

church — John  Kidd — James  L.  McNair — Edgewood  church — Wil- 
liam W.  WilHams — W.  W.  Harsha — Edward  F.  Fish — John  M. 
Johnson — Hugh  Aiken  McKelvey — John  D.  Jones — James  Scott 
Davis — C.  Solon  Armstrong — Du  Bois  church — Vera  church — Shob- 
onier  church — Villa  Ridge  church — Gilgal  church  —  George  W. 
Fisher — James  H.  Spilman — John  Hood — William  B.  Faris — Don- 
gola  church — Grand  Tower  church — James  G.  Butler — Church  of 
Saline  Mines — Gilead  church — Auburn  church — Carbondale  church 
— Greenup  church,  ......  655-679 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

YEARS     1870     TO     1879. 

Ninian  S.  Dickey — John  William  Bailey — Alfred  W.  Wright — WiUiam 
H.  Ilsley — William  Haslett  Priestly — George  F.  Davis — Ferdinand 
G.  Strange — Adam  C.  Johnson — Alvan  R.  Mathes — John  E.  Car- 
son— John  McRobinson — Samuel  M.  Morton — Robert  Rudd — Si- 
mon C.  Head — Adam  W.  Ringland — William  E.  Lincoln — David 
W.  Evans — Harlan  Page  Carson — Lyman  Marshall — R.  J.  L. 
Matthews — Alfred  M.  Mann — Albert  B.  Byram — Charles  T.  Phil- 
lips— William  L.  Johnston — Oliver  S.  Thompson — Edwin  L.  Hurd 
— Edward  Scofield,  sr.,  .  .  .  .  .  680-700 

CHAPTER   XX. 

Capt.  Benjamin  Godfrey — Monticello,  Jacksonville  and  Ducoign  Fe- 
male Seminaries  and  Blackburn  University,       .  .  ,  701-708 

CHAPTER  XXL 
Aratus  Kent,  .,..,,.  709-726 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRO  DU  CTO  RY. 

Authorities: — Gillett's  History;  Foote's  Sketches  of  North  Carolina:  Pres. 
Quarterly,  Jan.,   1859. 

Freedom  to  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of 
one's  own  consience,  is  the  distinguishing  trait  of  reHgious 
liberty.  This  hberty  has  ever  been  withheld  by  the  Romish 
Church,  when  by  an  alhance  with  the  civil  arm  it  had  the 
power  so  to  do.  A  determination  not  to  grant  this  liberty, 
but  to  enforce  exact  compliance  with  all  their  doctrines  and 
modes  of  worship,  has  ever  been  the  main-spring  of  that 
Church's  persecuting  spirit  and  practices. 

After  the  Reformation,  which  had  made  not  a  little  pro- 
gress in  the  150  years  from  Wicliffe  to  Henry  VHI,  had 
been  arrested  by  the  assumption  of  the  supremacy  by  that 
English  sovereign,  the  same  unwillingness  to  bestow  liberty 
of  conscience  continued  to  exist,  and  continued  to  perse- 
cute almost  as  pitilessly  as  under  Rome  itself.  This  per- 
secuting course  was,  however,  arrested,  or  at  least  modified, 
in  England  by  the  Toleration  Act  of  1689.  But  in  those  of 
the  American  colonies,  where  the  Episcopal  was  the  estab- 
lished religion,  all  dissenters,  especially  Presbyterians,  con- 
tinued to  be  harrassed  by  fines  and  imprisonments,  even 
after  the  Toleration  Act  had  become  the  law  of  the  kingdom. 

On  account  of  these  obstructions,  purposely  and  often 
illegally  thrown  in  the  way  by  Roj-al  governors  and  their 
satellites,  it  happened  that,  though  there  were  hundreds  of 
christians  of  Presbyterian  convictions  and  predilections  in 
New  York,  New  Jersey,  Maryland,  Virginia,  and  the  Caro- 
linas,  little  progress  was  made  in  the  way  of  actual  Presby- 
terian organization  till  near  the  close  of  the  17th  century. 

Aside  from  the  New  England  churches,  which  were  Pres- 
byterian in  their  i nUrfia I  stracturQ,  the  first  regular  Presbyte- 
rian church  positively  known  to  have  been  organized  in  this 
country  was  that  of  Sxow  Hill,  Maryland,  established  in 
1684,  by  Francis  Makemie,  who  was  born  near  Rathmelton, 
Donegal  Co.,  Ireland,  and  had  studied  at  one  of  the  Scotch 


2  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

universities.  He  was  a  most  self-denying,  laborious,  itiner- 
ant Presbyterian  minister,  traveling,  preaching,  and  visiting 
in  Maryland,  Virginia  and  New  York.  He  found  the  field 
white  for  the  harvest,  and  exerted  himself  most  assiduously 
to  obtain  evangelical  ministers  from  London,  Dublin  and 
New  England. 

The  first  Presbytery  in  this  country  was  called  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Philadelphia,  and  was  formed  in  1705  or  1706. 
The  loss  of  the  first  leaf  of  the  record  leaves  the  date  un- 
certain. It  consisted  of  seven  ministers — Francis  Makemie, 
John  Hampton,- George  Macnish,  Samuel  Davis,  John  Wil- 
son, Jedidiah  Andrews  and  Nathaniel  Taylor. 

Ten  years  later  that  one  Presbytery  was  divided  into  three, 
Philadelphia,  with  six  ministers  ;  New  Castle,  with  six,  and 
Snow  Hill,  with  three.  These  with  the  new  Presbytery  of 
Long  Island,  constituted  the  first  Synod. 

Its  churches  extended  along  the  Atlantic  coast  from  Vir- 
ginia to  the  eastern  extremity  of  Long  Island.  Many  of  them 
were  made  up  of  emigrants  from  New  England. 

The  reasons  why  they  fell  so  readily  and  generally  into 
the  Presbyterian  Church  may  be  gathered  from  an  able 
article  in  the  Presbyterian  Quarterly  for  Jan.,  1859. 

"The  constitution  of  the  individual  church  in  the  early 
history  of  New  England  was  Presbyterian  rather  than  Con- 
gregational. This  was  the  case  with  the  mother  church  of 
Leyden,  of  which  John  Robinson  was  pastor,  and  Brewster 
a  ruling  elder.  They  seem  to  have  borrowed  their  ideas 
of  the  proper  and  scriptural  organization  of  an  individual 
church  from  the  writings  of  Calvin.  In  the  French  Re- 
formed Church  the  principles  of  that  Genevese  reformer 
were  fully  carried  out ;  and  it  was  these  French  Reformed 
churches  which  the  Leyden  church  took  as  its  pattern."  But 
the  Plymouth  church,  Mass.,  was,  as  all  know,  a  branch  of 
the  Leyden  church  transplanted  to  this  side  of  the  Atlantic, 
and  that  Plymouth  church  was  the  pattern  for  the  early 
New  England  churches. 

The  Cambridge  Platform  of  1648,  recognizes  the  Presby- 
terian Constitution  of  the  Church.  It  says  :  "The  government 
of  the  Church  is  vested  in  its  Presbytery  of  Elders.  The 
Holy  Ghost,  where  it  mentioneth  Church  rule  and  Church 
government,  ascribeth  it  to  Elders^  It  held  that  "  Ruling 
Elders  were  appointed  for  the  assistance  of  pastors  in  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  churches,  and  the  inspection  of  the  flocks." 


INTRODUCTORY.  3 

This  Platform  was  unanimously  approved  by  the  New  Eng- 
land churches  of  that  day. 

The  natural  development  of  this  internal  Presbyterian  sys- 
tem would  have  been  into  Presbytery,  taking  the  oversight  of 
the  churches  in  a  defined  region  of  country,  and  constituting 
a  Court  of  Appeal.  But  this  natural  development  was  pre- 
vented, among  other  reasons  by  that  vicious  union  of  Church 
And  State,  which  obtained  everywhere  throughout  the  chris- 
tian world,  from  the  time  the  Church  first  allied  itself  with 
the  Roman  Empire,  down  to  the  former  part  of  the  present 
■century.  By  this  system,  discipline  was  exercised  by  the  civil 
arm.  Appeals  from  individual  churches  were  not  to  a  higher 
JEcclesiastical  body,  possessing  only  spiritual  authority,  but 
to  the  civil  power.  This  power  sometimes  issued  the  appeals 
in  its  own  courts,  and  sometimes  referred  the  matter  of  them 
to  Synods,  or  councils,  called  by  its  own  authority.  The 
•early  Puritans  of  New  England  were  imbued  with  this  vi- 
cious, old-world  idea  that  discipline  was  to  be  enforced  by 
appeals  referred  to  the  civil  authority.  Hence,  even  when 
the  union  between  Church  and  State  was  everywhere,  in  our 
•country,  dissolved,  they  failed  to  provide  spiritual  courts  be- 
yond the  individual  church,  and  to  this  day  many  of  them 
cannot  be  made  to  understand  their  use  and  necessity. 

Some,  however,  of  their  leading  minds  grasped  the  true 
view.  Prominent  among  them  was  President  Edwards,  who, 
in  1750,  said:  "I  have  long  been  perfectly  out  of  conceit 
of  our  unsettled,  independent,  confused  way  of  church  gov- 
ernment in  the  land ;  and  the  Presbyterian  way  has  long 
appeared  to  me  the  most  agreeable  to  the  Word  of  God, 
and  the  reason  and  nature  of  things."  Similar  to  this  was 
the  view  of  President  Dwight,  of  Yale  College.  The  "  Mu- 
tual Council"  appeared  to  him  "a  judicatory  most  unhappily 
constituted.  After  its  decisions,  its  existence  ceases ;  its  re- 
sponsibility vanishes  with  its  existence,  as  does  also  the 
sense  of  its  authority."  It  has  "no  common  rules  of  pro- 
ceeding." He  would  have  the  appellate  tribunal  a  "  standing 
body,  always  existing,  of  acknowledged  authority,  a  court  of 
record,  having  a  regular  system  of  precedents."  What  was 
this  but  a  Presbytery?  He  preferred  a  consociation  to  a 
council,  but  said  it  was  defective  from  "  the  want  of  a  still 
superior  tribunal  to  receive  appeals."  Stone,  of  Hartford, 
defined  Congregationalism  as  "a  speaking  aristocracy  in  the 
face  of  a  silent  democracy." 


4  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Now,  when  Puritans  of  New  England,  imbued  with  these 
Presbyterian  ideas  of  the  internal  government  of  a  church, 
and  feeling  the  necessity  for  some  outside  complement  to 
it,  found  themselves  within  the  bounds  of  Presbytery  and 
Synod,  they  at  once  hailed  them  as  the  Eureka  of  their 
desires. 

These  same  reasons  have  for  175  years  led  a  host  of  other 
emigrants  from  New  England  to  form  the  same  Church 
connections.  After  some  investigation,  though  not  pre- 
tending to  positive  accuracy  of  knowledge,  it  is  my  full  be- 
lief that  during  the  whole  period  of  the  existence  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  this  country,  at  least  one-half  its 
members  have  been,  and  are,  New  Englanders,  and  their 
descendants. 

The  period  from  1740  to  1758  was  marked  by  two  oc- 
currences of  special  ii^iportance.  I.  The  division  of  the 
Synod.  This  was  brought  about  in  1741.  The  grounds 
of  it  were  mainly  these  .  (i.)  Differences  of  opinion  in  re- 
gard to  the  terms  of  subscription  or  assent  to  the  doctrinal, 
symbols — one  party  held  to  the  ipsissima  verba  method. 
The  other  held  that  assent  to  the. confession  as  containing 
the  system  of  doctrine  taught  in  the  scriptures  was  suffi- 
cient. (2.)  Differences  of  opinion  in  regard  to  the  great 
revival  which  swept  over  the  land  under  the  preaching  of 
Whitefield,  the  Tennents  and  others,  (3.)  A  fanatical  spirit 
begotten  of  the  revival,  in  some  shallow  minds,  leading  to 
uncharitableness  and  censorious  judgments.  (4.)  A  cer- 
tain wrong-headedness  in  certain  quarters,  springing  from 
obstinacy  rather  than  firmness  tempered  with  christian 
charity.  This  division  led  to  the  establishment  of  the  Synod 
OF  New  York.  Thereafter,  in  common  parlance,  the  two 
Synods — that  of  Philadelphia  and  that  of  New  York — 
were  designated  as  the  Old  side  and  the  Neiv  side.  This  di- 
vision was  happily  healed  in  May,  1758,  when  at  Philadel- 
phia the  two  Synods  came  together  under  the  name  of  the 
Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia. 

11,  The  other  event  which  distinguished  this  period  was 
the  rapid  and  large  increase  of  the  Church  and  the  minis- 
try. When,  half  a  century  before,  the  first  Presbytery  was 
formed,  the  Church  was  struggling  for  an  existence.  "  It 
was  persecuted  both  in  Virginia  and  New  York,  and  had 
scarcely  a  foothold  in  either  province.  A  few  feeble 
churches  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Maryland,  one   or  two  ia 


INTRODUCTORY.  5 

Delaware,  one  in  Philadelphia,  and  one  or  two  in  New 
Jersey,  composed  its  entire  strength.  Now  it  numbered 
nearly  one  hundred  ministers,  and  more  than  as  many 
churches.  The  field  of  its  operations  had  been  vastly  ex- 
tended. Virginia  and  the  Carolinas,  the  destitute  but  rap- 
idly settling  portions  of  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey,  as 
well  as  the  river  counties  of  New  York,  were  open  to  its 
efforts  and  calling  upon  it  for  aid.  It  was  inviting  laborers 
from  abroad — from  New  England,  Scotland  and  Ireland — 
and  training  them  up  at  home.  Princeton  College  had  gone 
into  successful  operation.  Quite  a  number  of  ministers 
Avere  engaged  at  once  in  pastoral  duty,  and  in  training  pious 
young  men  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  churches."  All 
.this  increase  in  troublous  times  goes  to  show  that  periods 
■of  intense  agitation  are  not  necessarily  periods  of  unmiti- 
gated evil.  A  storm,  with  all  its  dangers,  is  better  than  a 
dead  calm. 

The  extension  of  the  Church,  before  and  during  this  pe- 
riod, in  Virginia  was  especially  noticeable.  A  mixed  popu- 
lation, among  whom  were  many  Scotch  and  Scotch-Irish 
Presbyterians,  flowed  up  the  valley  of  the  Shenandoah.  To 
:supply  their  wants  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  sent  several 
ministers,  who  organized  a  number  of  congregations  in  that 
iinviting  and  fertile  valley.  It  is  to  be  borne  in  mind  that  in 
Virginia  the  Episcopal  was  the  religion  established  by  law. 
Dissenting  ministers  who  attempted  to  preach  without  license 
:from  the  government,  were  fined  and  driven  from  the  colony. 
The  buildings  where  they  preached  must  also  be  especially 
licensed.  The  Episcopalians  had  a  church  edifice  in  every 
-county  seat.  This  drove  dissenters  to  the  country.  They 
.could  obtain  no  license  to  build  in  the  towns. 

A  movement  which  resulted  in  the  planting  of  Presbyte- 
rianism  in  Hanover  and  several  of  the  adjacent  counties, 
■commenced  in  a  singular  manner.  A  gentleman  found  in  the 
possession  of  a  Scotch  woman  a  few  leaves  oi  Boston  s  Fourfold 
State.  Their  perusal  excited  in  his  mind  so  great  an  mterest 
ithat  he  sent  to  England  for  the  entire  work.  The  result  was 
.his  conversion.  Another  person  in  the  same  neighborhood 
obtained  a  copy  of  Luther  on  Galatians,  and  was  led  by  its 
perusal  to  the  Savior.  Two  or  three  others  absented  them- 
-selves  at  the  same  time  from  the  parish  church  from  a  con- 
viction the  gospel  was  not  preached  by  the  parish  priest. 
Pour  of  them  were  called  before  the  magistrate  at  the  same 


6  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

time  to  account  for  their  absence.  There,  to  their  amaze- 
ment, they  discovered  that  they  held  common  views.  The 
discovery  strenghtened  their  faith,  and  led  them  thenceforth 
to  submit  to  fines  rather  than  attend  a  church  where  they 
were  not  profited.  They  fell  into  the  practice  of  meeting  on 
the  Sabbath  for  reading  at  each  other's  houses.  The  books 
they  first  read  were  Boston  s  Foiirfold  State  and  Luther  on  Ga- 
latians.  Afterwards  a  volume  of  Whitefield's  sermons  fell  into 
their  hands.  Presently  private  houses  became  too  small  to 
accommodate  their  numbers  and  they  built  a  church  merely 
for  reading.  Several  persons  were  converted.  The  author- 
ities of  the  Established  Church  saw  Avith  alarm  their  parish 
churches  deserted,  and  summoned  the  leaders  of  the  new 
movement  before  the  Governor  and  Council. 

One  of  the  number,  on  his  way  to  Williamsburg — the  seat 
of  Government — being  detained  at  a  house  by  a  storm,  found 
there  a  dust-covered  volume.  To  his  great  delight,  its  views 
of  truth  strikingly  accorded  with  those  he  had  imbibed  from 
the  recently-read  books.  He  procured  the  volume,  brought 
it  with  him  to  Williamsburg  and  showed  it  to  his  companions 
before  they  appeared  in  the  Governor's  presence.  They 
agreed  to  adopt  it  as  their  creed.  The  Governor  was  Gooch, 
himself  of  Scotch  origin  and  education.  On  coming  before 
him  they  presented  the  book  as  expressive  of  their  own  re- 
ligious views.  The  Governor  found  it  to  be  the  Confession  of 
Faith  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Scotland.  He  conse- 
quently denominated  them  Presbyterians,  and  dismissed  them 
with  a  caution  not  to  excite  disturbance. 

The  result  in  a  few  years  was  the  planting  in  that  region 
of  Rev.  Samuel  Davies,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  minis- 
ters of  this  or  any  other  country.  "  He  was  at  once  the 
champion  of  freedom,  the  friend  of  learning,  the  founder  of 
churches,  and  next  to  Whitefield  the  most  eloquent  preach- 
er of  his  age." 

During  the  period  of  their  separation  both  the  New  and 
the  Old  Side  made  strenuous  educational  efforts,  with  the 
special  object  of  training  young  men  for  the  ministry. 
The  New  Side  established  Princeton  college.  To  obtain 
assistance  towards  its  endowment  they  sent  Gilbert  Tennent 
and  Samuel  Davies  to  England.  Their  mission,  though  pros- 
ecuted under  great  discouragements,  was  successful.  They 
secured  from  ^20,000  to  ^25,000,  which  in  those  times  was 
a  large  sum.     The   Old   Side    established  a    school  at  New 


INTRODUCTORY.  / 

London,  Penn.  Several  ministers  on  both  sides  gave  in- 
struction to  young  men,  in  addition  to  their  parochial  du- 
ties. By  these  means  and  the  importation  of  ministers  from 
abroad,  much  was  done  towards  supplying  the  constantly 
increasing  demand  for  ministerial  labor. 

Through  the  period  extending  from  the  union  of  the  two 
Synods  in  1758,  to  the  revolutionary  war,  the  growth  of  the 
Church  was  steady  and  rapid.  In  this  period  were  initiated 
nearly  all  the  benevolent  movements  which  have  since  taken 
organized  shape  under  the  direction  of  the  various  Boards. 
These  movements  were  both  the  natural  development  of 
the  christian  spirit  of  the  Church,  and  the  necessary  means 
for  meeting  those  calls  for  christian  labor  which  arose  from 
the  rapid  increase  and  extension  of  the  population.  At  the 
close  of  the  period,  the  Synod  contained  eleven  Presbyteries, 
Dutchess,  Suffolk,  New  York,  New  Brunswick,  Donegal, 
Lewes,  New  Castle,  the  First  and  Second  of  Philadelphia, 
Hanover  and  Orange. 

The  influence  of  the  war  upon  the  Church  was  for  the 
time  disastrous.  The  interest  of  the  country  was  almost 
wholly  absorbed  in  that  great  conflict.  The  Episcopal 
ministry  and  membership  were  almost  universally  Tories. 
They  no  doubt  entertained  the  idea  that  if  the  colonies 
could  be  subdued,  the  Episcopal  would  become  throughout 
the  new  country,  as  it  was  in  the  old,  the  established  reli- 
gion. They  sympathized  with  Old  England  in  that  strug- 
gle because  they  wished  for  bishops  and  bishop's  courts, 
armed  with  the  civil  sword,  to  put  down  dissent  here  as 
was  done  over  the  water.  On  the  other  hand  Presbyterian 
ministers  and  congregations  were  everywhere  and  always 
patriots.  They  and  their  co-religionists  of  New  England, 
felt  that  religious,  as  well  as  civil  liberty  was  at  stake,  and 
hazarded  everything  and  suffered  everything  for  its  main- 
tenance. Space  does  not  permit  me  to  mention  the  long 
list  of  individual  ministers,  beginning  with  Dr.  John  Wither- 
spoon  of  Princeton  College,  who  preached,  prayed,  fought 
and  often  died  in  their  country's  cause.  '  Tis  a  glorious 
record!  British  officers  and  their  Tory  allies,  all  through  the 
war  bore  a  special  spite  against  Presbyterian  ministers  and 
their  prominent  members,  and  took  special  delight  in  des- 
troying their  churches,  plundering  their  houses  and  burn- 
ing their  libraries. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war,  measures  were  taken    for 


8  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

the  organization  of  the  General  Assembly.  The  Constitu- 
tion was  agreed  upon  by  the  Synod  of  1788,  and  pubhshed 
the  next  year  under  this  title :  "  The  Constitution  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States  of  America :  con- 
taining the  Confession  of  Faith,  the  Catechisms,  the  Gov- 
ernment and  Discipline,  and  the  Directory  for  the  Worship 
of  God,  ratified  and  adopted  by  the  Synod  of  New  York 
and  Philadelphia,  May  16,  1788,  and  continued  by  adjourn- 
ment until  the  28th  of  the  same  month.  -^  Philadelphia. 
Printed  by  Thomas  Bradford,  1789." 

The  first  Assembly  met  in  1790,  and  was  opened  by  Dr. 
John  Witherspoon.  Dr.  John  Rodgers,  of  New  York,  was 
Moderator. 

It  would  be  easy  and  pleasant  to  trace  in  detail  the  his- 
tory of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  this  country  from  the 
organization  of  the  Assembly  to  its  first  planting  in  the 
Illinois  country.  But  the  space  allotted  to  this  Introduc- 
tory chapter  forbids.  It  may  be  said,'  in  general,  that  the 
Church  increased  and  expanded  with  the  increase  and  ex- 
pansion of  the  population  of  the  country.  Her  own  sons 
and  daughters  were  always  among  the  pioneer  emigrants 
whenever  and  wherever  they  moved.  Hence  the  Church 
was  bound  to  follow  in  their  track,  looking  after  her  own. 
This  she  did,  though  it  must  be  confessed  with  unequal  step. 
Her  resources  of  men  and  means  were  always  inadequate  to 
the  necessities  of  the  case. 

Before  the  construction  of  common  roads,  canals,  or  rail- 
roads, emigration  followed  of  necessity  the  natural  water 
routes.  Of  these  there  were  five  principal  ones  from  the  At- 
lantic to  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi,  (i.)  Up  the  St.  Law- 
rence and  the  great  lakes,  through  Green  Bay,  the  Fox  and 
Wisconsin  rivers.  By  this  route  there  were  only  two  short 
portages — that  around  the  Niagara  Falls,  and  from  the  Fox 
to  the  Wisconsin.  This  was  the  route  pursued  by  the  Jesuit 
missionaries  and  other  French  emigrants  from  Canada.  By 
this  route  they  first  reached  the  Illinois  country  and  estab- 
lished themselves  at  Kaskaskia  and  Cahokia,  about  16S0. 
(2.)  The  same  route  as  far  as  Maumee  Bay,  in  the  southwest 
corner  of  Lake  Erie  ;  then  up  the  Miami  of  the  Lakes  and 
down  the  Wabash  and  Ohio.  By  this  route  there  was  only 
one  short  portage  besides  that  at  Niagara  Falls — from  the 
Miami  to  the  Wabash.  On  this  route  was  the  old  French 
post  of  Vincennes — settled    1710  or   11 — on   the   Wabash, 


INTRODUCTORY.  9 

and  Fort  Massac,  on  the  Ohio,  established  171 1.  (3.)  The 
same  route  as  far  as  the  present  location  of  the  city  of 
Erie,  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  thence  across  to  the 
head-waters  of  the  French,  and  then  down  that  river,  the 
Alleghany  and  Ohio.  (4.)  Up  the  Potomac,  then  down 
the  Cheat  river  and  the  Monongahela  to  the  Ohio.  (5.)  By 
the  rivers  of  western  North  Carolina,  then  down  the  'Cum- 
berland and  Tennessee  to  the  Ohio.  The  three  first  of  these 
routes  were  first  laid  open  and  used  by  the  enterprising  French 
Jesuit  missionaries.  Their  knowledge  of  them  was  obtained 
from  the  Red  Men.  The  fourth  and  fifth  of  these  routes 
began  to  be  used  by  the  colonists  of  Pennsylvania,  Virginia 
and  the  Carolinas,  about  1750.  Through  these  routes  the 
Scotch  and  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians  entered  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley.  Before  the  opening  of  the  Erie  Canal — 
"Clinton's  big  ditch  " — the  emigration  from  New  England 
to  the  Valley  was  mainly  by  the  Pittsburg  route.  But  the 
great  wave  of  New  England  emigration  was  detained  in 
Eastern,  Central  and  Western  New  York,  and  did  not  reach 
Northern  Ohio  until  after  Kentucky. had  become  a  State, 
which  w^as  in  1792.     Tennessee  became  a  State  in  1796. 

The^commencement  of  the  present  century  was  marked 
"by  a  powerful  revival  which  extended  through  Kentucky, 
Tennessee,  and  the  Carolinas.  It  was  a  movement  of  re- 
markable power  and  extent ;  was  promoted  by  remarkable 
tnen  and  attended  with  remarkable  manifestations.  Among 
these  were  the  "bodily  exercises,"  the  solution  of  which 
has  occupied  many  thoughtful  minds,  and  has  never  yet 
been  reached  with  certainty.  In  the  latter  months  of  this 
revival  fanaticism  rode  its  "high  horse  "  and  produced  many 
painful  irregularities. 

In  the  midst  of  these,  and  as  one  of  their  natural  products, 
Cumberland  Presbyterianism  took  its  rise.  It  has  now  be- 
come a  numerous  body;  is  distinguished  for  its  sectarian 
zeal,  and  has  greatly  improved  its  primitive  character.  But 
it  represents  no  great  ideas ;  has  nothing  peculiar  to  itself, 
and  occupies  no  ground  which  might  not  just  as  well,  or 
better,  be  occupied  by  other  denominations.  Where  Pres- 
byterian and  Methodist  churches  exist  this  denomination  can 
legitimately  find  no  place,  and  no  work.  In  such  places  its 
establishment  only  divides  and  distracts  the  already  too 
much  divided  and  distracted  followers  of  Christ.  Its  ex- 
istence is  permitted,  no  doubt,  for  wise  ends.     But  fifty  years 


10  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

hence  it  will  be  where  now  are  the  Associated  Presbyte- 
rians, of  Eastern  New  York.  A  denomination  which  repre- 
sents no  peculiar  doctrine,  or  mode  of  worship,  can  have 
but  an  ephemeral  existence. 

Thus,  in  a  brief,  condensed  and  very  imperfect  manner, 
I  have  traced  the  history  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  from 
the  beginning  down  to  the  time  in  which  it  began  to  be 
planted,  and  its  influence  to  be  felt,  in  the  Illinois  country. 


CHAPTER  II. 

MISSIONARIES    AND    CHURCHES    FROM  THE    BEGINNING    TO    I82O. 

Authorities:  Gillett's  History;  Baldridge's  Life  of  Bliss,  etc.;  Presbytery 
Reporter;  Isaac  Reed's  Christian  Traveler;  Panoplist ;  Home  Missionary,  Vols. 
I  and  II ;  Spilman's  Manuscripts ;  Dr.  Bullard  in  Missouri  Reporter. 

The  first  white  explorers  of  the  IlHnois  country  were  the 
Canadian  French  in  1673.  Between  that  time  and  1686  they 
had  estabhshed  several  forts  and  settlements,  the  principal 
ones  being  Kaskaskia  and  Cahokia.  Until  1762  the  French 
were  regarded  as  the  sole  European  proprietors  of  Canada 
and  the  Mississippi  valley.  In  1762  the  French  ceded  Louis- 
iana, i.  e.,  the  country  west  of  the  Mississippi,  to  Spain. 
The  next  year  they  ceded  the  valley  east  of  the  Mississippi 
and  Canada  to  the  British,  thus  losing  not  only  Canada  but 
the  whole  of  the  great  interior  valley  of  North  America,  after 
claiming  the  whole  and  occupying  some  small  portions  of 
it  for  ninety  years. 

'The  British  retained  their  hold  of  the  Illinois  country  for 
fifteen  years,  or  until  they  were  dispossessed  by  Gen.  Geo. 
Rogers  Clark  in  1778.  Few,  or  no  Americans  had  settled 
in  the  Illinois  country  prior  to  the  expedition  of  Gen,  Clark. 
Until  that  time  the  only  white  inhabitants  of  the  Illinois 
country  were  the  French  and  Canadian  settlers,  and  the  Brit- 
ish troops  who  occupied  the  forts. 

So  far  as  I  am  aware  the  first  Presbyterian  minister  who 
visited  the  Illinois  country  was  John  Evans  Finley.  He 
was  from  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania.  After  descending 
the  Ohio  with  some  companions  in  a  keel  boat  and  ascend- 
ing the  Mississippi,  he  landed  at  Kaskaskia  in  1797.  Rev. 
Thomas  Lippincott  tells  us  his  design  was  to  labor  in  the 
''Spanish  colonies  on  the  Mississippi,  mainly  perhaps  with 
a  view  to  the  Indians."  If  this  were  so,  his  labors  must 
have  been  west  of  the  river.  "  He  preached  and  catechised, 
also  baptized  several  of  the  Red  ]\Ien."  Though  he  had  sold, 
his  boat  and  contracted  for  a  dwelling  house,  he  and  his 
companions  were  induced  to  leave.  To  this  conclusion 
they    seem   to   have    been    led    by  finding  they   would    be 


12  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

obliged  to  enroll  themselves  and  do  military  duty  in  view  of 
an  apprehended  invasion  from  the  States.  As  they  were 
American  citizens  they  could  not  consent  to  this.  They 
returned  and  settled  in  Mason  county,  Ky.  Mr.  Finley's 
name  subsequently  appears  as  a  member  of  Transylvania, 
and  then  of  Washington  Presbytery.  This  latter  had  been 
set  off  from  Transylvania,  and  included  the  northeast  por- 
tion of  Kentucky,  and  extended  across  the  river  into  Ohio. 
Rev.  Robert  Stewart  remembers  him  as  a  frequent  visitor 
at  his  father's  house  in  Ohio. 

The  next  Presbyterian  ministers — they  were  licentiates — 
who  set  foot  on  Illinois  territory,  were  John  F.  Schermer- 
HORN  and  Samuel  J.  Mills.  They  were  sent  to  the  great 
Southwest  by  the  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  Mission- 
ary Societies  and  by  local  Bible  Societies.  They  commenced 
their  tour  early  in  the  fall  of  1812,  passing  through  Penn- 
sylvania, Western  Virginia,  Ohio,  Kentucky  and  Tennes- 
see. Their  observations  of  the  religious  condition  of  the 
regions  through  which  they  passed  were  thorough,  and 
their  reports  deeply  interesting.  Of  Illinois  territory  they 
say,  "In  the  Illinois  territory,  containing  more  than  12,000 
people,  there  is  no  Presbyterian,  or  Congregational  minis- 
ter. There  are  a  number  of  good  people  in  the  territory 
who  are  anxious  to  have  such  ministers  amongst  them. 
They  likewise  wish  to  be  remembered  by  Bible  and  Relig- 
ious Tract  Societies."  On  the  29th  of  December,  1812, 
they  were  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  rode  out  to  Franklin, 
twenty  miles,  where  Rev.  Gideon  Blackburn  then  resided. 
He  advised  them  to  reach  New  Orleans  by  the  river.  Gen. 
Jackson  was  then  at  Nashville  preparing  to  go  down  the 
river  with  1,500  volunteers.  Of  these  Mr.  Blackburn  was 
Chaplain.  He  introduced  the  missionaries  to  Gen.  Jack- 
son, explaining  their  object  and  wishes.  The  General  re- 
ceived them  with  great  courtesy,  and  invited  them  to  take 
passage  on  his  boat.  They  gladly  complied.  They  say, 
"  After  providing  some  necessary  stores  and  making  sale  of 
our  horses  we  embarked  on  the  loth  of  January,  18 13.  We 
came  to  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  on  the  27th,  where  we  lay 
three  days  on  account  of  the  ice.  On  the  31st  we  passed 
New  Madrid;  and  on  the  i6th  of  February  arrived  at 
Natchez."  They  undoubtedly  landed  at  Fort  Massac,  and 
probably  at  no  other  point  on  the  Illinois  shore.  Of  course 
they  had  no  opportunity  for  personal  explorations  in  Illinois 


EXPLORING  MISSIONARIES.  I3; 

Territory.  At  Natchez  they  tarried  a  few  days,  and  then 
continued  on  to  New  Orleans.  At  that  city  they  found  a 
Baptist  minister,  but  no  Protestant  church  edifice.  Their 
return  was  through  the  Creek  Nation,  in  the  upper  part  of 
Georgia.     They  reached  their  homes  in  July,  181 3. 

Full  reports  of  this  tour  were  published  in  the  Connecti- 
cut Evangelical  Magazine  and  in  the  Panoplist.  Their  influ- 
ence was  great  in  opening  the  eyes  of  Eastern  christians 
to  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  vast  West  and  Southwest,  and 
of  the  eastern  population  generally,  to  the  wonderful 
material  capacities  of  those  regions. 

The  John  F.  Schermerhorn,  mentioned  above,  was  a 
native  of  New  York,  a  graduate  of  Union  College  in  1809, 
and  of  Andover  Theological  Seminary  in  181 2.  He  was 
ordained  in  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church.  He  was  a  Home 
Missionary  in  New  York,  and  labored  at  Middleburg,  in  that 
State,  from  1 818  to  1829.  He  was  Secretary  of  the  Western 
Domestic  Missionary  Society,  Utica,  New  York,  from  1826 
to  1828;  also  General  Agent  of  the  Domestic  Reformed 
Dutch  Missionary  Society  from  1829  to  1832.  He  was  U. 
S.  Indian  Agent  among  the  Cherokees  in  1835  and  1836. 
He  died  at  Richmond,  Va.,  March  6th,  185 1,  aged  70  years. 
Of  Samuel  J.  Mills,  I  shall  speak  further  on. 

The  next  exploring  Missionary  tour  was  undertaken  in 
1 8 14,  by  the  same  Samuel  J.  Mills,  with  whom  was  asso- 
ciated Daniel  Smith.  The  expense  was  estimated  at  $2,000, 
and  was  borne  by  the  Massachusetts  Missionary  Society,  by 
the  Bible  Society  of  Philadelphia  and  by  the  Assembly's 
Committee  of  Missions.  They  started  in  May.  The  East- 
ern part  of  their  route  as  far  as  Cincinnati,  was  substantially 
the  same  as  that  pursued  by  Mills  and  Schermerhorn,  two 
years  before.  But  from  that  place  they  passed  through 
the  Territories  of  Indiana  and  Illinois  to  St.  Louis.  In 
Indiana  their  route  was  through  Lawrenceburg  and  Jeffer- 
sonville  to  Vincennes.  Of  this  Territory  they  say:  "Indi- 
ana is  peopling  very  fast,  notwithstanding  the  war.  In 
1810  it  had  24,500  inhabitants.  Now  its  population  is  esti- 
mated at  from  35,000  to  50,000.  Its  principal  settlements 
are  upon  the  Miami  and  Whitewater,  on  the  Ohio,  extend- 
ing in  some  places  twenty  miles  back,  on  the  Wabash  and 
White  rivers.  When  we  entered  this  Territory  there  was 
but  one  Presbyterian  clergyman  in  it,  Samuel  T.  Scott,  of 
Vincennes.     He  has  valiantly    maintained  his  post  there  for 


14  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

six  years.  His  church  consists  of  seventy  members.  He 
has  three  preaching  places.  Between  the  forks  of  White 
River  there  is  another  Presbyterian  congregation  with  about 
thirty  communicants." 

The  reports  they  make  of  all  parts  of  the  Western  coun- 
try, through  which  they  traveled,  are  extensive  and  deeply 
interesting.  But  I  must  confine  myself  principally  to  what 
they  say  of  Illinois  Territory. 

From  Vincennes  they  went  to  St.  Louis  by  way  of  Shaw- 
neetown  and  Kaskaskia.  In  a  letter  dated  at  St.  Louis, 
Nov.  7,  1 8 14,  they  say :  "In  Illinois  Territory  we  were  so 
happy  as  to  meet  with  universal  countenance  and  approba- 
tion. At  Shawneetown  we  saw  Judge  Griswold,  formerly 
of  Connecticut.  He  favored  us  with  letters  of  introduc- 
tion to  Gov.  Edwards  and  others  at  Kaskaskia.  *  *  This 
Territory  is  deplorably  destitute  of  Bibles.  In  Kaskaskia,  a 
place  containing  from  80  to  lOO  families,  there  are,  it  is 
thought,  not  more  than  four  or  five."  In  another  letter 
they  give  further  particulars.  They  say:  "Nov.  9,  1814, 
we  left  St.  Louis,  crossed  the  Mississippi  and  proceeded  on 
our  way  to  Kaskaskia.  Gov.  Edwards  again  expressed  his 
earnest  desire  that  the  proposed  Bible  Society  for  Illinois 
Territory  should  go  into  operation.  *  *  We  did  not  find 
any  place  in  the  Territory  where  a  copy  of  the  Scriptures 
could  be  obtained.  *  *" 

"There  is  no  Presbyterian  minister  stationed,  or  laboring 
in  this  Territory.  Members,  who  have  heretofore  belonged 
to  Presbyterian  churches,  are  anxious  to  have  at  least  oc- 
casional supplies.  A  Presbyterian  minister,  of  talent 
and  piety,  might  no  doubt  receive  a  handsome  support,  if 
he  would  settle  at  Kaskaskia,  preach  a  part  of  his  time  at 
that  place  and  a  part  at  Ste.  Genevieve,  and  teach  a  small 
school  at  the  former.  *  *  On  the  14th  of  Nov.  we  left 
Kaskaskia  for  Shawneetown,  On  our  arrival,  Judge  Gris- 
wold informed  us  that  exertions  were  making  to  form  a 
Bible  Society  for  the  Eastern  part  of  Illinois  Territory.  * 
One  man  informed  us  that  for  ten  or  fifteen  years  he  had 
been  using  exertions  to  obtain  the  Scriptures,  but  without 
success."  From  Shawneetown  they  proceeded  to  Vincennes, 
and  from  thence  to  the  falls  of  Ohio,  where  they  arrived 
Dec.  20.  On  the  5th  of  January,  181 5,  they  embarked  on 
a  keel  boat  for  Natchez.  They  recommend  that  "  fifty 
Bibles  be  sent  to  Shawneetown  and    fifty  to  St.  Louis,"  and 


TOUR  OF  MILLS  AND  SMITH.  1$ 

add  this  remark  :  "  It  seems  to  us  of  infinite  importance  that 
one  Missionary  at  least,  be  stationed  in  each  of  the  Terri- 
tories !"  i.  e.  Indiana,  IlHnois  and  Missouri. 

In  a  letter  containing  a  general  summing  up  of  their  ob- 
servations, and  which  was  dated  on  the  Mississippi,  be- 
low New  Madrid,  January  20,  1815,  they  say:  "The  lUi- 
nois  Territory  contains  about  15,000  inhabitants.  Until 
last  summer  titles  of  land  could  not  be  obtained  in  this 
Territory.  Now  land  offices  are  opened.  The  principal 
settlements,  at  present,  are  situated  on  the  Wabash,  the 
Ohio,  the  Mississippi  and  the  Kaskaskia.  The  eastern  set- 
tlements extend  thirty  miles  up  the  Wabash,  and  forty 
•down  the  Ohio.  They  include  the  United  States  Saline, 
where  a  considerable  number  of  people  are  employed  in 
manufacturing  salt."  This  was  twelve  miles  back  from  Shaw- 
neetown,  near  the  present  town  of  Equality.  "  Shawnee- 
town,  on  the  Ohio,  twelve  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the 
Wabash,  contains  about  one  hundred  houses.  It  is  subject 
to  be  overflowed  at  high  water;  but  it  is  continually  deluged, 
like  most  other  towns  in  the  territories,  by  a  far  worse  flood 
of  impiety  and  iniquity.  Yet  even  here  a  faithful  missionary 
might  hope  to  be  extensively  useful.  The  people  heard  us 
with  fixed  and  solemn  attention  when  we  addressed  them. 
The  western  settlements  of  this  territory  are  separated  from 
the  eastern  by  a  wilderness  of  one  hundred  miles.  The 
American  Bottom  is  an  extensive  tract  of  alluvial  soil  on  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi,  eighty  miles  in  length  by  about  five 
in  breadth.  This  land  is  endowed  with  surprising  and  ex- 
haustless  fertility.  The  high  lands  back  are  extremely  fer- 
tile. Kaskaskia  is  the  key  to  all  this  country,  and  must, 
therefore,  become  a  place  of  much  importance,  although  at 
present  it  does  not  greatly  flourish.  It  contains  between 
eighty  and  one  hundred  families,  two-thirds  French  Catho- 
lics. The  people  of  this  place  are  anxious  to  obtain  a  Pres- 
byterian clergyman.  Six  miles  from  Kaskaskia  there  is  an 
Associate  Reformed  congregation  of  forty  families.  Besides 
this  we  did  not  hear  of  a  single  organized  society  of  any 
denomination  in  the  county,  nor  of  an  individual  Baptist  or 
Methodist  preacher.  The  situation  of  the  two  counties 
above  this  is  somewhat  different.  Baptist  and  INIethodist 
preachers  are  there  considerably  numerous,  and  we  were 
informed  a  majority  of  the  heads  of  families  are  professors 
of  religion.     A  Methodist  preacher  told  us  that  these  profes- 


l6  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

sors  were  almost  all  of  them  educated  Presbyterians;  'And 
they  would  have  been  so  still,'  said  he,  'had  they  not  been 
neglected  by  their  Eastern  brethren.  Now  they  are  Baptists 
or  Methodists,'  In  all  this  territory  there  is  not  a  single 
Presbyterian  preacher,  and  when  we  arrived  we  learned  that 
considerable  districts  had  never  before  seen  one.  Already 
have  the  interests  of  orthodoxy  and  of  vital  godliness  suf- 
ffered  an  irretrievable  loss." 

It  will  be  interesting  to  notice  what  these  men  say  of  St. 
Louis.  The  time  to  which  the  remarks  refer  is  Novem- 
ber, 1 8 14:  "It  coritains  about  2,000  inhabitants — one-third,, 
perhaps,  are  Americans,  the  remainder  French  Catholics. 
The  American  families  are  many  of  them  genteel  and  well 
informed  ;  but  very  few  of  them  religious.  Yet  they  ap- 
pear to  be  thoroughly  convinced  by  their  own  experience, 
of  the  indispensable  necessity  of  religion  to  the  welfare  of 
society.  The  most  respectable  people  in  town  assured  us 
that  a  young  man  of  talent,  piety  and  liberality  of  mind, 
would  receive  an  abundant  support.  *  *  *  When  we 
consider  the  situation  of  St.  Louis — just  below  the  con- 
fluence of  the  Illinois,  the  Missouri,  and  the  Mississippi 
rivers,  so  that  no  place  in  the  western  country,  save  New 
Orleans,  has  greater  natural  advantages — we  think  it  highly 
probable  it  will  become  a   flourishing  commercial  town  !  " 

The  following  general  remarks  prove  those  exploring 
missionaries  to  have  been  men  of  keen  observation  and 
sound  judgment.  "  The  character  of  the  settlers  of  these 
territories  renders  it  peculiarly  important  that  missionaries 
should  early  be  sent  among  them.  Indeed  they  can  hardly 
be  said  to  have  a  character,  assembled  as  they  are  from 
every  State  in  the  Union,  and  originally  from  almost  every 
nation  in  Europe.  The  majority,  though  by  no  means  regard- 
less of  religion,  have  not  yet  embraced  any  fixed  sentiments 
respecting  it.  They  are  ready  to  receive  any  impressions 
which  a  public  speaker  may  attempt  to  make.  Hence  every 
kind  of  heretical  preachers  in  the  country  flock  to  the 
new  settlements.  Hence  also  the  Baptist  and  Methodist: 
denominations  are  exerting  themselves  to  gain  a  footing  in 
the  territories.  If  we  do  not  come  forward  and  occupy 
this  promising  field  of  usefulness,  they  will.  Indeed  they 
have  already  taken  the  precedence.  Some  portions  of  this 
country  are  pretty  thoroughly  supplied  with  their  preach- 
ers.    Why,  then,   it  may  be  asked,  not  leave   it  wholty  to 


S.  J.  MILLS  AND  D.  SMITH.  1 7 

them  ?  We  answer,  the  field  is  large  enough  for  us  all. 
Many  of  their  preachers  are  extremely  illiterate.  Besides, 
there  are  many  Presbyterian  brethren  scattered  through- 
out every  settlement.  To  supply  them  with  the  means  of 
grace  is  a  sacred  duty  incumbent  on  us."  These  two 
brethren  went  on  to  Natchez  and  New  Orleans,  and  returned 
to  New  England  by  sea,  in  the  early  part  of  the  summer. 
Neither  of  them  was  as  yet  an  ordained  minister.  Of  course, 
in  their  extensive  travels  and  many  labors,  they  could  not 
and  did  not  administer  the  sacraments. 

The  reports  of  the  two  tours  of  Mills  and  Schermerhorn, 
and  of  Mills  and  Smith,  were  extensively  published,  and 
awakened  a  great  interest  among  Eastern  christians  in  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  the  regions  explored. 

Samuel  John  Mills  was  a  man  of  fine  talents,  of  deep 
humility,  of  distinguished  missionary  zeal  and  intense 
christian  activity.  He  was  born  in  Connecticut,  graduated 
at  Williams  College,  Mass.,  in  1809,  and  at  Andover  Theo- 
logical Seminary  1812.  We  have  seen  how  he  spent  the 
three  years  of  his  licensure.  His  ordination  took  place  at 
Newburyport,  Mass.,  June  21,  18 15,  at  the  same  time 
with  James  Richards,  Jr.,  Edward  W^arren,  Benj.  C.  Meigs, 
Horatio  Bardwell  and  Daniel  Poor.  The  occasion  was  one 
of  great  interest,  as  all  the  young  brethren  had  the  Foreign 
Missionary  work  in  view.  Mr.  Mills  had  devoted  himself 
to  the  service  of  the  children  of  Africa.  In  18 16  he  was 
agent  for  a  school  for  the  education  of  colored  young  men. 
In  18 17  he  was  agent  for  the  American  Colonization  So- 
ciety. He  died  at  sea.  May  i6,  1818,  aged  thirty-five.  He 
was  one  of  those  rare  men  whose  ambition  was  satisfied  by 
setting  in  motion  great  agencies,  while  himself  unseen  and 
unknown. 

Daniel  Smith  was  a  native  of  Vermont.  He  graduated 
at  ]\Iiddlebury  College  in  18 10,  and  at  Andover  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  in  1813.  His' exploring  tour  with  Mr.  Mills 
is  related  above.  When  in  St.  Louis,  in  November,  18 14, 
the  people  urged  him  to  remain.  He  was  unable  to  do  so, 
but  his  visit  there  with  Mr.  Mills  was  fruitful  in  good  results. 
Among  these  it  cheered  the  heart  of  a  devoted  layman, 
whose  name  is  forever  identified  with  the  early  history  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Missouri.  "  This  was  Stephen 
Hempstead,  a  native  of  New  London,  Conn.,  and  at  this 
time  sixty   years  of  age.     He  had  served    in   the    war   of 

I 


l8  PRESBYTEKIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

the  Revolution,  and  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  cent- 
ury had  been  engaged,  as  his  secular  affairs  permitted, 
in  the  service  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  Four  of  his  sons 
had  removed  to  Missouri,  and  in  i8ii  he  followed  them  to 
St.  Louis.  For  seven  months  he  was  in  the  country  with- 
out hearing  a  Protestant  sermon,  and  for  three  years  never 
sa\v  a  Presbyterian  minister."  After  the  visit  of  Messrs. 
Mills  and  Smith,  he  wrote  to  a  Boston  clergyman  asking 
him  to  send  a  minister  to  that  territory.  He  estimated  there 
were  more  than  a  thousand  Presbyterian  families  in  Mis- 
souri, while  there" was  not  a  single  church  of  their  order." 
This  estimate  was  doubtless  too  large. 

After  completing  his  tour,  Mr.  Smith  returned  to  New 
England,  and  was  ordained  at  Ipswich,  Mass.,  to  the  work 
of  a  christian  Missionary  in  the  western  parts  of  the  United 
States,  September  29,  1815.  In  February,  1815,  Mr.  Smith 
had  spent  some  days  in  Mississippi,  and  while  there  had,  at 
the  request  of  the  trustees,  performed  the  dedicatory  servi- 
ces of  a  new  Presbyterian  church  at  Natchez.  He  became 
much  impressed  with  the  spiritual  needs  of  that  State. 
With  a  population  of  45,000  it  had  only  four  Presbyterian 
ministers.  Natchez  he  thought  as  important  a  station  for  a 
missionary  as  any  in  the  western  or  southern  country. 
These  convictions  led  him  to  select  that  city  as  his  field  of 
labor.  He  was  commissioned  for  that  place  by  the  Assem- 
bly's Committee  of  Missions.  In  18 17  he  organized  the 
First  Presbyterian  church  of  Natchez.  Mr.  Smith  became 
a  member  of  the  Presbytery  of  Mississippi.  I  cannot  tell 
precisely  when  he  left  Natchez;  but  he  was  at  Louisville, 
Ky.,  in  1822,  and  died  there  February  22,  1823,  aged  thirty- 
four  years. 

We  are  thus  brought  forward  to  the  year  18 15.  Illinois 
Territory  had  then  about  15,000  inhabitants  exclusive  of 
Indians.  One  ordained  Presbyterian  minister  had  landed 
at  Kaskaskia ;  another,  James  McGready,  had  preached  a 
few  times  in  White  county.  Three  licentiates  had  pressed 
their  feet  upon  its  soil.  Two  of  the  three  had  made  the 
trip  from  Shawneetown  to  Kaskaskia  and  St.  Louis  and 
back.  That  was  all.  No  Presbyterian  minister  or  church 
in  the  territory.  The  next  year,  18 16,  was  to  witness  a 
change. 

The  church  of  Sharon,  in  what  is  now  White  county,  is 
the  oldest    Presbyterian  church   in  Illinois.     It   was   organ- 


SHARON  CHURCH  AND  M  GREADY.  1 9 

ized  by  Rev.  James  McGready,  of  Henderson,  Ky.,  in  1816, 
probably  in  the  month  of  September.  The  first  book  of 
its  records  is  lost.  But  the  following  synopsis  of  the  his- 
tory of  the  church  is  found  in  the  present  volume.  "The 
first  three  ruling  elders  were  Peter  Miller,  James  Mayes  and 
James  Rutledge,  all  of  whom  had  emigrated  from  Hender- 
son, Ky.  The  members  of  the  church  were  from  the  Car- 
olinas,  Georgia,  Tennessee  and  Kentucky.  Rev.  James 
McGready  had  preached  for  them  occasionally  for  two  or 
three  years,  coming  over  from  Kentucky  where  he  re- 
sided." Doubtless  numbers  of  them  had  been  his  parish- 
oners  in  Kentucky  and  the  Carolinas.  "  Mr.  McGready 
died  about  the  year  1818  or  19.  Then  the  two  brothers — 
William  and  John  Barnett  of  Tennessee — who  were  Cum- 
berland Presbyterians,  came  in  as  missionaries,  held  a 
series  of  meetings  and  tried  to  win  over  the  church  to 
their  views.  They  partly  succeeded,  so  that  several  of  the 
members  and  two  of  the  three  elders  joined  them.  These 
two  were  James  Mayes  and  James  Rutledge.  They  organ- 
ized a  Cumberland  church  called  Hopewell,  about  two 
miles  from  where  Enfield  now  is.  When  James  Rutledge 
found  that  Peter  Miller — his  brother-in-law,  the  only  remain- 
ing elder  in  Sharon  Church — would  not  join  the  Cumber- 
lands,  he  returned  to  the  mother  church. 

Rev.  James  McGready  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  ]\Iartin  B. 
Darrah.  After  this  time  the  church  was  visited  by  two  mis- 
sionaries from  the  East,  Backus  Wilbur  and  Andrew  O.  Pat- 
terson, who  supplied  them  for  a  time."  This  cannot  be  al- 
together correct.  "In  18 16  Backiis  Wilbur  was  commis- 
sioned by  the  Assembly  to  labor  for  two  months  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Wabash  to  Kaskaskia,  where  he  was  princi- 
pally to  labor."  [Gillett.]  Doubtless  his  visit  to.  Sharon 
was  in  the  fall,  of  1816,  very  soon  after  the  organization  of 
the  church.  Of  his  labors  at  Kaskaskia  I  have  no  where 
seen  any  notice.  Andrew  O.  Patterson  was  sent  to  labor  in 
Illinois  in  1820.  He  may  have  preceded  or  followed  Mr. 
Darrah. 

B,  F.  Spilman  preached  to  this  church  while  he  was  a 
licentiate,  and  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  and  installed 
its  pastor  in  Nov.,  1824,  by  Muhlenburg  Presbytery.  The 
members  present  were  Revs.  Wm.  K.  Stewart,  David  Phil- 
lips and  Isaac  Bard.  This  pastoral  relation  continued  only 
about  eighteen  months.     Rev.  Isaac   Bennet  preached  here 


20  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

for  a  time.  After  this  the  church  was  supphed  by  a  num- 
ber of  ministers.  Among  them  Wm.  Hamilton,  B.  F.  Spil- 
man,  John  Silhman,  who  died  in  1838  ;  Andrew  M.  Hershy, 
in  1842;  R.  H.  Lilly  in  1843.  In  latter  part  of  1843  and 
beginning  of  1844,  B.  F.  Spilman;  R.  H.  Lilly  again  in 
1844.  John  L.  Hawkins,  from  Redstone  Presbytery,  sup- 
plied for  about  five  years,  and  up  to  1850.  Wm.  Gardner 
and  James  Stafford  supplied  in  1850  and  185 1.  B.  F.  Spil- 
man in  1852,  1853  and  part  of  1854.  John  S.  Howell,  from 
1854  to  1862,  eight  years.  Rev.  R.  Lewis  McCune,  a  min- 
ister belonging  to^.the  Presbytery  of  Winchester,  Va.,  and 
who  was  compelled  by  the  great  rebellion  to  leave  his  field 
of  labor,  Port  Royal,  Va.,  was  invited  to  take  charge  of 
Grayville,  Carmi  and  Sharon.  He  complied,  commencing 
at  Sharon,  July  20,  1862,  and  giving  that  church  one-fourth 
of  his  time.  After  September,  1863  he  gave  Sharon  one- 
half  of  his  time  until  1864.  Rev.  Thomas  Smith  supplied 
this  church  occasionally  from  about  1871  to  1875.  It  is 
now  under  the  charge  of  Rev.  B.  C.  Swan,  who  spends  with 
them  one  Sabbath  in  four. 

This  congregation  has  had  four  buildings  for  worship. 
The  first  one  of  logs,  about  one-fourth  of  a  mile  north  of 
Peter  C.  Miller's  house,  in  T.  5,  S.  R.  8,  E.  of  3  P.  M.,  N. 
E.  quarter  of  Sec.  21.  It  had  one  window  only,  and  was 
roofed  with  clap-boards.  In  approaching  this  house  from 
the  south,  one  passed  through  a  densely  grown  up  wood, 
on  gradually  descending  ground.  On  the  right,  near  the 
opening  that  surrounded  the  house,  was  a  stand,  consisting 
of  a  raised  platform  between  two  trees.  Logs  and  split 
puncheons  and  slabs  were  arranged  in  the  shade  for  the 
congregation  to  sit  upon.  A  few  steps  from  this  stand,  on 
the  other  side  of  the  opening,  stood  the  old  hewed-log- 
house,  facing  southward,  with  one  door  in  the  south  side 
The  pulpit  was  in  the  east  end,  and  a  small  four  light  win- 
dow on  the  right  of  the  pulpit.  A  hearth  of  flat  rock  laid 
in  the  floor  near  the  center  of  the  house,  served  for  burn- 
ing charcoal  in  cold  weather.  Such  was  the  appearance  of 
this  house  in  1828,  as  described  by  B.  F.  Willis.  It  was  in 
this  house  that  B.  F.  Spilman  was  ordained.  A  man  now 
living  in  the  neighborhood  remembers  seeing  him  spread 
his  white  silk  handkerchief  on  the  floor  on  which  he  kneeled 
during  the  ordaining  prayer. 

The  next  building   was  about  two  miles  southeast  of  the 


SHARON  CHURCH,  WHITE  COUNTY.  21 

first,  in  T.  5,  S.,  R.  8,  E.,  S.  E.  quarter  of  Sec.  34,  near 
A.  H.  Trousdale's.  This  too  was  of  logs.  The  third 
house,  also  of  logs,  was  close  b}^  the  site  of  the  present 
building.  This  last  is  a  frame  house,  of  good  size,  was 
finished  in  the  spring  of  1864,  and  cost  about  $700.  It  is 
on  S.  E.  quarter  of  N.  W.  qurrter,  Sec.  4,  T,  6,  S., 
R.  8,  E.  A  cemetery  adjoins  this  church  house,  and  is 
owned  by  the  congregation.  The  whole  site  of  church 
and  cemetery  is  two  acres.  The  cemetery  began  to  be 
used  more  than  sixty  years  ago.  The  three  first  church 
buildings  have  gone  entirely  to  ruin.  Besides  the  three 
original  elders,  I  find  the  names  of  the  following :  James 
H.  Rice,  in  1829;  John  Storey,  in  1837;  Peter  Miller  and 
Felix  H.  Willis,  in  1843;  Win.  Miller,  Robert  A.  SiUiman 
and  John   McClellan,  in  1848;    Ephraim  L.  Smith,  Wm.  W. 

Storey  and  John  H.  McClellan  in  1866;  A.  Stewart  Adams 
and  Henry  Marlin,  in  1870. 

January  4,  1869,  the.  church  resolved  to  use  Rouse's  ver- 
sion of  the  Psalms  in  their  Sabbath  worship.  This  prac- 
tice is  still  continued.  The  use  of  hymns  in  social  worship 
and  in  the  Sabbath  school  is  not  prohibited. 

There  have  been  connected  with  this  church  from  the 
beginning  about  two  hundred  and  ten  persons.  The  present 
membership  is  thirty.  It  is  a  mother  church.  Carmi  and 
Enfield  are  largely  formed  from  it. 

Presbytery  held  a  meeting  with  this  church  in  September, 
1827.  It  was  a  season  of  much  interest.  Great  crowds 
attended,  and  services  were  held  both  in  the  house  and  in 
the  grove.  The  Springfield  and  Shawneetown  R.  R.  passes 
within  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  of  the  church  building. 
The  postoffice  and  station  are  Sacramento. 

Rev.  John  SiUiman  died  while  laboring  here.  His  re- 
mains are  buried  in  the  cemetery  mentioned  above. 

This  church  was  at  the  first  connected  with  Muhlenburg 
Presbytery,  Kentucky. 

Of  the  ministers  named  in  the  above  account  of  Sharon 
Church  I  shall  speak  in  this  connection  only  of  those  who  la- 
bored in  the  Territory  or  State  previous  to  the  organization 
of  Centre  Presbytery.  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  the  first 
Presbyterian  church  in  Missouri — the  church  of  Concord, 
Belleview  Settlement,  southwest  part  of  Washington  county 
— was  organized  within  a  few  days  of  Sharon,  Illinois  Ter- 
ritory.    Concord    by    Salmon   Giddings,    August  2,    18 16, 


22  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

with  thirty  members.     Sharon  by  James  McGready  in  iSi6 
— probably  in  September. 

James  McGready.  I  have  found  no  notice  of  the  date 
of  his  birth.  But  he  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent.  His  father  removed  with  his  family 
to  Guilford  county,  N.  C.,  while  James  was  yet  but  a  child. 
From  his  earliest  years  McGready  was  remarkable  for  his 
conscientious  regard  to  his  religious  duties.  An  uncle  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  educating  him  for  the  ministry.  James 
had  united  with  the  church  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  and  was 
exemplary  in  hisa-^tleportment.  Neither  uncle  or  nephew 
had  a  doubt  of  his  piety.  But  a  remark  from  another,  which 
he  casually  overheard,  at  first  exasperated,  and  then  led 
him  to  such  serious  self-examination  that  he  renounced  his 
old  hope  and  sought  the  Savior  anew.  He  commenced  his 
classical  studies  with  Rev.  Joseph  Smith,  of  Cross  Creek 
and  Buffalo  congregations,  Washington  'county,  Penn. 
Here,  in  Mr.  Smith's  kitchen,  he  prosecuted,  with  others, 
the  study  of  Latin!  His  theological  course  was  taken  under 
the  direction  of  the  famous  Dr.  John  McMillan.  He  was 
licensed  by  Red  Stone  Presbytery  in  1788.  He  returned 
the  same  year  to  Guilford  county,  N.  C,  and  set  about  his 
work  with  immense  energy.  He  was  uncompromising  with 
the  sins  most  fashionable  in  that  region — dancing,  horse- 
racing  and  intemperance.  The  wicked  were  exasperated ; 
but  great  good  resulted  from  his  labors.  In  1796  McGready 
passed  to  Kentucky,  after  laboring  a  few  months  in  Eastern 
Tennessee.  His  principal  field  of  labor  in  Kentucky  was 
in  Logan  county,  where  from  1796  to  18 14  he  was  pastor  of 
Gasper  River,  Red  River  and  Muddy  River  congregations. 
Mr.  John  Mann,  now  an  elder  in  Chester  church,  Illinois, 
remembers  seeing  Mr.  McGready  in  Logan  county,  Ky.,  and 
hearing  him  preach.  He  was  a  large  man.  His  voice  was 
strong  and  heavy,  and  he  was  commonly  called  "Boaner- 
ges." He  was  one  of  the  chief  instruments  in  promoting 
the  great  revival  which  spread  through  North  Carolina, 
Tennessee  and  Kentucky  in  the  latter  years  of  the  last  and 
the  first  years  of  the  present  century.  For  a  time  he  fell  in 
with  the  Cumberlands.  But  he  saw  his  error  and  retraced 
his  steps.  In  the  latter  years  of  his  life  he  resided  in  Hen- 
derson county,  Ky.,  and  extended  his  labors  across  the 
Ohio  into  Southwestern  Indiana  and  Southeastern  Illinois. 
Here,  in  looking  after  the  spiritual  welfare  of  those    who' 


BEN'JAMIN  F,  SPILMAN.  23 

had  been  his  parishoners  in  Kentucky,  he  organized  in  1 8 16 
the  church  of  Sharon — the  First  Presbyteiian  Oiurch  in 
Illinois  Territory. 

Muhlenburg  Presbytery  covered  the  western  part  of  Ken- 
tucky. It  was  organized  in  1810.  "  Of  it  Mr.  McGready 
was  a  member. 

As  said  above  he  died  in  1818  or  1819.  His  ministerial 
career  must  have  covered,  therefore,  about  thirty  or  thirty- 
one  years.  His  death  probably  took  place  before  he  was 
sixty  years  of  age. 

Of  Martin  B.  Darrah  I  have  nowhere  found  any  men- 
tion save  in  the  record  book  of  Sharon  church.  It  is  not 
probable  he  was  a  Presbyterian  minister. 

Backus  Wilbur  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey.  He  stud- 
ied at  Princeton  College  and  graduated  at  Princeton  Semi- 
nary in  1 81 3.  He  labored  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  died  in 
1818. 

The  i\NDREW  O.  Patterson,  who  visited  Sharon  church 
in  1820,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  He  graduated  at 
Jefferson  College,  Cannonsburg,  Pa.  He  studied  theology 
at  Princeton  in  18 18-19.  -^^  \i'3iA  charge  ot  Mt.  Pleasant 
and  Sewickly  churches,  Redstone  Presbytery,  from  1821  to 
1834.  Subsequently  he  labored  at  Beaver,  Pa.  He  was 
then  missionary  agent  for  a  time,  afterwards  pastor  at  New 
Lisbon,  Pa.,  Bethel,  Ohio,  and  West  Newton,  Pa.  He  died 
in  1869. 

Benjamin  Franklin  Spilman  was  born  August  17,  1796, 
in  Garrard  county,  Ky.,  about  six  miles  from  Danville.  His 
father  was  Benjamin  Spilman,  youngest  son  of  James  Spil- 
man, of  Culpepper  county,  Va.  James  Spilman  was  the 
son  of  Henry  Spilman  of  Westmoreland  county,  Va.,  who 
emigrated  from  England  and  lived  and  died  in  that  county. 
He  was  therefore  of  the  fourth  generation,  on  his  father's 
side,  from  the  original  emigrant. 

There  is  a  well  authenticated  tradition  that  the  name  was 
originally  Sprlman,  but  it  was  first  mispronounced  and  then 
misspelled — an  i  being  substituted  for  an  e.  An  effort  was 
once  made  to  restore  the  name  to  its  original  sound  and 
spelling.  But  there  was  not  sufficient  concert,  and  habit 
had  become  too  strong. 

Benjamin  Spilman — father  of  B.  F. — about  1790  married 
Nancy  R.  Rice,  of  Prince  Edward  county,  Va.,  and  imme- 
diately emigrated   to   Garrard  county,  Ky.     Miss  Rice   was 


24  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

descended  from  an  English  family  of  that  name — a  family- 
very  prolific  of  ministers.  Among  them  was  Parson  David 
Rice,  ordained  1765, the  pioneer  Presbyterian  minister  of  Ky., 
Dr.  John  H.  Rice  of  Va.,  and  Dr.  Nathan  L.  Rice,  who  con- 
ducted the  celebrated  debate  with  Alex.  Campbell  in  1843. 
The  Spilman  family  in  Virginia  were  originally  Episcopa- 
lians. Benjamin  Spilman,  father  of  B.  F.,  was  the  only 
member  of  a  family  of  eight  who  did  not  adhere  steadfast- 
ly to  the  "  Church  of  England."  But  early  in  life  he  united 
with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  chose  a  staunch  Presby- 
terian woman  as  the  partner  of  his  days.  She  possessed 
uncommon  strengtii  of  mind  and  energy  of  character.  It 
was  mainly  through  her  influence  that  her  five  sons  were  all 
liberally  educated  and  prepared  for  professional  life.  The 
eldest,  James  F.,  was  a  physician,  and  died  in  Bunker  Hill, 
111.,  at  an  advanced  age.  The  two  next,  B.  F.  and  Thomas 
A.,  lived  and  died  in  the  ministry  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  Charles  H.  is  a  physician  in  Harrodsburg,  Ky. 
The  youngest,  Jonathan  E.,  after  practicing  law  for  fifteen 
years  finally  entered  the  ministry,  and  is  now  preaching  in 
Canton,  Miss.  There  were  eight  daughters — making  a 
family  of  thirteen  children.     Of  these,  B.  F.  was  the  fifth. 

In  1806  Benjamin  Spilman  removed  from  Garrard  to 
Muhlenburg  county,  Ky.,  into  what  is  called  the  Green  river 
country.     At  that  time  B.  F.  was  ten  years  of  age. 

In  1 8 12  the  family  enjoyed  the  preaching  of  James  Mc- 
Gready,  the  same  man  who  in  18 16  organized  the  church 
of  [Sharon,  111.  B.  F.  was  profoundly  affected,  though  he 
did  not  profess  conversion  till  some  months  later. 

For  a  part  of  the  time,  while  residing  in  the  Green  River 
country,  the  youth,  B.  F.,  drove  a  four  horse  team  from  the 
landing  on  the  Kentucky  side  of  the  river  to  Salem.  While 
stopping  to  rest  and  feed  his  horses  he  improved  his  time 
in  studying  the  Latin  Grammar.  But  the  want  of  a  teacher 
greatly  discouraged  him.  To  leave  home  to  prosecute 
his  studies  was  difficult.  The  health  of  his  father  was 
poor,  and  the  family  large.  His  services  were  needed.  But 
providence  interposed.  A  pain  in  his  back  which  refused 
to  yield  to  any  treatment,  obliged  him  to  give  up  his  team- 
ing business.  As  he  was  unfit  for  any  manual  labor  his 
parents  decided  to  accede  to  his  ardent  desire  to  prosecute 
a  course  of  study.  It  appears  that  he  proceeded  to  Chilli- 
cothe,   Ohio,  and  pursued   preparatory    studies    with   Rev. 


BENJAMIN    F.  SPILMAN.  25 

Robert  G.  Wilson,  D.D.  He  entered  Jefferson  College  at 
Cannonsburg,  Penn.,  in  1817,  and  graduated  October,  1821. 
He  then  returned  to  Chillicothe  and  studied  theology  with 
Dr.  Wilson.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Chillicothe  Presby- 
tery, Dec.  3,  1823,  and  immediately  proceeded  home  that 
he  might  preach  his  first  sermon  in  his  father's  house. 

Meantime  Benjamin  Spilman,  his  father,  had  removed 
with  his  family  to  Illinois.  September  6,  18 17,  he  entered 
S.  W.  quarter  of  Sec.  8,  and  Dec.  14,  1818,  the  W  1-2  of  S.  E. 
■quarter  of  Sec.  8,  Town.  6,  S.  R.  9  E,  being  in  all  240  acres. 
He  sold  this  land  to  one  Houts,  June  i,  1836.  Probably 
the  date  of  his  entering  this  land  fixes  the  time  of  his  re- 
moval to  Illinois  Territory.  But  he  did  not  at  once  settle 
upon  it.  His  first  residence  was  at  or  near  Golconda, 
Pope  county.  He  and  his  wife,  Nancy  R.,  were  two  of  the 
original  members  of  Golconda  Church,  organized  Oct.  24, 
1 8 19,  and  of  it  he  was  made  an  elder,  March   18,  1820. 

This,  therefore,  was  undoubtedly  the  home  of  his  par- 
ents, to  which  the  young  preacher  hastened  after  his 
licensure.  His  text  was:  "Unto  you,  therefore,  who  be- 
lieve He  is  precious."  The  time  was  probably  the  second 
Sabbath  of  December,  1823. 

This  was  his  introduction  to  Southeastern  Illinois.  There 
were  then  only  two  Presbyterian  churches  in  that  part  of 
the  State — Sharon,  organized  in  1816,  and  Golconda, 
organized  Oct.  24,  1819.  With  these  two  churches  he  at 
once  began  his  labors,  connecting  with  them  such  other 
needy  and  promising  points  as  he  found  accessible.  One 
of  these  was  Shawneetown.  The  exact  date  of  his  first 
sermon  there  I  cannot  give,  but  it  was  quite  at  the  close  of 
1823.  He  found  in  Shawneetown  only  one  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church — a  female.  His  appointments  here 
at  first  were  only  occasional. 

He  fixed  his  residence  at  Golconda,  probably  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  1824.  He  was  ordained  to  the  ministry,  and 
installed  pastor  of  Sharon  Church,  in  November,  1824,  by 
Muhlenburg  Presbytery,  as  stated  above.  It  was  under- 
stood, however,  that  he  was  to  spend  with  them  only  one- 
fourth  of  his  time.  This  pastoral  relation  continued  only 
eighteen  months.  He  married,  March  17,  1826,  Miss  Ann 
B.  Cannon,  of  Cannonsburg,  Penn.  Without  pretending  to 
know,  I  presume  the  acquaintance  of  this  young  lady  con- 
stituted the  romance  of  his  college  days. 


26  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Here  I  will  introduce  a  portion  of  a  letter  of  Mrs.  C.  W. 
Baldwin,  widow  of  the  lamented  Rev.  Dr.  Theron  Baldwin, 
and  addressed  to  the  widow  of  B.  F.  Spilman.  It  is  dated 
June  25,  1870  :  "  I  met  your  husband  only  once.  That  was 
on  my  first  arrival  in  Illinois.  There  were  few  roads  through 
the  State  at  that  time,  1831,  and  no  stages.  Travelers  from 
the  East  went  down  the  Ohio  to  where  Cairo  now  is,  then 
up  the  Mississippi  to  St.  Louis.  On  our  way  down  the 
Ohio  there  was  at  the  time  of  which  I  speak,  a  sudden 
change  of  weather,  which  closed  the  Mississippi  with  ice, 
and  there  was  no  road  from  Cairo  to  any  other  place.  It 
was,  therefore,  necessary  for  us  to  turn  back,  which  we  did, 
and  succeeded  in  reaching  Smithland,  Ky.  After  two  weeks 
delay  we  went  up  and  crossed  the  river  in  a  row  boat  op- 
posite Golconda.  The  first  person  whom  we  saw  on  pass- 
ing up  into  the  town  was  Mr.  Spilman,  whom  my  husband 
recognized.  He  kindly  invited  us  to  his  house.  He  was 
living  there  at  that  time,  and  preaching  to  the  feeble 
churches  in  that  region.  The  house  was  a  small  frame 
building,  but  very  comfortable.  The  only  bed  in  it  was 
divided,  and  one  part  laid  on  the  floor.  We,  being  guests, 
occupied  the  part  left  on  the  bedstead,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S. 
taking  that  on  the  floor.  The  arrangement  well  nigh  de- 
prived me  of  sleep,  for  I  felt  that  such  hospitality  was  a 
little  beyond  the  Scripture  requirement. 

"The  evening  was  passed  in  discussing  the  missionary 
work.  In  devotion  to  the  cause  these  two  young  mission- 
aries were  one.  In  doctrinal  views  and  methods  of  present- 
ing truth  they  differed.  Mr.  S.  was  a  '  high  Calvinist  and 
Old  School' — my  husband  'New  School.'  Hence  it  was 
that  they  were  thrown  so  little  together  in  subsequent  labor. 
I  remember  hearing  Mr.  S.  say  that  evening  that  when  he 
'  commenced  preaching  his  library  consisted  of  three  vol- 
umes— a  Confession  of  Faith,  a  Bible  and  a  Hymn  book.' 

"  From  Golconda  we  went  to  Shawneetown,  a  part  of  the 
way  on  a  jumper,  and  part  on  a  wood  sled.  At  Shawnee- 
town we  procured  an  emigrant  wagon,  in  which  we  trav- 
eled as  far  as  Vandalia,  reaching  that  place  December  24. 
The  roads  were  little  more  than  trails.  I  remember  only 
one  bridge  between  Golconda  and  Vandalia." 

He  had  fixed  his  residence  in  Golconda,  probably  in  the 
fall  of  1824,  and  must  have  made  that  place  his  home  until 
sometime  in    1832.      He  then  removed  his  family  to  Shaw- 


BENJAMIN  F.  SPILMAN.  2/ 

neetown.  In  May,  1826,  he  organized  the  church  at  that 
place  (tradition  says  with  six  members — all  females.)  The 
first  communion  was  held  November,  1827,  when  there  were 
ten  members — two  males  and  eight  females.  As  they  had 
no  fixed  place  of  worship,  they  occupied  warehouses  and 
private  dwellings  until  1832,  when  the  "old  log  church" 
was  erected.  This  was  followed  in  1842  by  a  neat  brick 
edifice.  Mr.  S.  continued  to  labor  here  as  stated  supph', 
preaching  at  first  monthly,  and  then  bi-monthly,  until  the 
death  of  his  wife.  Through  these  three  years — from  1832 
to  1835 — he  kept  up  his  itinerant  labors.  He  organized 
the  church  at  Equality  May  26,  1832. 

November  16,  1833,  he  lost  his  infant  son,  James  Frank- 
lin, aged  four  days.  A  greater  sorrow  overtook  him  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1835,  when  he  was  called  to  part  with  his  wife.  He 
remarks  on  this  occasion,  "  Never  knew  what  trouble  was 
before." 

For  about  two  years  he  acted  as  agent  of  the  Western 
Foreign  Missionary  Society  at  Pittsburg.  He  commenced 
this  service  June  25,  1836.  For  the  first  year  he  has  left  a 
complete,  though  very  condensed,  account  of  his  labors. 
He  visited  all  the  Presbyterian  churches  in  Illinois  and  the 
western  part  of  Indiana.  The  collections  he  made  were 
small — amounting  during  the  year  to  ^401.18.  His  salary 
was  ;^300,  and  his  traveling  expenses  ^45.18.  He  traveled 
on  horseback,  and  his  labors  were  constant  and  intense. 
Their  result  is  not  to  be  estimated  at  all  by  the  amount  of 
money  raised.  His  presence  among  the  churches,  his  faith- 
ful preaching,  his  attendance  on  the  church  judicatories, 
and  that  general  elevation,  enlargement  of  vision  and  draw- 
ing out  from  the  shell  of  selfishness  which  attended  his  pre- 
sentations of  truth,  were  the  great  trophies  of  this  service. 

While  engaged  in  these  missionary  labors  he  made  his 
home  at  Sanmel  Boyd's,  three  or  four  miles  west  of  New 
Haven,  in  the  edge  of  Gallatin  county,  near  George  Knight's. 
A  daughter  of  Samuel  Boyd,  Mrs.  Leah  Brocket,  now 
resides  in  Enfield.  A  little  before  he  commenced  this  mis- 
sionary service,  i.  e.,  June  25,  1836,  his  father,  Benjamin 
Spilman,  had  removed  to  Montgomery  count}^  near  Hills- 
boro,  where  he  ended  his  useful  life,  September  15,  185 1, 
aged  eighty-six  years  and  seven  months.  His  wife  died 
January  28,  1848,  aged  seventy-five  years. 

In  the  spring  of  1838   Mr.  Spilman  attended  the  meeting 


28  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

of  the  General  Assembly.  On  his  return  in  June  he  took 
board  with  Wm.  McCool,  at  Equality.  In  the  January  next 
preceding,  Gallatin  Academy  had  opened  in  that  village. 
Of  this  Mr.  Spilman  took  charge  for  one  year.  He  attended 
the  Assembly  again  in  1839.  For  the  year  preceding  April 
I,  1840,  he  labored  as  a  Home  Missionary  under  the  General 
Assembly's  Board  of  Domestic  Missions.  In  that  time  he 
supplied  seven  congregations — Carmi,  Sharon,  New  Haven, 
Morganfield,  Union,  Tilford's  and  Douglas.  The  last  four 
were  across  the  Ohio  river  in  Kentucky.  In  these  seven 
churches  there  were  at  the  end  of  the  year  eighty-nine  com- 
municants— thirty-five  of  whom  had  been  added  during  the 
year.  Three  of  the  churches  had  been  organized  in  those 
twelvemonths.  In  1840  Mr.  Spilman  completed  seventeen 
years  of  service  in  Southeastern  Illinois  and  the  adjoining 
parts  of  Kentucky  and  Indiana.  He  had  in  that  time  organ- 
ized thirteen  churches,  two  of  which  had  been  dissolved  by 
deaths  and  removals. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  period  upon  which  we  now 
enter,  we  find  this  record  in  his  own  hand-writing:  "After 
living  a  lonely  widower  for  more  than  six  years,  the  Lord, 
who  setteth  the  solitary  in  families,  has,  I  believe,  directed 
me  in  the  choice  of  another  companion  to  be  the  partnsr  of 
my  joys  and  sorrows,  to  whom  I  was  married  June  22,  1840, 
and  now  I  am  as  happy  as  I  ought  to  be  in  this  changing 
state.     As  to  domestic  happiness  my  cup  runneth  over." 

This  marriage  took  place  in  Carmi,  at  the  house  of  Dr. 
Josiah  Stewart.  Mrs.  Stewart  was  a  sister  of  Mr.  Spilman, 
and  the  mother,  by  a  previous  marriage,  of  Mr.  Felix  H. 
Willis,  now  of  Enfield.  III. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  second  Mrs.  Spilman  was  Mary 
P.  Potter.  She  was  born  in  North  Brookfield,  Worcester 
county,  Mass,  in  March,  18 14.  She  went  west  as  a  teacher, 
under  the  auspices  of  a  society  of  ladies  in  New  York  city, 
early  in  June,  1838.  She  taught  for  a  few  weeks  in  Bethel, 
Bond  Co. ;  then,  by  the  advice  of  Rev.  Theron  Baldwin, 
went  to  Carmi,  VVhite  Co.,  and  continued  to  teach  there 
till  June  22,  1840,  when  she  married  Mr.  Spilman.  She 
taught  more  than  half  the  time  after  that  until  1864,  when 
she  returned  East  with  her  son  and  daughter.  She  is  now 
residing  at  Boston  Highlands,  64  Waverly  Street, 

Immediately  after  his  marriage  with  Miss  Potter,  Mr.  Spil- 
man removed  again  to  Shawneetown,  and   resided  there  till 


BENJAMIN    F.  SPILMAN.  29- 

Nov.  9,  1845.  He  was  installed  as  pastor  of  Shawneetown 
church,  April  22,  1843.  On  the  13th  of  November,  the  same 
year,  he  buried  his  son,  John  Calvin,  thirteen  years  of  age. 
This  child  gave  good  evidence  of  piety. 

His  labors  during  his  residence  at  Shawneetown,  from 
June,  1840,  to  Nov.,  1845,  were  of  the  same  itinerant  char- 
acter. He  had  the  general  care  of  all  the  churches  in  that 
part  of  the  State.  This  was  true,  in  a  great  degree,  even 
after  the  pastoral  relation  was  formed.  That  relation  was 
dissolved  Oct.  4,  1845. 

He  immediately  removed  to  Edvvardsville,  in  Madison 
Co.,  and  commenced  his  labors  there,  Nov.  9,  1845.  His 
eldest  brother,  James  F.,  was  then  located  as  a  physician  ia 
that  place.  His  residence  at  Edwardsville  was  continued 
one  year — from  Nov.,  1845,  to  Nov.,  1846.  During  that  time 
he  acted  under  a  commission  from  the  Board  of  Domestic  Mis- 
sions. One  of  his  quarterly  reports  is  as  follows  :  "  Churches 
and  stations  supplied,  nine — Hillsboro,  Waveland,  Edwards- 
ville, Chester,  Liberty,  Sparta,  Dry  Point,  Bethany  and  Belle- 
ville, all  in  the  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia.  Number  of  families 
two  hundred  and  thirty-five.  Total  in  communion,  two  hun- 
dred and  forty-one  ;  number  of  baptisms,  six  ;  number  of 
Sabbath  schools,  four  ;  teachers  in  Sabbath  schools,  thirty- 
eight;  number  of  scholars  in  Sabbath  schools,  one  hundred 
and  ninety-five  ;  Bible  Societies,  five  ;  Missionary  Societies, 
eight ;  raised  for  Foreign  Missions,  ;^25.00  ;  sermons  preached, 
eighty-one;  monthly  concerts  attended,  four ;  prayer-meet- 
ings established,  four;  visited  ninety-six  families;  support 
pledged,  ^150.00;  observance  of  the  Sabbath  indifferent; 
population  increasing."  From  this  we  gain  an  idea  of  his 
labors  from  Nov.,  1845,  to  Nov.,  185  i.  He  was  much  of  the 
time  on  horseback;  preaching  on  Sabbaths  and  week  days; 
supplying  vacant  churches ;  attending  prayer-meetings ; 
visiting  families ;  establishing  new  congregations,  and,  in 
general,  doing  the  work  of  an  evangelist. 

In  Nov.,  1846,  he  removed  to  Chester  and  resided  there 
for  two  and  one-half  years.  He  supplied  that  church  on  the 
third  Sabbath  in  each  month.  He  then  removed  back  into 
the  country  ten  miles.  His  next  residence  was  in  the 
bounds  of  Jordan's  Grove  congregation — the  same  church 
called  Sparta  in  his  report  above.  There  he  resided  one  and 
one-half  years.  This  brings  forward  the  time  to  October, 
1 85 1 — about  six  years  from  his  leaving  Shawneetown.     In 


30  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

that  month  he  went  for  Mrs.  Spihnan,  who  was  in  Massa- 
chusetts. In  crossing  Lake  Erie  they  were  in  great  dan- 
ger. At  one  time  the  Captain  gave  up  the  boat  for  lost. 
On  the  26th  of  October  he  preached  in  North  Brookfield, 
Mass.,  Mrs.  Spilman's  native  place.  Their  return  seems 
to  have  been  by  the  Ohio  river,  for  he  preached  in  Jef- 
fersonville,  Indiana,  November  4th.  On  the  loth  they 
were  in  Shawneetown,  to  which  place  Mr.  S.  had  been 
earnestly  invited  to  return.  There  he  again  engaged  in 
itinerant  labor,  making  Shawneetown  one  of  his  stations.  In 
June,  1853,  he  wag  again  installed  pastor  by  a  committee  of 
Kaskaskia  Presbytery.  In  May,  1858,  and  again  at  the  close 
of  the  year,  there  was  a  great  revival  in  that  congregation. 
In  June,  1858,  he  visited  Boston  with  his  family,  making  the 
trip  in  three  days  and  nine  hours.  His  death  took  place  at 
Shawneetown,  Tuesday  morning.  May  3,  1859,  of  pneu- 
monia. His  age  was  sixty-two  years,  eight  months,  and 
seventeen  days. 

He  was  buried  from  the  Presbyterian  church,  Thursday  A.  m., 
May  5th.  The  exercises  were  conducted  by  the  Elders.  The 
remains  were  deposited  in  the  Westwood  cemetery.  The  fu- 
neral sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  Cliarles  A.  Campbell, 
then  of  Morganfield,  Ky.,  on  the  first  Sabbath  of  June  fol- 
lowing. Mr.  C.  says  :  "  The  church  was  crowded  by  a  grief- 
stricken  audience.  The  entire  community,  as  well  as  the 
church,  seemed  to  feel  that  they  had  lost  a  valued  friend, 
and  a  spiritual  guide  in  whom  was  no  guile.  Every  eye 
overflowed,  and  the  suppressed  sob  plainly  told  how  deeply 
they  felt  their  loss." 

To  correctly  delineate  the  character  of  Mr.  Spilman  is  a 
task  of  no  small  difficulty  to  one  who  knew  him  only  from 
the  reports  and  writings  of  others.  Most  manifestly  he  was 
sound  in  the  faith — a  Calvinist,  but  not  I  think,  as  Mrs.  Bald- 
win says  in  her  letter  quoted  above,  a  high  Calvinist.  Take 
the  following  from  his  own  pen.  The  article  is  called,  A  Key 
TO  Unlock  a  Difficulty.  "  Calvinistic  Predestination  is 
not  fatality,  (i.)  God  from  all  eternity  had  his  plan  laid,  by 
which  he  manages  the  universe.  In  other  words  '  He  fore- 
ordained whatsoever  comes  to  pass.' 

(2.)  It  comes  to  pass  that  all  mankind  are  free  agents. 
Then,  this  was  fore-ordained  for  '  whatsoever  comes  to 
pass '   was  fore-ordained. 

(3.)  It  comes  to  pass  that  the  gospel  salvation  is  infinitely 


BENJAMIN    F.   SPILIMAN.  3  I 

sufficient  for  all  the  human  family,  and  is  freely  offered  to  all. 
This  then  was  fore-ordained. 

(4.)  It  comes  to  pass  that  all  who  reject  offered  mercy  and 
live  and  die  in  sin  perish.  This  then  must  have  been  fore- 
ordained. 

(5.)  It  comes  to  pass  that  God  suffers  people  to  sin,  /.  e. 
does  not  prevent  it,  when  we  know  that  he  could,  by  strikino^ 
the  sinner  dead,  if  in  no  other  way.  Whatsoever  sin  there- 
fore he  does  suffer  to  be  committed  was  fore-ordained. 

(6.)  It  comes  to  pass  that  none  are  excluded  from  salvation 
by  any  decree  of  God,  as  he  only  ordained  to  suffer  those 
who  are  lost  to  take  their  own  choice  between  life  and  death, 
which  they  do  voluntarily  and  thus  reprobate  themselves. 

(7.)  While,  therefore,  predestination  does  no  one  any  harm, 
it  makes  salvation  sure  to  all  who  obey  the  gospel — and  God 
works  as  he  pleases  in  accordance  with  the  free  agency  of 
man." 

This  is  Calvinism,  but  it  is  not  liigli  Calvinism,  or  fatalism. 
When  the  great  division  of  1837  and  1838  took  place  Mr. 
Spilmanhad  been  fourteen  years  a  minister  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  He  held  to  the  Confession  of  Faith  ;  but  the  above 
article  shows  how  he  held  it.  It  was  not  the  ipsissinia  verba 
method.  He  claimed  the  right  to  put  upon  the  language  of 
the  Confession  his  own  construction,  and  to  give  it  his 
own  explanation.  He  sided  strongly  with  the  Old- 
School,  and  was  perhaps  their  leading  man  in  the 
State  of  Illinois.  He  did  not  live  to  see  the  re- 
union of  the  two  schools,  and  to  share  the  conviction,  now  so 
general,  that  their  differences  were  mainly  referable  to  prej- 
udice. His  second  wife  was  a  New  England  Congregation- 
alist.  They  ever  lived  in  the  most  perfect  harmony.  It  is 
not  probable  that  either  was  conscious  of  yielding  to  the 
other  one  particle  of  religious  belief. 

Mr.  Spilman  was  exceedingly  laborious.  Take  a  few  facts 
in  illustration.  In  one  year  from  Nov.  9,  1845,  he  traveled 
3,688  miles  on  horseback.  During  six  years  from  the  same 
date,  he  preached  nine  hundred  and  fifty-nine  sermons.  In 
the  same  six  years  he  installed  eleven  Elders,  made  two  hun- 
dred and  fift}--four  visits,  baptized  ninety-eight  persons,  ad- 
ministered the  supper  thirty-six  times  and  received  one 
hundred  and  thirty-two  persons  into  the  churches.  When 
the  sacrament  of  the  supper  was  administered  the  services 
usually  continued    four    days.      It  was    customary    to  hold 


32  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

two  of  those  meetings  each  year  in  each  of  the  churches.- 
He  was  regular  in  his  attendance  upon  all  Ecclesiastical 
meetings,  often  traveling  for  that  purpose  very  long  distances. 
On  several  occasions  he  represented  his  Presbytery  in  Gen- 
eral Assembly. 

Much  and  almost  constant  traveling  gave  him  little  time 
for  critical  study,  for  converse  with  the  great  minds  of  past 
ages,  or  even  for  any  considerable  acquaintance  with  the  cur- 
rent literature  of  the  day.  But  this  disadvantage  was  in 
part  counterbalanced  by  his  power  of  concentrating  his 
thoughts  in  his  ma^ny,  long  and  lonely  rides,  upon  whatever 
themes  he  chose.  His  saddle  was,  in  an  important  sense,  his 
study.  Thus  he  acquired  the  power  of  digesting  his  subjects, 
and  of  arranging  and  fixing  his  thoughts  in  his  own  mind 
much  as  others  do  with  pen  and  ink  on  paper.  This  mental 
labor  he  was  always  performing,  and  was  often  hardest  at 
work  when  a  spectator  may  have  thought  him  wholly  idle. 
Hence  his  power  of  preaching  without  manuscript — the 
method  which  he  always  followed — with  readiness,  fluency, 
clearness  and  power. 

His  labors  were  successful.  Shawneetown,  where  he 
began  them  in  December,  1823,  was  one  of  the  most  un- 
promising points  for  ministerial  labor  in  the  United  States. 
He  found  but  one  person — a  female — who  was  connected 
with  the  Presbyterian  Church.  In  November,  1845,  he  left 
them  a  congregation  of  sixty-six  communicants.  In  the 
same  years  he  had  organized  twelve  other  churches,  two 
of  which  were  in  Kentucky.  His  success  when  residing  in 
Madison  and  Randolph  counties  may  be  judged  from  what 
has  already  been  said.  His  second  residence  in  Shawnee- 
town was  distinguished  by  the  occurrence  in  1858  of  two  re- 
vivals, which  brought  into  that  church,  within  ten  months, 
seventy-seven  members.  Among  them  were  several  who  have 
ever  since  been  the  pillars  in  that  congregation. 

I  am  not  able  to  state  precisely  the  number  of  churches 
he  organized  during  his  ministry  of  thirty-six  years,  but  think 
it  was  about  twenty.  Five  or  six  of  these  have  ceased  to 
exist  from  deaths,  removals  and  destitution  of  the  preached 
word.  Most  of  the  others  have  acquired  strength  and  great 
influence.  To  have  planted  in  such  a  place  as  Shawneetown 
was  in  1823,  and  watered  and  matured  such  a  church  as  ex- 
isted there  when  B.  1^.  Spilman  was  buried,  would  have  been 
of  itself  a  success  worthy  of  thirty-six  years  of  labor.     But 


SHOAL  CREEK  CHURCH.  33 

this  was  only  a  part  of  the  grand  result  of  those  thirty-six 
years.     Eternity  alone  can  unfold  the  mighty  whole. 

Mr.  Spilman  was  eminently  prayerful.  The  revivals  of 
1858  were  preceded  by  days  and  weeks  of  the  most  agon- 
izing supplications  on  his  part.  Indeed  all  through  his  min- 
isterial life  his  close  communion  with  God  was  the  great 
secret  of  his  power. 

The  various  ecclesiastical  relations  which  he  sustained — 
all  in  the  same  denomination — during  his  ministry  of  thirty- 
six  years,  in  the  same  general  region,  illustrate  curiously  the 
growth  of  the  country  and  the  Church.  He  was  licensed 
indeed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  because  his 
theological  studies  were  prosecuted  in  that  city;  but  he  came 
immediately,  and  without  preaching  a  sermon  elsewhere,  to 
Southeastern  Illinois.  There  he  came  under  the  care  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Muhlenburg,  and  was  ordained  by  them  in 
November,  1824.  In  1826  the  Synod  of  Indiana  was  erected, 
which  included  all  the  churches  in  this  State.  This  brought 
Mr.  S.  into  the  Presbytery  of  Wabash,  which  embraced  the 
churches  and  ministers  in  Western  Indiana  and  Eastern  Illi- 
nois. In  1828  he  fell  into  Center  Presbytery,  which  ex- 
tended over  this  entire  State  and  Wisconsin.  His  next 
change  was  into  Kaskaskia  Presbytery  in  1831.  Finally,  a 
few  months  before  his  death,  he  fell  into  Saline  Presbytery. 
Thus,  without  changing  his  general  field,  he  was  a  member 
of  five  different  Presbyteries,  and  of  three  different  Synods. 

Presbyterianism  in  Illinois  owes  much  to  B.  F.  Spilman. 
He  was  the  piojieer  in  the  State.  For  a  time  he  was  the  only 
Presbyterian  minister,  connected  with  the  Assembly,  residing 
and  statedly  laboring  in  this  vast  domain,  now  contain- 
ing three  Synods,  eleven  Presbyteries,  four  hundred  and 
twenty  ministers,  four  hundred  and  eighty-seven  churches^ 
and  43,987  members.  All  honor  to  the  man  who  stands,  in- 
strumentally,  at  the  head  of  these  grand  results ! 

The  Shoal  Creek  Church  was  organized  by  Rev,  Salmon 
Giddings,  of  St.  Louis,  March  10,  1819,  with  thirty-five  mem- 
bers. The  first  records  are  lost,  and  with  them  anything  like 
a  correct  list  of  their  names.  But  according  to  the  recol- 
lection of  widow  George  Donnell,  the  first  elders  were  Hugh 
McReynolds,  John  Laughlin  and  John  Gilmore. 

Mr.  Giddings,  after  the  organization,  paid  them  occasional 
visits;  and  such  was  the  fidelity  and  activity  of  the  members, 
that  their  meetings  were  held  regularly,  and  large  congrega- 

2 


34  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

tions  assembled  whether  a  minister  was  present  or  not.  Their 
place  of  worship  was  a  log  house,  about  four  miles  north  of 
Greenville,  Bond  county,  in  T.  6,  N.  R.  3,  E.,  Sec.  21,  N.  E. 
quarter,  near  a  very  small  creek  running  into  the  east  fork  of 
Shoal  Creek.  The  Union  Grove  Methodist  church  now  oc- 
cupies the  same  site.  In  two  years  it  had  increased  to 
eighty-eight  members,  thirty  of  whom  were  new  converts, 
the  fruit  of  a  revival  at  a  camp-meeting  held  by  Dr.  Gideon 
Blackburn  in  the  very  spring  of  the  organization.  Another 
camp-meeting  was  conducted  by  the  Home  Missionaries, 
Revs.  Oren  CatUn  and  Daniel  Green  Sprague,  in  1823.  By 
this  the  roll  was  enlarged  to  one  hundred  and  fifteen.  A 
third  camp-meeting,  held  by  B.  F.  Spilmanin  1824,  brought 
the  membership  to  one  hundred  and  twenty-two. 

By  the  Missouri  Presbytery,  September  15,  1825,  Bethel 
and  Greenville  churches  were  set  off  from  Shoal  Creek. 
April  7,  1832,  Kaskaskia  Presbytery,  at  its  meeting  in  Carmi, 
White  county,  united  the  two  churches  of  Greenville  and 
Shoal  Creek.  From  that  time  Shoal  Creek  ceased  to  exist 
as  such,  and  became  merged  in  Greenville  church. 

Its  ministerial  supplies  previous  to  the  organization  of 
Greenville,  September,  1825,  were  occasional  and  transient. 
After  that  it  was  grouped  with  Greenville.  It  was  the  mother 
of  Greenville,  Elm  Point  and  Bethel  churches,  and  for  the 
first  five  years  of  its  existence  occupied  the  entire  territory 
now  held  by  these,  her  children. 

If  B.  F.  Spilman  was  the  father  of  Presbyterianism  in  one 
section  of  Illinois,  Salmon  Giddings  was  in  another.  True, 
his  residence  was  in  St.  Louis,  but  a  large  portion  of  his 
early  labors  were  expended  in  the  counties  nearest  St.  Louis, 
on  the  East  side  of  the  Father  of  Waters.  It  is  these  labors 
principally  that  will  here  be  noticed. 

He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Hartland,  Hartford  county. 
Conn.,  March  2,  1782.  His  parents  were  not  members  of 
any  church,  but  were  respected  for  their  industry,  intelli- 
gence and  strict  morality.  They  were  careful  to  train  their 
son  to  fear  God,  honor  his  parents  and  find  pleasure  in  pro- 
moting the  well-being  of  his  fellow  men.  He  united  with 
the  Congregational  Church  in  January,  1807.  About  the 
same  time  he  was  led  to  consider  the  duty  of  preaching  the 
Gospel.  Entering  upon  a  course  of  study,  with  the  ministry 
in  view,  he  graduated  at  Williams  College,  Mass.,  in  181 1, 
and  at  Andover  Theological    Seminary    in  18 14.     He  was 


SALMON  GIDDIXGS.  35 

tutor  for   a  short  time   in   his  Ahiia    ]\Iater.     In    December, 

1814,  he  was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.     During 

1 81 5,  he  itinerated  in  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut.  In 
December,  181 5,  he  was  commissioned  by  the  Connecticut 
Missionary  Society  to  labor  in  the  Western  country,  parti- 
cularly St.  Louis.  He  h^d  read  the  reports  of  Mills  and 
Smith,  published  in  the  Panoplist,  and  was  led  thereby  to 
■choose  that  field  of  labor.  He  came  to  St.  Louis  on  horse- 
back that  same  winter,  preaching  often  while  passing  through 
the  destitute  settlements.  The  people  were  hospitable,  fed 
his  horse  and  made  him  welcome.  He  slept  in  their  log 
cabins,  partook  of  their  plain  fare,  prayed  in  their  families, 
and  talked  to  their  children.     He  reached  St.  Louis,  April  6, 

18 16,  and  at  once  entered  upon  his  labors  on  both  sides  the 
river. 

On  Sabbath,  August  25,  1816,  he  preached  in  Kaskas- 
kia,  and  baptized  James  L.  D.,  son  of  Robert  Morrison. 
This  child  was  the  since  well-known  J.  L.  D.  Morrison, 
somewhat  famous  in  military  and  political  life,  and  still  liv- 
ing. In  political  speeches  he  has  been  known  to  boast  that 
he  was  baptized  ifito  the  Presbyterian  Church.  There  was  at 
that  time  no  Protestant  church  in  Kaskaskia.  On  the  fol- 
lowing Thursday  he  preached  at  Major  How's.  James  Gas- 
ton and  his  son  were  present.  The  father  was  a  Presbyterian 
Elder  in  North  Carolina  ;  the  son  and  his  wife  were  members 
of  the  same  church.  The  next  Sabbath,  September  i,  18 16, 
he  preached  at  Irish  settlement  to  a  large  audience. 

So  far  as  I  can  learn,  these  were  his  first  labors  in  Illinois 
Territory,  and  they  correspond  in  time  almost  precisely  with 
those  of  McGready,  when  he  organized  Sharon  church,  in 
White  county. 

On  Sabbath,  the  27th  of  the  next  October,  he  preached 
again  at  Kaskaskia,  reaching  the  place,  as  before,  by  Ste. 
Genevieve.  At  Kaskaskia  he  met  Rev.  Samuel  T.  Scott, 
of  Vincennes.  He  rode  with  him  sixteen  miles  east,  to 
Irish  settlement,  where  Mr.  S.  had  an  appointment.  He 
then  rode  back  nine  miles  and  preached  at  Mr.  Tindal's.  On 
the  first  of  November  he  started  for  St.  Louis. 

It  is  interesting  to  think  of  the  meeting  of  those  two  mis- 
sionaries at  that  time — probably  by  appointment.  They  two 
were  then  the  only  ordained — John  AIcElroy  Dickey  was  not 
ordai /led  until  18 17 — Presbyterian  ministers  actually  resid- 
ing in  the  three  Territories  of  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Missouri. 


36  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

One  of  them  was  located  in  the  principal  town  of  Indiana 
Territory;  the  other  at  the  seat  of  government  of  Missouri 
Territor)^,  and  their  place  of  meeting  was  the  capital  of  Illi- 
nois Territory.  No  chronicler  has  left  on  record  their  dis- 
cussions respecting  the  spiritual  interests  of  the  vast  region 
so  soon  to  become  three  powerful  States. 

On  May  l,  18 17,  Mr.  Giddings  purchased  a  house  and  lot 
in  St.  Louis,  for  ;^i,o8o.  This  purchase  subsequently  be- 
came a  fortune  for  his  widow  and  son. 

In  the  spring  of  1820,  Mr.  Giddings  attended  the  meeting 
of  the  General  Assembly  as  Commissioner  from  the  Presby- 
tery of  Missouri,  which  had  been  organized  at  St.  Louis, 
December  18,  1817.  He  was  appointed  by  the  Assembly  a 
delegate  to  attend  the  General  Associations  of  Massachu- 
setts and  Connecticut — an  appointment  which  he  fulfilled. 

The  process  by  which  Mr.  Giddings,  an  ordained  Congre- 
gational minister,  became  a  Presbyterian  is  worth  noticing. 
It  consisted  m  traveling  from  Neiv  England  to  Missouri;  at 
least,  if  that  was  not  the  process,  there  was  no  other. 

As  soon  as  he  reaches  Missouri  he  calls  himself  a  Presby- 
terian, goes  to  organizing  Presbyterian  churches,  and  just  as 
soon  as  possible  unites  with  ^three  others  in  forming  a  Pres- 
bytery ;  and  in  three  years  more  goes  as  a  Commissioner  to 
the  Assembly.  "  But  he  had  papers."  No  doubt — papers 
showing  his  ordination  as  a  Congregational  minister.  Yet 
just  as  soon  as  he  reaches  Missouri  he  is,  and  ever  after  ivas^ 
a  Presbyterian. 

He  labored  in  St.  Louis  for  more  than  six  years  without  a 
house  of  worship,  constantly  calling  upon  the  people  to  rise  up 
and  build.  At  length  this  object  was  accomplished,  and  in 
June,  1825,  the  first  Presbyterian  church  building  in  St. 
Louis  was  dedicated. 

On  Sabbath,  Nov.  9,  1826,  Mr.  Giddings  was  installed  pas- 
tor of  the  congregation. 

December  4,  1826,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Almira  Collins^ 
of  CoUinsville,  Illinois,  ten  miles  east  of  St.  Louis.  This  lady 
was  born  in  Litchfield,  Conn.,  July  13,  1790,  and  died  in 
Quincy,  111.,  May  10,  1872. 

Mr.  Giddings  died  in  St,  Louis,  Friday,  February  i,  1828. 
The  funeral  took  place  the  following  Sabbath  from  the 
church.  A  vast  concourse  of  people  was  in  attendance. 
Rev.  Solomon  Hardy,  of  Bond  county.  111.,  introduced  the 
service.     Rev,  Mr.  Horrell,  an  Episcopal  minister,  made  the 


SALMON   GIDDINGS.  /  3/ 

address.  Rev.  John  M.  Peck,  the  well-known  Baptist  min- 
ister, of  St,  Clair  county,  111.,  closed  the  service.  The  re- 
mains were  deposited  in  a  vault  beneath  the  pulpit. 

In  due  time  a  marble  tablet  was  placed  in  the  wall  with 
this  inscription  : 

IN    MEMORY    OF 

REV.  SALMON  GIDDINGS,  A.  M., 
First  Pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian   Church  in  St.  Louis. 

He  was  born  in  Connecticut,  March  3,  17S2;  became  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
Christ  1807  ;  was  a  graduate  of  Williamstown  College,    Mass.,  and  a  student 
at  Andover   Theological  Seminar)';  was  ordained  to  the  Gospel   Minis- 
try 1814  ;  arrived  in  Missouri  as  the  First  Protestant  Missionary,  1S15; 
organized  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in  St.  Louis,  Nov.  15, 
1817;  died  in  the    assurance  of  a  joyful  resurrection,  Feb. 
I,  1828,  aged  45  years,  10  months,  28  days.     As  a  man, 
he  was  kind,  prudent  and  decisive  ;  as  a  Christian, 
he  was  pious,  cheerful  and  prayerful ;  as  a  min- 
ister, meek,  laborious    and    persevering. 
His  body  moulders    in  its  vault  un- 
der this  house  of  worship,  which 
his    labors    contributed  to 
erect.     His  spirit    has 
gone  to  receive 
its  reward. 
*'  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant." 

When,  in  1853,  the  edifice  was  pulled  down,  that  vault  was 
opened.  A  few  bones,  clean  and  bare,  were  all  that  remain- 
ed, save  a  small  residuum  of  dark,  damp  dust.  The  relics 
were  disinterred  and  placed  in  a  copper  urn  in  a  cemetery- 
vault,  and,  when  the  new  edifice  was  dedicated,  deposited 
again  beneath  the  pulpit.  A  son — Frederick  Salmon — was 
born  to  Mr.  Giddings,  Nov.  11,  1828,  eight  months  and  eleven 
days  after  his  father's  death.  This  son  is  now  a  wealthy  and 
prominent  citizen  of  Quinc)',  111.,  and  a  leading  member  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  that  city.  He  has  four 
children. 

During  the  entire  period  of  his  residence  in  St.  Louis  Mr. 
Giddings  continued  to  make  frequent  preaching  tours  in  Illi- 
nois. Besides  the  labors  above  recited  he  organized  the 
church  at  Edwardsville,  March  17,  18 19,  with  fifteen  members  ; 
Turkey  Hill,  in  St.  Clair  county,  April,  1820,  with  eight  mem- 
bers; Kaskaskia,  May  27,  1821,  with  nine  members;  Sugar 
Creek,  March  31,  1822,  with  twenty-three  members,  and  Col- 
iinsville,  May  3,  1823,  with  nine  members.  Besides,  he  was  one 
of  a  committee  of  four  to  organize  Bethel  Church,  which  was 
done  Sept.  15,  1825,  with  sixty-two  members;  and  Greenville 


38  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Church  on  the  same  day  and  by  the  same  committee,  with 
twenty-nine  members.  The  place  of  these  two  last  organiza- 
tions was  the   Old  Shoal  Creek  Church, 

Mr.  Giddings,  in  his  short  ministry  in  the  West,  of  less 
than  twelve  years,  planted  and  occasionally  watered  thir- 
teen churches — six  in  Missouri  and  seven  in  Illinois. 

The  next  minister  mentioned  as  having  served  the  Shoal 
Creek  Church  is  Rev.  Gideon  Blackburn.  But  as  his  name 
will  occur  at  a  later  period  of  our  history  and  in  a  more  im- 
portant connection,  I  defer  until  then  a  fuller  notice  of  this^ 
truly  great  man.  ^- 

Oren  Catlin  was  a  native  of  New  York.  He  graduated 
at  Hamilton  College  in  18 18  and  at  Andover  in  1822.  He 
Avas  ordained  Sept.  26,  1822.  In  1823  he,  in  connection  with 
Daniel  G.  Sprague,  labored  in  Illinois.  They  held  a 
camp-meeting  with  the  Shoal  Creek  Church,  and  on 
April  30,  same  year,  organized  at  Carrollton,  the  "  First  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  Greene  county."  These  two  brethren  ap- 
pear to  have  traveled  and  labored  together  while  in  this 
State.  But  they  did  not  long  remain.  We  hear  of  Mr.  Cat- 
lin as  pastor  in  Warren,  Mass.,  in  1829  and  1831 ;  as  stated 
supply  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  Cincinnatus,  N.  Y.,  in 
1832  and  1833;  at  Castleton,  N.  Y.,  from  1834  to  1837; 
at  Fairport,  N.  Y.,  from  1838  to  1841  ;  at  Newstead,  N.  Y., 
from  1842  to  1843,  and  at  Collins,  N,  Y.,  1844  to  1846. 
He  died  at  Evans,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  11,  1849,  aged  hfty-five. 

Daniel  Green  Sprague  was  born  in  Connecticut.  He 
graduated  at  Brown  University,  R.  I.,  18 19,  and  at  Andover 
Seminary  in  1822.  He  was  ordained  Oct.  2,  1822.  Home  Mis- 
sionary in  Illinois  and  Missouri  in  1822  and  1823  He  was- 
at  Hampton  and  Colchester,  Conn.,  from  1824  to  1844.  He 
was  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  South  Orange,  N.  J., 
from  T 844 to  i860. 

David  Tenney  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts.  He  gradu- 
ated at  Harvard  College  in  18 15  and  at  Andover  Seminary  in 

181 8.  He  was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Londonderry,. 
in  the  third  parish  of  Newbury,  Sept.  24,  1 8 1 8,  as  a  missionary 
to  the  destitute  parts  of  our  own  country.  He  was  sent  out  by 
the  New  York  Evangelical  Missionary  Society  to  Illinois  in 

1 8 19.  In  the  early  summer  of  that  year  he  began  his  labors- 
in  the  region  of  Kaskaskia,  and  died  in  the  bounds  of  Shoal 
Creek  Church,  Bond  county,  October  21,  of  the  same  year. 
His    tombstone     bears     this    inscription :     "  Sacred   to    the 


FIRST  CHURCH,  EDWARDSVILLE.  39 

memory  of  Rev.  David  Tenxey,  who  departed  this  Hfe  Oct 
21,  1819,  in  the  thirty-fourth  year  of  his  age,  and  second  of 
his  ministry.  He  was  a  faithful  ambassador  of  the  cross, 
and  a  zealous  missionary  of  the  New  York  Evangelical  Mis- 
sion Society,  by  whom  this  stone  is  erected." 

Edwardsville  Church,  Madison  county.  This,  following 
the  chronological  order,  is  the  iJiird  Presbyterian  Church  or- 
ganized in  Ilhnois. 

There  have  hto-n  four  Presbyterian  Churches  here.  I  shall 
notice  in  this  connection  only  the  first.  It  was  organized 
March  17,  1819,  by  Rev.  Salmon  Giddings,  of  St.  Louis, 
with  fifteen  members.  The  records  are  lost,  and  I  cannot 
give  their  names.  Thomas  Lippincott  and  Hail  Mason  were 
probably  the  first  Elders.  Mr.  Lippincott  removed  from 
Milton  to  Edwardsville  in  the  fall  of  1820.  Jeremiah  Abbot 
and  Matthew  B.  Torrance  were  elders  subsequently. 

The  widow  of  Dr.  John  Blair  Smith,  at  one  time  President 
of  Hampden  Sidney  College,  Prince  Edward  county,  Va., 
came  to  Edwardsville  in  1817.  Ten  years  later,  when  resid- 
ing at  Springfield,  111.,  she  says:  "When  I  came  to  Ed- 
wardsville I  could  find  no  professor  of  religion  in  the  place, 
and  for  eighteen  months  after  no  sermon  was  preached 
there.  I  lived  to  see  a  church  of  nine  members,  and  in- 
creased to  thirty." 

The  early  members  were  nearly  or  quite  all  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent.  Previously  to  1828  the  church  enjoyed  no  stated 
gospel  ministrations.  The  fashion  was  in  those  days  for  mis- 
sionaries to  come  out  from  the  East  and  itinerate  through 
Missouri  and  Illinois,  wherever  they  could  find  or  gather 
Presbyterian  Churches,  spending  only  a  few  weeks,  or  per- 
haps only  a  few  days,  with  each.  In  18 18  Rev.  Messrs. 
Benj.  Lowe  and  Samuel  Graham  performed  services  of  this 
kind.  Messrs.  Edward  Hollister  and  Daniel  Gould  were  here 
in  i82i,and  labored  more  or  less  in  Edwardsville.  In  1822 
came  Messrs.  Oren  Catlin  and  Daniel  G.  Sprague.  Salmon 
Giddings  also  performed  much  labor  this  side  the  river.  I 
suppose  Mr.  Lippincott  himself  conducted  religious  meetings 
at  Edwardsville  when  no  minister  was  present.  In  this  way, 
doubtless,  his  mind  was  gradually  drawn  to  the  ministry. 

This  was  one  of  the  original  churches  of  Center  Presby- 
tery, which  held  its  first  meeting  at  Kaskaskia,  January  9, 
1829.  It  had  then  thirty-three  members.  From  that  number  it 
steadily  declined.     One    year   later  it   had  only  twenty-five. 


40  PRESBYTEKIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

The  last  time  it  was  represented  in  Presbytery  was  at  Green- 
ville, September,  1831.  The  last  time  its  name  appears  in 
the  minutes  of  Presbytery  is  at  the  meeting  in  Collinsville, 
September,  1833.  It  died,  and  from  starvation.  The  only 
ministerial  labors  it  ever  enjoyed  were  those  of  passing  mis- 
sionaries, remaining  one  or  two  Sabbaths  only,  and  an  occa- 
sional visit  from  Mr.  Giddings,  of  St.  Louis.  It  was  only 
by  slow  degrees  and  after  many  failures  that  the  church 
came  to  learn  the  better  way. 

Edward  Holltster  was  born  in  Sharon,  Conn.,  Feb.  22, 
1796,  whence  he  removed  with  his  father's  family  to  Salisbury, 
Connecticut. 

He  attended  the  district  school  till  18 10.  He  graduated 
at  Middlebury  College,  Vt.,  in  1816.  He  took  charge  of  an 
Academy  for  one  year  in  New  Castle,  Maine.  Then  he  took 
the  full  Theological  course  at  Andover,  Mass.  He  was  ordain- 
ed at  Bradford,  Mass., by  the  Presbytery  of  Londonderry,  Sept. 
26,  1820,  together  with  Daniel  Gould,  for  Home  Missionary 
work.  Oct.  10,  1820,  he  started  for  Illinois  and  Missouri 
under  the  direction  of  the  Connecticut  Missionary  Society, 
and  remained  under  their  care  until  the  spring  of  1822.  He 
labored  at  several  places  in  Missouri,  and  at  Alton,  Edwards- 
ville  and  other  points  in  Illinois. 

He  returned  to  New  England  in  the  spring  of  1822  and  be- 
came pastor  of  a  church  in  Danville,  Vt. 

He  married  Miss  Mary  Trumbull,  of  Salem,  Mass.,  August 
3.  1823. 

His  labors  as  a  pastor  were  eminently  successful,  but  so 
arduous  that  his  health  gave  way.  He  was  advised  to  try  a 
milder  climate.  He  set  out  alone,  and  traveled  in  a  chaise  to 
South  Carolina.  But  his  health  improved  so  slowly  that  the 
pastorate  had  to  be  given  up.  The  wife,  with  her  young  son, 
now  joined  her  husband  at  the  South.  At  Oxford,  N.  C, 
they  took  charge  of  and  successfully  conducted  a  seminary 
for  young  ladies. 

In  the  fall  of  1834  he  removed  with  his  family — wife,  two 
sons  and  two  daughters — to  Griggsville,  111.,  where  he  engag- 
ed again  in  teaching.  But  feeble  health  and  the  urgency  of 
friends  again  took  him  southward  to  West  Tennessee.  From 
thence  he  returned  again  to  Illinois,  and  for  five  years  labored 
in  the  ministry  at  Chili,  Hancock  county.  Subsequently 
he  was  engaged  for  seven  years  in  the  service  of  the  Bible 
Society,     After  this    he   took  up  his   residence  with  his  son, 


GOULD  AND  WILLIAMSON,  4 1 

Capt.  Edward  HoIHster,  at  Alton,  III.  Here  he  closed  his  useful 
and  laborious  life  Jan,  ii,  1870,  in  the  seventy-fourth  year  of 
his  age.  His  widow  still  survives.  Their  children  were  Ed- 
ward, born  June  18,  1824,  Wm.T.,  born  June  5,  1828,  Mary  T., 
born  Dec.  24,  1830,  and  Emily  G.,  born  Oct.,  1833.  These 
are  all  living  and  married  except  Mary  T.  who  died  unmarried. 

Daniel  Gould  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  a  student 
at  Harvard  College,  Mass.,  and  a  graduate  of  Andover  Sem- 
inary in  1820.  He  was  ordained  with  Mr.  Hollister,  as 
stated  above,  and  traveled  with  him  to  Illinois  and  Missouri. 
He  remained  in  those  States  but  a  few  months.  In  1821  he 
was  laboring  as  a  Home  Missionary  in  North  Carolina,  and 
was  afterwards  supply  pastor  at  Statesville  in  that  State, 
where  he  died  April  20,  1834,  aged  forty-four. 

In  1822  Abraham  Williamson  was  commissioned  to  labor 
in  Illinois.  He  preached  at  Edwardsville,  Kaskaskia  and 
Shoal  Creek,  The  latter  congregation  was  the  principal 
scene  of  his  labors.  He  was  long  remembered  with  great 
interest  and  affection.  He  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey ; 
graduated  at  Princeton  College  in  1818  ;  studied  two  years 
at  Princeton  Theological  Seminary.  After  his  missionary 
service  in  Illinois  he  was  pastor  in  Chester,  N.  J.,  from  1823 
to  1853;  supply  pastor  at  Mt.  Freedom,  N.  J.,  in  1856,  and 
died  June  19,  1869,  aged  seventy-nine  years. 

GoLCONDA  Church,  Pope  county,  was  organized  Oct.  24, 
18 19,  by  Rev.  Nathan  B.  Derrow,  with  sixteen  members. 
Here  is  a  verbatim  copy  of  the  original  record. 

"GoLCONDA,  III.,  Oct.  23, 1819. 

"This  day  a  number  of  persons  convened  at  the  Court-house 
in  Golconda,  for  examination  preparatory  to  the  planting  of  a 
church  in  this  place.  Sixteen  persons,  whose  names  are 
hereafter  recorded,  gave  in  their  names  for  members  in  a 
Presbyterian  Church  in  this  place,  and  after  inquiry  respect- 
ing their  belief  and  practice,  it  was  resolved  to  be  planted  in 
a  church  state  to-morrow.  Accordingly,  on  Lord's  day,  the 
24th  of  this  month,  after  a  discourse  from  Rom.  4th  chapter, 
the  church  was  planted  by  the  persons  aforesaid  making  the 
following  Confession  and  Covenant.  [These  are  omitted.] 
They  are,  therefore,  hereby  declared  a  regular  church  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  as  such  recommended  to  the  fellowship  of  sister 
churches  and  to  the  attention  of  the  embassadors  of  Jesus, 
By  me,  "  N'n.  B.  Derrow,  V.  D.  M., 

"  Missionary  for  Connecticut." 


42  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Names:  James  E.  Willis,  Eliza  Willis,  Joshua  Scott,  Jane 
Scott,  David  B.  Glass,  Francis  Glass,  Agnes  Glass,  George 
Hodge,  John  Hanna,  Margaret  Hanna,  George  H.  Hanna,. 
William  P.  Hanna,  Jane  Hanna,  James  H,  Hanna,  Benjamin 
Spilman,  Nancy  R.  Spilman. 

Elders  :  James  E.  Willis  was  the  first.  The  Elders  since 
appointed  are  these :  John  Hanna,  Benjamin  Spilman  and 
Joshua  Scott,  March  i8,  1820;  George  Hodge  and  William 
Sim,  Nov.  26,  1822;  Francis  Glass  and  Joseph  Glass,  Nov. 
27,  1824.  William  A.  Glass  and  John  C.  Hanna,  June  11, 
1844;  Samuel  D.  Hemphill  and  J.  E.  Y.  Hanna,  Oct.  21, 
i860;  John  V.  Sch'uhard,  M.  D.,  Jan.  11,  1868;  William  P. 
Sloan,  Feb.  6,  1869;  W.  S.  Hodge,  Feb.  12,  1871.  The  five 
last  named  are  the  present  (1879)  Elders. 

Of  their  Ministers.  Nathan  B.  Derrow  did  not  visit  the 
church  after  its  organization.  Robert  A.  Lapsley  gave  them 
some  ministerial  services.  B.  F.  Spilman  was  their  next 
minister.  I  think  it  very  certain  he  preached  his  first  sermon 
here  after  his  licensure,  probably  on  the  second  Sabbath  of 
December,  1823.  It  is  quite  clear  that  he  made  his  home 
at  Golconda  from  that  time  until  the  beginning  of  1832.  He 
seems  indeed  to  have  given  that  church  all  the  ministerial 
labor  it  enjoyed  from  December,  1823,  to  Nov.,  1845.  A  por- 
tion of  the  time  his  appointments  with  them  were  regular. 
More    often   occasional,    and    the    occasions    far    between. 

To  him  succeeded  William  A.  Smith,  in  the  latter  part  of 
1845. 

John  P.  Riddle  gave  them  some  supply  from  November,. 
1852,  to  November,   1854. 

Wm.  R.  Sim  was  their  minister  from  February,  1861,  till 
about  the  time  of  his  death,  which  took  place  July  7,  1864. 
He  died  and  was  buried  at  Golconda. 

R.  Lewis  McCune  gave  them  some  supply  from  Novem- 
ber, 1864,  to  March,  1865. 

Solomon  Cook  was  with  them  from  May  26,  1867,  to  the 
spring  of  1872.  The  last  six  months  of  this  time  he  was 
pastor. 

A.  A.Mathes  supplied  their  pulpit  for  two  years  from 
March    25,  1873. 

In  March,  1877,  J.  M.  Green,  of  Shawneetown,  held  a 
meeting  with  the  Golconda  Church,  at  which  thirty-two  per- 
sons were  received  on  profession.  About  fifteen  of  these 
are  still  reliable  members. 


GOLCOXDA  CHURCH.  43 

Sherman  M.  Burton  took  charge  of  the  church  as  pastor, 
Feb.  26,  1877,  and  still  continues  (1879).  This  congregation 
has  from  the  beginning  had  two  places  of  worship — one  in  the 
village  of  Golconda,  the  other  in  the  country,  on  the  Vienna 
road.  In  town  the  place  of  meeting  was  the  court-house,  or 
school-house,  or  in  a  building  called  the  Union  Church,  un- 
til, in  1869,  they  entered  their  own  house,  a  fine  structure  of 
brick,  erected  at  a  cost  of  $8,000. 

In  the  country,  the  place  of  meeting  was  at  the  house  of 
Francis  Glass — two  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Golconda — un- 
til about  the  year  1832.  Next  at  the  house  of  David  B. 
Glass — four  miles  west  of  Golconda — until  about  1840,  when 
a  building  was  erected  called  Bethel  Church.  It  was  a  frame 
building — never  entirely  finished — and  was  used  until  about 
1858.  It  was  then  sold  and  the  proceeds  put  into  a  building 
called  "Bethany"  Church,  the  title  to  which  was  with  the 
Cumberlands.  The  Presbyterians  assisted  largely  in  its  erec- 
tion and  occupied  it  jointly  with  them  until  1877. 

The  next  summer  our  people  erected  for  themselves  a 
neat  frame  house,  called  "  Prospect "  Church,  which  was 
dedicated  September  i,  1878.  It  is  located  at  the  middle  of 
N.  W.  quarter  Sec.  33,  T.  13,  S.  R.  6  E,  of  third  Principal 
?kleridian. 

In  April,  1871,  a  church  called  Grove  was  organized, 
with  seven  members,  about  three  miles  southeast  of  where 
Prospect  Church  now  stands,  a  site  selected,  and  some 
means  for  building  secured.  But  the  enterprise  was  aban- 
doned, and  the  members  re-united  to  Golconda  Church. 

There  have  been  connected  with  Golconda  Church,  from 
the  beginning,  two  hundred  and  sixty-five  members.  The 
present  number  (1879)  is  ninety-six.  Sabbath-schools  are 
maintained  both  in  town  and  country,  and  both  are  con- 
ducted with  great  vigor. 

Connected  with  the  country  part  of  Golconda  Church  is  an 
interesting  and  venerable  widow  lady — Mrs.  Agnes  Hanna, 
She  was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  1796.  She  is  mother  of 
Elder  J.  E.  Y.  Hanna,  and  resides  with  her  daughter,  INIrs.  J. 
S.  Crawford,  near  Prospect  Church.  Her  maiden  name  was 
Crawford.  Her  father,  John  Crawford,  was  one  of  the  first 
pioneers  in  the  Illinois  country.  Mrs.  C.  P.  Bosman,  of  Allen 
Springs,  Pope  county,  111.,  has  published  some  interesting 
facts  concerning  him.  I  here  introduce  one  of  her  papers, 
and  in  her  own  words  : 


44  PRESBYTERIANISM  I\  ILLINOIS. 

"John  Crawford  was  born  in  county  Antrim,  in  the  north 
of  Ireland,  about  the  year  1761.     He  was  of  Scotch  parent- 
age,, but  of  his  early  life  little  is  known.      He  emigrated  to 
America    in  1 782,  when  only  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and 
settled  in  what  is  now  known  as  the  Waxhaw  settlement,  in 
South  Carolina.     In  1785,  he  was  married   to   Agnes  Glass, 
with    whom   he    lived    for    more  than    fifty   years.     In    the 
year    1801,   he  left  South    Carolina   for   the  then  unsettled 
West.     Stopping  one  year  in  Tennessee,  he  arrived  in  1803 
on  the  east  bank  of  the  Ohio  river,  and  settled    three  miles 
above  Golconda.     In  1808  he  crossed  the  river  and  settled 
at  the  mouth  of  Gfand  Pierre  Creek,  which  was  his  home  for 
twenty-six  years.     His  residence  in   Illinois   was   truly  pio- 
neer.    He  had  wild  beasts  to   contend   with  as   well  as  the 
forest  to  subdue.     On   one  occasion  two   of  his   little  boys, 
who  had  been  sent  to  drive  his  cows  from  the  woods,  came 
running  back  in  terror  and  reported  that  an    *  ugly  animal 
was  after  the  hogs,'  and   asked  that  the  father  would   '  go 
and  shoot  it.'     Not    going   promptly,  the   children   insisted 
until  he  took  down  his  rifle,  but  remembering  it  was  the  Sab- 
bath, declined  to  desecrate  the  Lord's  day  by  shooting ;   but 
the  terrified  children  insisted,  as  it  was  a    'very  ugly  thing, 
and  meant  bad  to  the  hogs.'     Yielding  to  their  entreaties  he 
followed   them,  found   and  shot  the   animal,  wounding  but 
not  killing  it.     Finding  he   had  no   other  bullet  for  his  gun, 
he  set  the  dogs  on,  and  the  wounded   beast  rallying,  a  fear- 
ful fight  began.     Holding  the  infuriated  animal  by  the  hind 
legs,  Mr.  Crawford    cheered    on    his    dogs,  while    the    little 
boys  threw  clubs  and  stones.    They  finally  killed  the  enemy, 
who  proved    to  be  a  panther  of  the   largest   size,   measur- 
ing   nine    feet    in    length.     During    the    fight    the   panther 
struck  one  of  the  dogs  with   his  paw,  fastening  the  claws  in 
his  ear.     The  old   man  took  both  the  hind  legs  in  one   hand 
and  with   the  other  removed    the    panther's   claw  from   the 
dog's  ear.     Although  an  old  pioneer,  it  was  his  first  expe- 
rience with  the  most  ferocious  of  American  beasts.     On  re- 
turning  home   he  announced  to  his   wife,   '  Noncy,   Xoncy, 
we've  kilt  the  divil ! '     On  his  describing  the  animal,  she  ex- 
claimed, '  Why,  John,  it  is  a  panther.'      He  had  not  realized 
until  then  the   peril  in  which  he  and  his  children  had  been 
placed. 

"  Mr.    Crawford  had    other  and    more    troublesome    foes 
to   contend   with  than   the   wild  beasts   of  the  woods.  The 


JOHN  CRAWFORD.  45 

country  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river  bore  at  that  time  a 
very  bad  reputation  on  account  of  the  bands  of  counterfeiters 
and  river  pirates  who  infested  the  whole  district,  and  had 
their  headquarters  at  Cavc-in-Rock.  Some  of  the  gang  be- 
came afraid  of  Mr.  Crawford,  who,  hving  near  them,  might 
become  acquainted  with  facts,  which  would  not  be  pleasant 
for  them  if  made  public.  It  was  their  policy  to  conciliate 
such  of  the  settlers  as  would  not  engage  in  their  nefarious 
practices,  and  by  free-hearted  hospitality  and  acts  of  kind- 
ness gain  in  some  degree  the  good  will  of  their  honest  neigh- 
bors. But  our  sturdy  old  frontiersman  would  not  associate 
with  them  on  any  terms,  or  for  any  purpose,  and  they  wanted 
him  out  of  the  way.  Knowing  it  was  bootless  to  attack  him 
single-handed,  and  either  unwilling  or  afraid  to  kill  him,  they 
sought  to  intimidate  him,  and  by  every  species  of  annoyance 
they  could  devise  either  provoke  a  quarrel  or  force  him  to 
leave  his  home  for  a  more  pleasant  locality.  They  would 
come  in  squads  of  ten  or  more  and  lounge  around  his  place 
all  day.  On  one  occasion  a  dozen  armed  men  came  to  his 
house,  and  sitting  about  his  grounds  sent  one  of  their  num- 
ber to  aggravate  ]\Ir.  Crawford  to  strike  him,  when  the  bal- 
ance were  to  rush  in  and  put  the  old  man  out  of  the  way. 
But  he  was  prudent  as  well  as  brave;  and  although  annoyed 
almost  beyond  endurance,  restrained  his  temper  and  re- 
frained from  anything  that  could  give  his  foes  a  pretext  for 
murdering  him.  He  was  subjected  to  these  raids  and  in- 
sults until  the  dispersion  of  the  band  in  1824,  by  armed 
citizens,  under  the  leadership  of  William  Rondeau,  James 
Alcom  and  Hugh  McNulty.  After  the  death  of  his 
wife,  in  1824,  Mr.  Crawford  sold  his  property  and  went  to 
live  with  his  son,  the  Rev.  John  Crawford,  a  Cumberland 
Presbyterian,  and  died  at  his  residence  in  Gallatin  county, 
July  15,  1833,  aged  seventy-two  years.  He  bore  throughout 
his  long  life  the  character  of  an  upright,  straightforward, 
honest  man.  Late  in  life  he  attached  himself  to  the  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Golconda.  Of  twelve  children,  one  son 
and  four  daughters  survive  him,  and  his  descendants  are 
scattered  over  nearly  all  the  Western  country.  The  vener- 
able widow  of  the  late  Geo.  H.  Hanna,  the  eldest  surviving 
child  of  the  respected  old  pioneer,  has  resided  in  Pope  county 
more  than  sixty  years." 

This  is  the  widow — i\Irs.  Agnes  Hanna — to   whom  I  re- 
ferred. 


46  PRESBVTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Nathan  B.  Derrow,  originally  from  New  England,  was 
settled  over  the  church  of  Homer,  New  York,  February  2, 
1802,  where  his  labors  were  blessed  with  successive  revivals. 
In  1807  he  removed  to  Ohio  and  made  his  home  in  Vienna, 
Trumbull  county.  During  the  nine  years  he  was  in  New 
Connecticut,  he  traveled  11,868  miles;  preached  seven  hun- 
dred and  eighty-six  times  ;  baptized  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
three  persons ;  administered  the  supper  thirty  times,  and 
planted  seven  churches. 

In  June,  1 8 16,  he  left  that  field,  having  accepted  a  mis- 
sionary appointment  from  the  Connecticut  Missionary  So- 
ciety, for  Indiana 'and  Illinois.  He  passed  through  Ohio  to 
Jeffersonville,  on  the  Ohio  river,  opposite  Louisville.  Here 
he  spent  a  few  weeks,  and  from  thence  proceeded  to  Fort 
Harrison,  on  the  Wabash,  about  three  miles  north  of  Terre 
Haute.  He  found  that  country  at  once  destitute  and  invit- 
ing. The  population  was  rapidly  increasing.  Illiterate  and 
enthusiastic  preachers  were  numerous.  Many  whole  fami- 
lies were  found  without  a  book  of  any  kind.  When  tracts 
were  presented,  he  was  asked  to  read  them  by  those  who 
could  not  read  themselves. 

His  labors  in  the  general  region  of  Fort  Harrison  and 
Terre  Haute  were  in  the  fall  of  18 17,  and  perhaps  the  be- 
ginning of  1818.  He  organized  at  that  time  a  church  west 
of  the  Wabash,  and  very  near  the  Illinois  line,  called  at  first 
Hopcivell  and  afterwards  New  Hope.  Its  members  resided 
along  the  valley  of  Sugar  creek,  partly  in  the  State  of 
Indiana  and  partly  in  the  Territory  of  Illinois.  As  noticed 
above,  he  organized  the  church  of  Golconda,  October  24, 
1819. 

He  was  back  again  at  Vienna,  Ohio,  in  1825.  I  can  find 
no  further  account  of  him.  He  belonged,  evidently,  to  that 
class  of  pioneer  laborers  who  delighted  in  frontier  work,  and 
in  laying  the  foundations  of  many  generations. 

Robert  Armstrong  Lapsley  was  a  native  of  Kentucky. 
He  graduated  at  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  in  1819. 
He  was  ordained  as  an  evangelist  by  Muhlenburg  Presbytery 
in  1823  ;  was  President  of  Nashville  Female  Academy  in 
1834;  pastor  of  Second  Presbyterian  Church  in  Nashville  in 
1850;  stated  supply  in  Carthage,  Tenn.,  from  1856  to  1865. 
Died  at  New  Albany,  Ind.,  February  12,  1872,  aged  seventy- 
four. 

The  Hopewell  Church,  named  just  above,  belongs  partly 


HOPEWELL  OR  NEW  HOPE    CHURCH.  47 

to  Illinois.  I  will  notice  it  briefl}-.  It  was  organized  by 
Nathan  B.  Derrow,  probably  in  the  fall  of  1817,  with  nine 
members,  John  Black,  Elder.  It  was  visited  in  November, 
1824,  by  Rev.  Isaac  Reed,  who  resided  in  Indiana,  and  was 
returning  from  Paris,  III.  At  Mr.  Reed's  suggestion  its  name 
was  changed  to  New  Hope.  April  25,  1825,  Mr.  Reed  says: 
"  It  is  a  settlement  partly  in  Indiana  and  partly  in  Illinois.  It 
has  been  a  church  for  years,  but  entirely  without  ministerial 
Supplies."  Between  that  time  and  August,  1826.  it  enjoyed, 
in  connection  with  Paris,  111.,  the  labors  of  John  Young.  An 
interesting  revival  took  place  and  the  church  was  increased 
to  seventy.  They  erected  a  log  house  of  worship  on  the 
south  side  of  Sugar  creek,  about  two  miles  above  its  entrance 
into  the  Wabash.  Mr.  Young  died  at  Vincennes  about  the 
middle  of  .August,  1826.  In  September  Mr.  Reed  preached 
his  funeral  sermon,  both  at  Paris  and  in  New  Hope  churches. 
The  sermon  was  printed. 

In  1827  New  Hope  had  these  members  among  others, 
viz:  Elder  John  Black, Elder  Thomas  Black,  Samuel  Peevy, 
James  Baird,  George  Malcom,  Alex.  Ewing,  James  Black, 
Robert  Henderson,  David  Hogue,  James  R.  C.  Ashmore, 
Thomas  McCullock,  Martin  Ray,  Joseph  Malcom.  Its  ter- 
ritory extended  up  Sugar  creek  to  within  ten  miles  of  Paris, 
and  included  several  families  afterward  in  New  Providence 
Church. 

This  church  ultimately  fell  a  prey  to  sectarian  zeal.  Revs. 
Merrick  A.  Jewett,  of  Terre  Haute,  and  Dean  Andrews,  of 
Marshall,  111.,  Congregational  ministers,  organized  two  little 
Congregational  churches,  one  at  each  extremity  of  the  New 
Hope  Church.  Between  the  two  the  Presbyterian  church 
was  swallowed  up.  But  no  good  has  followed.  Of  the  de- 
vourers,  one  is  in  articido  mortis,  ^KiA  the  other  has  long  been 
in  statu  quo. 

Leaving  New  Hope  out  of  the  account — since  its  church 
building  was  in  Indiana — there  were  four  Presbyterian 
churches  in  Illinois  previous  to  1820,  viz:  Sharon,  Septem- 
ber, 1816,  Shoal  Creek,  March  IQ,  1819,  Edwardsville,  March 
17,  1819,  and  Golconda,  October  24,  1819. 

Sketches  of  these  churches,  and  of  the  ministers  laboring 
in  the  Illinois  country  previous  to  their  existence,  and  more 
or  less  subsequently  down  to  the  first  meeting  of  Center 
Presbytery,  January  9,  1829,  have  been  the  theme  of  this 
chapter. 


48  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

I  shall  continue  in  the  next  chapter  to  make  the  dates  of  the 
organization  of  the  churches  the  chronological  nexus ;  con- 
necting with  the  notice  of  each  church  sketches  of  the  min- 
isters who  labored  with  it  up  to  Jan.  9,  1829. 


CHAPTER  III. 

FROM  1820  TO  FIRST  MEETING  OF  CENTER  PRESBYTERY, 
JAN.  9,  1829. 

Authorities. — Bancroft's  History;  Flint's  Travels;  Dr.  Hill's  article  in 
Presbyterian  Quarterly,  1861  ;  Gillett's  History;  Original  records;  Life  and 
Times  of  Stephen  Bliss:  Isaac  Reed's  Youth's  Book  and  Christian  Traveler; 
Robert  Stewart's  Semi-Centennial  Sermon  for  Bethel  Church ;  Dr.  Bergen's 
Scrap-Book ;  Dr.  Dimond's  Sketch  of  John  M.  Ellis  ;  Joseph  Gordon  in  Pres- 
bytery Reporter;  Sermons  of  Dr.  Glover,  Dr.  Reed,  N.  S.  Dickey,  and  B.  C. 
Swan;  Mrs.  M.  H.  Barton. 

Turkey  Hill  Church  was  formed  by  Salmon  Giddings, 
April  20,  1820,  with  eight  members.  Nathan  Jones,  father 
of  the  late  Rev.  Williston  Jones,  was  one  of  its  elders.  An- 
other is  supposed  to  have  been  Deacon  Josiah  Crocker,  at 
whose  house  the  first  Mrs.  Thomas  Lippincott  died,  October 
14,  1 8 19,  The  exact  location  of  Deacon  Crocker's  house  was 
T.  I,  N.,  R.  7  W.,  S.  E.  quarter  of  Sec.  2. 

Turkey  Hill  proper  was  four  miles  southeast  of  Belleville  ; 
but  the  name  came  to  include  a  large  tract  of  the  adjacent 
country.  It  was  the  first  American  settlement  in  St.  Clair 
county,  and  was  commenced  by  William  Scott,  Samuel 
Shook  and  Franklin  Jarvis,  in  1798.  Deacon  Crocker's  resi- 
dence was  in  that  settlement,  though  four  or  five  miles  north 
of  the  "  Hill  "  proper.  At  his  house  the  meetings  of  Turkey 
Hill  Church  were  often  held.  In  1824,  the  church  had  in- 
creased to  fourteen  members.  In  1825,  its  number  was  re- 
duced to  seven.  Nathan  Jones  and  his  family  removed  to 
Fulton  county.  A  portion  of  the  remaining  members  joined 
the  Methodists,  and  the  church  became  extinct.  It  never 
had  a  house  of  worship  or  regular  preaching. 

Kaskaskia  and  Chester  Church. — The  oldest  perma- 
nent settlement  in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  is  the  village 
of  Kaskaskia,  which  gradually  became  a  central  point  of 
French  colonization.  We  know  that  Father  Gravier  was  its 
founder,  though  it  is  not  easy  to  fix  the  exact  date  of  its 
origin.  It  was,  however,  somewhere  between  1680  and  169O, 
i.  e.,  just  about  two  hundred  years  ago. 

In  1800  the   only  portions  of  what    is   now  the  State  of 

0 


50  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Illinois  occupied  by  whites,  were  the  American  bottom  from 
Kaskaskia  to  Cahokia  inclusive,  and  some  settlements  oq 
and  near  the  bluff  bordering  that  bottom  for  the  same  dis- 
tance. The  whole  number,  including  French  and  Ameri- 
cans, was  something  above  two  thousand.  Of  these  about 
twelve  hundred  were  French.  The  negroes  numbered  about 
two  hundred,  the  greatest  part  of  whom  were  slaves. 

Kaskaskia  had  then  about  five  hundred  inhabitants.  Of 
these  only  six  or  eight  families  were  Americans. 

Across  the  river  from  Kaskaskia,  and  directly  east  of  that 
village,  was  a  ^neighborhood  which  is  now  the  territory  of 
Pleasant  Ridge  Church,  in  which,  in  1800,  were  a  few  Ameri- 
can families,  among  them  the  family  of  Robert  Reynolds, 
the  father  of  Governor  John  Reynolds.  The  family  of 
Joseph  Heard,  from  Virginia,  came  in  1801.  They  crossed 
the  Ohio  from  Kentucky  and  traveled  overland  from  river 
to  river,  finding  neither  house,  bridge  nor  ferry  for  the  whole 
distance,  upwards  of  one  hundred  miles.  They  settled  in 
that  neighborhood  because  it  was  near  Kaskaskia,  at  that 
time  the  largest  and  best  known  place  in  the  Valley  of  the 
Mississippi.  Joseph  Heard  was  the  grand-father  of  the  pres- 
ent Mrs.  Wm.  H.  Mann,  of  Pleasant  Ridge  Church. 

This  is  Governor  Reynolds'  account  of  his  first  view  of 
Kaskaskia.  It  was  in  the  spring  of  1800,  when  he  was  a 
little  past  twelve  years  of  age :  "  When  we  approached  the 
high  bluffs  east  of  Kaskaskia,  we  halted  our  traveling  cara- 
van and  surveyed  with  wonder  and  delight  the  prospect  be- 
fore us.  The  e\^e  ranged  up  and  down  the  American  bot- 
tom for  many  miles,  and  the  whole  landscape  la}\  as  it  were, 
at  our  feet.  The  river  bluff  rose  two  hundred  feet  or  more 
above  the  bottom,  and  the  prairie  lay  extended  before  our 
view,  covered  with  horses  and  cattle  grazing  on  it.  The 
Mississippi  could  be  seen  in  places  through  the  forest  of  Cot- 
tonwood trees  skirting  its  banks,  and  the  ancient  village  of 
Kaskaskia  presented  its  singular  form  and  antique  construc- 
tion to  our  sight.  The  ancient  cathedral  stood  a  venerable 
edifice  in  the  heart  of  the  village,  with  its  lofty  steeple  and 
large  bell.  Around  the  village  were  numerous  camps  and 
lodges  of  the  Kaskaskia  Indians,  still  retaining  much  of  their 
original  savage  independence. 

"  The  large  common  field,  with  a  fence  stretched  across 
from  the  Kaskaskia  river  to  the  Mississippi,  extended  on  one 
side  of  the  village ;  and   the  commons,  covered  with  cattle, 


KASKASKIA.  5I 

on  the  other.  Near  the  bluff,  on  which  we  stood,  the  Kas- 
kaskia  river  wended  its  way  south,  and  entered  the  Missis- 
sippi six  miles  below  the  village  of  Kaskaskia. 

"This  was  our  first  sight  of  civilization  in  Illinois;  and  it 
was  so  strange  and  uncouth  to  us,  that  if  we  had  been 
landed  on  another  planet  we  would  not  have  been  more  sur- 
prised. The  Kaskaskia  Indians  were  numerous  and  still  re- 
tained some  of  their  savage  customs.  Many  of  the  young 
warriors  were  painted  and  decorated  with  their  gaudy  and 
fantastic  attire.  Feathers  of  birds  were  tied  in  their  hair, 
and  sometimes  the  horns  of  animals  were  attached  to  their 
heads.  They  galloped  in  this  fantastic  dress  around  our  en- 
campment."    » 

In  that  year — iSoo — the  Territory  of  Indiana  was  organ- 
ized from  the  Northwestern  Territory,  and  included  the  pres- 
ent States  of  Illinois,  Indiana,  Michigan  and  Wisconsin. 
William  Henry  Harrison  was  appointed  Governor,  and  Vin- 
cennes  was  made  the  capital. 

In  1809,  Illinois  Territory  was  organized,  and  included  the 
country  now  constituting  the  States  of  Illinois  and  Wiscon- 
sin. Ninian  Edwards  was  made  Governor,  and  Kaskaskia 
was  the  seat  of  government. 

The  first  Legislative  Assembly  of  Illinois  Territory  con- 
vened at  Kaskaskia,  Nov.  25,  181 2.  It  consisted  of  twelve 
members,  five  Senators  and  seven  Representatives.  They 
all  boarded  at  one  hotel  and  lodged,  it  is  said,  in  the  same 
room. 

Illinois  became  a  State  December  3,  181 8.  The  first  State 
Legislature  convened  at  Kaskaskia  soon  after.  About  its  last 
act  was  the  law  removing  the  seat  of  government  to  Van- 
dalia. 

We  will  now  trace,  so  far  as  possible,  the  religious  history 
of  Kaskaskia.  From  the  beginning  and  down  until  about 
1800  the  only  religion  known  there  was  that  of  Rome.  Rob- 
ert Morrison  and  John  Edgar  were  in  Kaskaskia  in  1800. 
Their  wives  subsequently  became  members  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church  of  the  place. 

Samuel  J.  Mills  and  John  F.  Schermerhorn  were  sent  out 
by  the  Massachusetts  ]\Iissionary  Society  in  1812  to  explore, 
preach  and  look  after  the  interests  of  the  Bible  cause  in  the 
West  and  Southwest.  They  touched  Illinois  Territory  only 
at  Fort  Massac. 

In  1 8 14  the  same  Samuel  J.  Mills  and  his  associate,  Daniel 


52  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Smith,  were  sent  out  by  the  same  society,  as  related  in  chap- 
ter I. 

Rev.  Timothy  Fhnt  was  sent  West  by  the  Connecticut 
Missionary  Society  in  1815.  He  started  with  his  family 
from  New  England  Oct.  4,  of  that  year.  The  next  winter 
they  passed  in  Cincinnati.  April  12,  1816,  they  started  on 
a  keel-boat,  between  eighty  and  ninety  feet  long,  for  St. 
Louis.  On  the  28th  they  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio. 
From  thence  up  the  Mississippi  to  St.  Louis,  where  they  ar- 
rived May  24,  occupied  twenty-six  days.  They  did  not 
stop  at  Kaskaskia,  but  in  relating  the  events  of  the  voyage, 
Mr.  Flint  made  these  remarks  :  "  We  noticed  the  Kaskaskia, 
a  river  which  runs  through  the  central  and  bSst  parts  of  Illi- 
nois. It  passes  by  a  town  of  its  own  name,  one  of  the  oldest 
French  establishments  out  of  Canada,  in  North  America.  It 
is  said  to  be  older  than  Philadelphia.  It  is  a  pleasant  village,, 
was  then  the  seat  of  government  and  issued  a  weekly  paper." 
Mr.  Flint  and  Salmon  Giddings  reached  St,  Louis  near  the 
same  time — Mr.  Giddings  April  6,  Mr.  Flint  May  24,  1816. 

On  Sabbath,  Oct.  27,  1816,  Mr.  Giddings  preached  in  Kas- 
kaskia. Here  he  met  Rev.  Samuel  Thornton  Scott,  of  Vin- 
cennes,  or  Indiana  Church,  near  Vincennes. 

Rev.  Benjamin  Low  appears  to  have  been  in  Kaskaskia 
in  the  latter  part  of  18 17.  He  says  of  the  place  :  "  Of  the 
five  hundred  inhabitants  of  Kaskaskia,  one-half  [doubtless 
four-fifths. — N.]  were  French  and  Roman  Catholics.  Among 
the  other  half  were  six  professors  of  religion — two  Presbyte- 
rians, two  Methodists,  one  Congregationalist,  and  one  Seceder. 
The  Sabbath  was  scarcely  recognized;  yet  many  families  in 
the  town  were  anxious  for  the  gospel." 

Rev.  David  Tenney  began  his  labors  in  the  region  of 
Kaskaskia  early  in  the  summer  of  1819,  and  connected  with 
the  Presbytery  of  Missouri.  In  the  latter  part  of  October  of 
the  same  year  his  course  was  brought  to  a  close.  He  died 
and  was  buried  in  the  bounds  of  Shoal  Creek  Church,  Bond 
county. 

There  was  another  ministerial  laborer  about  this  time  at 
Kaskaskia,  viz :  Rev.  Samuel  Wylie,  of  the  Reformed  Pres- 
byterian Church.  His  labors  will  best  be  described  by  an 
extract  of  a  letter  from  himself  to  Mrs.  S.  J.  Leavenworth,  of 
Dongola,  111.  It  is  dated  Eden,  Randolph  county,  June  11, 
1871: 

"  I   was  sent  a  missionary  to   Illinois,  to  Randolph  county 


KASKASKIA.  53 

and  vicinity,  in  1 8 1 8.  The  same  year*  your  parents  (Chauncy 
T.  and  Mrs.  Permelia  Burr)  removed  from  Connecticut  to  Kas- 
kaskia.  I  was  partially  acquainted  with  your  father,  but  more 
particularly  with  Mrs.  Burr.  She  was  one  of  God's  children — 
one  of  God's  precious  ones.  At  that  time  there  were  (ew  in 
Kaskaskia  to  favor  religion.  The  professed  religion  was  mostly 
that  of  the  Church  of  Rome.  The  Catholics  had  their  anti- 
quated chapel  and  priest,  and  Sabbath  morning  services  until 
eleven  or  twelve.  After  that  the  rest  of  the  day  was  spent 
in  business  or  f/ni.  The  population  was  mostly  French. 
The  first  two  winters  of  my  residence  in  this  county  I  spent 
in  Robert  Morrison's  family  in  Kaskaskia.  I  preached  alDout 
once  a  month  at  Kaskaskia,  But  my  chief  preaching  place 
for  the  first  two  years  was  in  what  was  known  as  Irish  Set- 
tlement At  that  time  there  were  but  few  professing  Chris- 
tians in  Kaskaskia  or  its  vicinity.  Judge  Baker  and  family, 
Mrs.  Guthrie  and  family,  and  Dr.  Symington  and  family,  to- 
gether with  a  few  females,  were  all  that  I  now  recall  as  pro- 
fessing adherence  to  the  order  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

'T  have  been  raised  a  Presbyterian,  but  not  in  immediate  con- 
nection with  the  assembly  body.  I  was  and  still  am  connect- 
ed with  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church — holding  the 
principles  of  the  Scottish  Presbyterians.  Many  of  the 
churches  of  the  Presbyterian  order  in  Randolph  county  and 
portions  of  Perry,  Washington  and  St.  Clair  counties  have 
been  formed,  some  in  whole  and  some  in  part  from  members 
of  our  old  homestead  in  Eden. 

"  Samuel  Wylie." 

Mrs.  Permelia  Burr,  wife  of  Chauncy  T.  Burr,  kept  a  diary 
which  is  now  in  possession  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  S.  J.  Leaven- 
worth, of  Dongola,  111.  This  diary  I  have  perused  in  part 
and  gleaned  some  facts  of  interest.  She  left  her  home  in 
Farmington,  Conn,,  Sept.  13  or  14,  1817,  and  arrived  in 
Kaskaskia  the  2d  of  November  following.  Dec.  4,  same 
year,  she  writes :  "Dreadful  to  view  the  numbers  going  to 
mass  and  returning,  frolicking  although  it  is  the  Sabbath. 
Some  are  dancing,  some  gaming,  some  breaking  wild  horses, 
some  visiting.  Children  running  through  the  street  singing 
lewd  songs."  Dec.  14,  1817 — "Only  one  man  in  the  place  be- 
longing to  the  Protestant  Church,  good  old  Col.  Thomas.  [I 
suppose  this  was  Col.  John  Thomas,  the  first  State  treasurer.] 

*  This  is  a  mistake  ;  It  was  the  year  before. 


54  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

A  few  females  profess  to  have  been  with  Jesus."  Dec.  21, 
1817 — "The  few  pious  females  organized  a  prayer-meeting. 
Col.  Thomas  requested  permission  to  join  with  them."  This 
prayer-meeting  continued  through  18 18.  There  was  occa- 
sional preaching  by  different  denominations.  In  18 19  she 
changed  her  occupation  to  that  of  keeping  public  house.  In 
1820  sne  became  the  owner  of  a  colored  woman.  But  she 
was  illy  satisfied  with  the  relation,  and  often  plead  for  her 
freedom,  but  could  not  prevail.  At  length  they  parted  with 
her.  After  being  owned  by  another  for  a  time  the  poor  col- 
ored slave-womajj  was  murdered.  Mrs.  B.  says  she  could 
never  think  of  it  but  with  horror.  Her  son,  Augustus  Martin, 
was  born  Sept.  6,  1819,  and  baptized  by  Rev.  Daniel  Gould, 
Dec.  25,1820.  Mrs.  B.  left  her  public  occupation  in  1821.  Aug. 
4,  1821,  she  became  the  mother  of  twins,  Julius  C.  and  Juliett 
P.  July  6,  1 82 1,  she  received  a  letter  from  Rev.  Dr.  Noah 
Porter  (father  of  the  present  president  of  Yale  College)  her 
pastor  in  Connecticut,  informing  her  of  a  great  revival  in  his 
parish.  In  1821  she  mentions  a  Rev.  David  Tennee,  who 
had  procured  for  her  a  Chnstian  Herald,  and  whom  she  often 
visited  in  his  sickness  in  Kaskaskia.  This  was  undoubtedly 
the  David  Tenney  mentioned  above. 

This  brings  us  to  the  period  in  which  the  Presbyterian 
Church  was  organized  at  Kaskaskia.  Rev.  Thomas  Lippin- 
cott,  in  his  historical  sermon  preached  at  CoUinsville  before 
the  Alton  Presbytery,  April  2,  1846,  says:  "Kaskaskia 
Church  was  constituted  May  27,  1821,  with  nine  members, 
sometimes  flourishing  under  a  minister,  then  famishing  for 
want  of  one,  it  lived  and  was  moved  to  Chester."  It  is 
known  to  have  been  organized  by  Rev.  Salmon  Giddings. 
The  first  volume  of  the  records  of  this  church,  extending 
from  the  organization  to  1840,  cannot  be  found. 

By  the  comparison  of  lists  in  my  hands,  furnished  by  sev- 
eral different  persons,  I  am  inclined  to  think  the  original 
nine  are  these:  Mr.  and  Mrs.  David  J.  Baker,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Guthrie,  Mrs.  Permelia  Burr,  .Mrs.  Dr.  Symington,  Mrs. 
Robert  Morrison,  Mrs.  Martha  Heard  (not  Hurd),  and  Mrs. 
Eliza  Conn.  Mrs.  Conn  still  (1879)  survives  and  resides  at 
Chester.  She  is  French  ;  was  born  in  San  Domingo  Sept. 
13,  1792,  and  educated  in  Philadelphia.  Mrs.  Conn  says 
that  Mr.  Baker  and  Mr.  Guthrie  were  elected  Elders, 
but  refused  to  be  ordained.  Whereupon  tradition  says 
that  Mrs.  Permelia  Burr  was  elected  and  regularly  ordained 


K  ASK  ASK  I  A.  55 

and  installed.  This  is  the  testimony  of  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Leavenworth.  When  the  missing  records  are  found  this 
point  can  be  definitely  settled.  Meantime  the  evidence  that 
Mrs.  Permelia  Burr  was  the  first  Elder  of  the  Kaskaskia 
Church  is  so  full  and  explicit  that  it  can  hardly  be  disproved. 
Mrs.  Burr,  however,  could  not  have  acted  in  that  capacity 
long,  for  her  family  soon  removed  to  a  farm  some  twenty 
miles  up  the  Kaskaskia. 

Of  the  persons  who  united  with  the  Kaskaskia  Church, 
after  its  organization  and  previous  to  its  removal  to  Chester, 
the  following  are  remembered  :  Mrs.  Susan  L.  Lamb,  Mrs. 
Nathaniel  Pope,  Mrs.  John  Edgar,  Mrs.  Rachel  Sweet,  Mrs. 
Margaret  Alexander,  ]\Iiss  Sarah  Gillis,  Miss  Mary  Gillis, 
Miss  Julia  Fouke,  Miss  Lavina  Fouke,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Pettit, 
John  I\Iann,  Mrs.  Alvina  B.  Mann,  James  Clendenin,  Hugh 
Heard,  Mrs.  Emeline  Heard.  Of  these  John  ]\Iann,  his  wife 
Mrs.  Alvina  B.  Mann,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Pettit  —  a  daughter 
of  Martha  Heard — and  perhaps  others  are  still  living.  John 
]\Iann  and  James  Clendenin  were  made  Elders  in  the  spring 
of  1830.  These,  with  Mrs.  Burr,  are  supposed  to  be  the  only 
Elders  until  the  church  was  removed  to  Chester.  James 
Clendenin  united  with  Rockwood  Church. 

John  Mann  was  born  in  Abbeyville  county,  South  Caro- 
lina, Feb.  I,  1796.  The  name  is  from  the  Isle  of  Man.  His 
ancestors  came  to  America  with  Penn's  colony.  Mr.  j\Iann 
came  to  Kentucky,  Logan  county,  when  he  was  twelve  years 
old.  He  removed  to  Illinois  in  1828.  Mrs.  John  Mann's 
maiden  name  was  Alvina  B.  Balch,  daughter  of  Rev.  James 
Balch.  She  is  now  (1879)  in  her  eighty-second  year.  This 
aged  couple  reside  about  four  miles  east  of  Kaskaskia. 
They  are  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  seven  of  whom  sur- 
vive. One  son  was  mortally  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Chat- 
tanooga. Mr.  Mann  has  never  removed  his  relation  from  the 
Kaskaskia,  now  the  Chester  Church,  and  remains  one  of  its 
Elders. 

After  the  organization  of  the  church.  May  27,  1821,  we 
have  no  record  of  any  preaching  at  Kaskaskia  until  Nov. 
1825.  It  is  known,  however,  that  Mr.  Giddings  and  others 
made  them  occasional  visits.  But  in  November,  1825,  Rev. 
John  M.  Ellis  came  on  from  Massachusetts  and  located  at 
Kaskaskia.  He  was  well  received  and  listened  to  with  at- 
tention. In  July,  1826,  he  says  :  "  I  am  fully  persuaded  from 
nine  months'  observation,  that  access  to  the  hearts  of  the  in- 


56  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

fluential  class  of  men  is  more  encouraging  now  than  at  any- 
former  period."  In  a  memoir  of  John  M.  Elhs,  pubhshed  in 
Presbytery  Reporter,  volume  V.,  is  this  sentence  on  page 
641  :  "  Not  until  he  had  resided  in  Kaskaskia  about  two 
years  was  a  church  of  some  twenty  organized  there,  which 
appears  to  have  increased  till  he  removed,  and  then  went 
gradually  down  to  extinction." 

Here  are  two  errors  ;  (i)  The  date  of  the  organization  is  as 
given  above.  May  27,  1821.  Undoubtedly  the  little  church 
of  nine  increased  in  two  years  under  Mr.  Ellis  to  twenty  or 
more.  (2)  That  church  did  not  become  extinct,  unless  re- 
moval is  extinctions 

In  a  letter  dated  April  i,  1828,  he  says  of  a  communion  at 
Kaskaskia  just  passed:  "Two  were  added  to  the  church  on 
profession,  and  we  have  had  no  communion  without  the  ac- 
cession of  one  or  more." 

April  2,  1828,  Mr.  Ellis  married  Miss  Frances  C.  Brard. 
"This  lady  was  the  daughter  of  a  wealthy  gentleman  in  Mar- 
seilles, France.  Her  parents  having  become  acquainted  with 
a  family  in  Philadelphia,  she  was  sent  with  an  older  sister  to 
that  city  to  be  educated.  They  both  renounced  the  religion 
of  their  parents  and  became  devoted  Christians.  Owing  to 
reverse  of  fortune,  but  little  of  their  father's  property  came  to 
them.  The  elder  sister  having  married  Col.  Conn,  a  merchant 
of  Kaskaskia,  the  younger  found  a  home  with  her,  and  event- 
ually became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Ellis.  She  appears  to  have 
united  in  a  wonderful  degree  the  sprightliness  of  her  native 
land  with  discretion  and  piety.  The  testimony  to  her  extra- 
ordinary accomplishments  and  virtues,  given  by  her  various 
friends  and  numerous  pupils,  is  extremely  emphatic.  Two 
children  blessed  their  union,  and  were  buried  in  the  same 
grave  with  their  mother."  Mr.  Ellis  was  stated  supply  of 
Kaskaskia  Church  from  November,  1825,  to  April,  1828. 

An  organization  called  "The  Kaskaskia  Social  Library 
Association"  was  made  Nov.  7,  1826,  during  the  ministry  of 
John  M.  Ellis.  Its  officers  were  Col.  Thomas  Mather,  Libra- 
fian  ;  Miss  Frances  C.  Brard,  Treasurer;  Mrs.  Susan  Lamb, 
Mrs.  Bond,  Mrs.  E.  H.  Morrison,  Rev.  J.  M.  Ellis,  Mr.  D.  J. 
Baker,  Mr.  F.  St.  Vrain,  Standing  Committee.  The  sum  nec- 
essary to  constitute  membership  was  "  from  twenty-five  cents 
to  one  dollar  or  over,  according  to  the  voluntary  subscription 
of  each  person  becoming  a  member."  Some  of  the  books 
were  these:   Henry  Martyn,  Jowett's  Researches,  Memoirs  of 


KASKASKIA  AND  CHESTER  CHURCH.  57 

Brainard,  Jenks'  Devotion,  Chalmers'  Discourses,  Thornton's 
Dialogues,  Humphrey's  Memoirs,  Wilson's  Memoirs.  The 
cost  of  the  above  volumes  was  ^6  62.  Whitfield's  Memoirs 
were  donated  by  Rev.  J.  M.  Ellis.  His  signature  is  attached 
to  the  receipt  for  these  books.  Jan.  7,  1827,  Miss  Frances 
C.  Brard  made  a  donation  to  the  Library  of  five  dollars. 
This  Library,  consisting  of  such  books  as  those  mentioned 
above,  was  doubtless  a  power  for  good  in  Kaskaskia.  The 
leading  spirits  in  its  institution  and  management  were  John 
M.  Ellis  and  Frances  C.  Brard.  Here  is  a  receipt  given  by 
John  Mathews  to  D.  J.  Baker. 

"Kaskaskia,  March   i6,  1830. 
"  Received  of  Mr.  David    Baker,  (Esqr),   Treasurer  of  the 
Library  society  of  Kaskaskia,  one  dollar,  sixt}'-two  and  a  half 
cents  to  pay  over  to  Mr.  Ellis  for  books  bought  for  s'd  soci- 
ety." 

"  John  Mathews." 

Dr.  Gillett  says,  Vol.  U.,  p.  418  :  Rev.  John  Mathews  [Mr. 
M.  himself  and  Timothy  Flint  spell  this  name  with  one  /]  re- 
moved to  this  place  from  Apple  Creek,  Mo.,  in  1827.  But 
this  was  when  John  M.  Ellis  was  ministering  to  the  Kaskaskia 
Church.  Mr.  Mathews'  removal  to  K.  was  probably  in  April 
or  May,  1828.  He  remained  in  charge  of  that  church 
until  April,  1834,  He  purchased  a  house  and  a  few  acres 
of  land  about  five  and  a  half  miles  east  of  Kaskaskia,  and  in 
the  same  township,  t.  e.,  T.  6,  S.  R.  7,  W.  Sec.  36  in  the  S. 
W.  corner  of  N.  W.  quarter.  His  residence  here  commenced 
probably  in  1829.  The  house  is  still  standing,  but  old  and 
dilapidated,  and  is  owned  and  occupied  by  Stepheh  Hill. 
From  the  removal  of  the  seat  of  Government  to  Vandalia 
and  the  opening  of  other  and  more  desirable  portions  of  the 
State  to  settlement,  Kaskaskia  gradually  but  surely  declined 
in  population  and  influence.  The  State  officers  formerly  re- 
siding there  removed  to  Vandalia.  Professional  and  busi- 
ness men  sought  other  localities.  The  number  of  the  mem- 
bers of  Kaskaskia  Church  steadily  diminished.  In  1830  all 
were  gone  from  the  village  save  two.  About  that  time  Mr. 
Mathews  ceased  to  have  regular  appointments  in  the  village, 
and  held  services  in  a  log  school-house  near  his  residence. 
Nearly  all  the  members  of  the  church  were  in  that  neighbor- 
hood. He  also  had  appointments  at  or  near  the  Burr  farm, 
twenty  miles   up  the  Kaskaskia  river.     The  Kaskaskia  con- 


58  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

gregation  never  owned  a  church  edifice  until  after  its  removal 
to  Chester.  Its  services  at  Kaskaskia  were  held  wherever  a 
place  could  be  obtained — in  private  rooms,  warehouses 
school-rooms,  and  a  few  times  in  the  county  house,  a  large 
brick  building,  still  standing.  In  the  Mann  and  Pettit  neigh- 
borhood the  place  of  meeting  was  a  log  school-house. 

From  1834   to    1840  the   history   of  the  church   is  pretty 
much  a  blank.     Occasional  services  were  held.     Joshua  T. 
Tucker  preached  in  Chester  probably  in  1837.     Rev.  Cyrus 
C.  Riggs  was  in  charge  of  the  church  July  25,  1840,  and  may 
have  been  with  them  for  some  months    before.     The  name 
was  changed  from  "Kaskaskia"  to  that  of  "First  Presbyte- 
rian Church  of  Chester"  by  Presbytery  at  Hillsboro,  Oct.  9, 
1840,     The  Elders  at  that  time  were  John  Mann,  James  Clen- 
denin    and    James  McLaughlin.     Mr.    Riggs    remained    as 
stated  supply    until    Sept.,    1845.     He   was  succeeded   from 
about  Nov.  I,  1846,  to  July,  1849,  by  Rev.  B.  F.  Spilman.  Dur- 
ing his  ministry  there  were  church  difficulties,  ending  in  a  con- 
flict between  him  and  the  session.     Rev.  John  Kennedy  was 
their  minister  from  June  14,  1850,  to  his  death,  July  21,  185 1. 
His  remains  lie  in  the  Chester  Cemetery.     Rev.  P.  D.  Young 
was  with  them  from  March  i,  1852,  to  March  31,  1857 — five 
years.     Under  his  ministry  the  affairs  of  the  church  moved 
on  with   great  order   and   system.     Rev.  B.  H.  Charles  suc- 
ceeded Mr.  Young,  and  left  at  the  close  of  1866,  a  ministry 
of  nearly   nine   years.      Rev.   Abram  J.    Clark   commenced 
here  about   September    i,    1867,   was   installed   pastor,   and 
served  the  church  until  March,  1875.     Rev.  D.  L.  Gear  com- 
menced January,  1 876,  and  is  still  in  charge.     Seven  minis- 
ters in  thirty-eight  years. 

The  Elders,  besides  the  three  who  were  in  office  in  July, 
1 840,  are  as  follows  : 

Amzi  Andrews,  inducted  March  19,  1843;  William  Max- 
well, inducted  March  19,  1843;  Charles  Wright,  inducted 
June  14,  1850;  Leonard  D.  Skilling,  inducted  June  14,  1850; 
John  Young,  inducted,  March,  1858;  R.  H.  Crittenden,  in- 
ducted March,  1859;  Luman  Curtis,  inducted  May  3,  1868; 
A.  A.  Anderson,  inducted  April  27,  1873;  John  I.  Critten- 
den, inducted  April  27,  1873. 

The  first  place  of  meeting  in  Chester  was  Seth  Allen's 
office.  This  was  in  1838  or  1839.  The  next  was  a  school- 
house  near  the  present  house  of  worship.  It  was  common 
to  all  denominations. 


?£/^^^. 


JOHN   M.  ELLIS.  59 

The  present  and  only  church  edifice  ever  owned  by  the 
congregation  is  of  stone,  occupies  a  very  commanding  po- 
sition, was  built  between  1845  and  1847,  and  cost  about 
$1500.  Seven  years  since  extensive  repairs  were  made  in 
the  interior,  and  the  whole  appearance  greatly  improved. 

Elder  Amzi  Andrews  in  his  will  left  a  valuable  legacy  to 
this  church.  At  the  time  I  write  the  validity  of  these  be- 
quests is  in  dispute.  This  church,  under  its  two  names  of 
iCaskaskia  and  Chester,  is  fifty-eight  years  old. 

The  following  is  a  part  of  a  graceful  memorial  from  the 
pen  of  Rev.  David  Dimond,  D.D.,  and  was  first  published 
in  "  Presbytery  Reporter,"  Vol.  V. 

John  Millot  Ellis,  was  born  in  Keene,  New  Hampshire, 
July  14,  1793.  His  family,  like  that  of  the  Edvvardses  and 
the  Dwights,  was  of  Welch  origin.  His  grandfather.  Col. 
Timothy  Ellis,  was  among  the  first  settlers  of  Keene,  and 
was  an  active  and  somewhat  distinguished  patriot  of  the 
Revolution.  His  father,  Millot  Ellis,  was  a  farmer  in  com- 
fortable circumstances  ;  a  man  of  most  devoted  piety,  train- 
ing his  children  with  goodness  and  severity  in  the  nurture 
of  the  Lord,  and  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  cheered  by  the 
covenant  blessings  on  him  and  on  his  seed.  His  mother  is 
described  as  a  person  of  deep  piety,  who  died  when  he  was 
ten  years  old.  Their  pastor  says  that  they  were  conserva- 
tors of  the  faith  in  the  place  where  they  resided.  This  son 
was  converted  to  God  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years ;  at  a 
time  when  there  was  not  a  professed  Christian  among  all  the 
youth  of  his  acquaintance.  His  conversion  was  a  great 
surprise  as  well  as  joy  to  his  pious  father.  From  this  time 
he  showed  a  peculiar  fondness  for  religious  books,  and  was 
often  found  conversing  with  his  elders  upon  grave  questions 
of  theology.  Before  long,  however,  he  became  an  appren- 
tice for  several  years  to  learn  the  business  of  a  tanner.  As 
the  close  of  this  engagement  drew  near,  he  purchased  the 
last  year  of  his  apprenticeship  and  entered  upon  extensive 
business  for  himself,  in  Lempster,  N.  H.  His  success  was 
beyond  his  expectations,  and  his  prospects  were  flattering 
as  he  could  wish. 

But  now  other  matters  were  stirring  his  spirit,  and  the 
voice  of  a  solemn  persuasion  was  calling  him  to  other  labors. 
For  a  long  time  the  conviction  had  been  deepening  and 
strengthening  within  him,  till  it  could  no  longer  be  resisted. 


60  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

that  he  must  preach  the  Gospel.  Under  this  conviction,  he 
disposed  of  his  business,  and  though  advanced  in  hfe,  ad- 
dressed himself  to  a  full  and  thorough  course  of  training,  for 
the  sacred  office.  Some  of  the  studies  preparatory  to  col- 
lege he  pursued  in  the  academy  at  Meriden,  N.  H.,  and  en- 
tered Dartmouth  College,  where  he  graduated  in  1822.  He 
maintained  a  high  character  in  a  class  of  more  than  average 
abilities. 

Proceeding  to  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Andover  he 
completed  his  course  there  in  1825.  He  had  commenced 
his  studies  with  the  distinct  thought  that  he  would  become 
a  missionary  to  th^ 'heathen.  But  the  new  start  which  the 
western  country  was  then  just  taking,  and  its  evident  im- 
portance as  a  theater  for  ministerial  gifts  and  grace,  appear 
to  have  decided  him  to  devote  his  life  to  labors  in  the  West. 
Writing  to  his  father  near  the  close  of  his  residence  at  An- 
dover, he  says : 

"  The  course  has  been  long  but  pleasant,  far  the  pleasant- 
est  of  my  life — yet  it  will  be  still  more  pleasant  to  engage  in 
the  field  which  has  been  so  long  white  for  the  harvest.  But  . 
now  the  question  is,  how  and  where  can  I  spend  the  short 
period  of  my  life  most  for  the  good  of  the  Church,  most  for 
the  glory  of  Him  who  redeemed  us  to  God,  by  his  blood? 
Our  western  country,  with  a  population  of  three  millions, 
and  increasing  so  fast  as  to  double  in  four  years,  is  very  des- 
titute of  established  institutions  of  the  Gospel,  and  yet  it 
will  in  a  very  few  years  have  the  governing  voice  in  our  na- 
tional councils ;  and  then  what  will  become  of  our  happy 
country — this  heritage  left  to  us  by  our  pious  ancestry,  and 
which  piety  alone  can  preserve?  But  increase  the  moral 
poiver  of  America  and  we  shall  do  much  for  effecting  the 
conversion  of  the  heathen.  I  am  persauded  that  I  have  the 
prospect  of  contributing  to  the  success  of  the  gospel  in 
India,  more  effectually  by  laboring  in  this  country,  than  by 
going  there  in  person ;  and  this  partly  in  view  of  my  own 
situation,  and  partly  in  view  of  the  importance  of  increasing 
America's  moral  power,  in  raising  up  friends  to  missions,  for 
the  conversion  of  the  world." 

One  remarks  here  a  characteristic  of  the  man;  the  inten- 
sity and  the  positiveness  of  his  own  conclusions.  In  accor- 
dance with  such  a  temper  he  wasted  no  time  ;  but  on  Sep- 
tember 29th,  the  day  following  his  graduation  at  Andover, 
he,  with  three  others,  A.    Pomroy,  L.  G.   Bingham  and   L. 


JOHN   M.    ELLIS.  6l 

Alden,  was  ordained  in  the  Old  South  Church  in  Boston, 
by  a  council  convened  at  the  request  of  the  United  Domes- 
tic Missionary  Society  of  New  York,  and  in  accordance  with 
the  usages  of  Congregationalists. 

Furnished  with  a  hundred  dollars  as  outfit,  the  young  min- 
ister made  his  way  in  six  weeks  (for  the  Ohio  was  low,)  to 
Illinois.  There  were  then  but  three'  Presbyterian  ministers 
in  the  State.  Rev.  John  Lrich,  who  resided  near  Jackson- 
ville ;  Rev.  Stephen  Bliss,  in  the  east  part  of  the  State, 
and  Rev.  B.  F.  Spilman,  in  the  southeast  part.  The  ex- 
pectation of  the  Society  was,  "  that  he  would  soon  be 
able  to  select  a  location  where  the  principal  part  of  his 
support  would  be  derived  from  the  people."  With  such 
views  no  place  could  be  so  promising  as  Kaskaskia,  the  larg- 
est town  in  Illinois,  and  within  a  few  years  previous,  the 
seat  of  government;  and  having  quite  a  numerous  circle  of 
professional  and  business  men,  and  exercising  a  large  in- 
fluence upon  the  country  around.  July,  1826,  he  describes  a 
visit  which  he  had  made  recently  to  Apple  Creek,  forty  miles 
south  of  Ste.  Genevieve,  Missouri,  to  attend  a  communion 
season  in  the  church  of  Rev.  John  Mathews,  who  had  re- 
cently come  to  that  vicinity.  "  There  is  a  small  but  inter- 
esting settlement  in  the  neighborhood,  where  they  are 
anxious  to  build  a  house  of  worship  and  employ  Mr.  M. 
half  the  time.  They  had  become  nearly  discouraged,  but  I 
was  able  to  promise  such  aid  as  has  given  them  new 
life  and  zeal.  Mr.  Henry  Homes,  of  Boston,  authorized  me 
to  say  that  he  would  give  one  hundred  dollars  each  for  the 
three  first  meeting  houses  that  your  missionaries  should 
judge  needed  such  aid.  Such  benevolence  from  such  a 
distance,  from  an  utter  stranger  whom  they  could  never  ex- 
pect to  see  but  in  heaven,  was  almost  incredible  to  them. 
They  could  talk  of  nothing  else  for  a  time.  You  could  form 
little  idea  what  a  favorable  and  deep  impression  such  benev- 
olence makes  on  these  dear  people.  Think  a  little  and  you 
will  see  the  necessity  of  permanent  places  of  public  worship. 
Those  who  have  made  these  settlements,  by  the  time  they 
have  paid  the  expenses  of  their  journey,  purchased  lands, 
and  built  houses,  have  little  left  for  such  purposes  as  schools 
and  public  buildings." 

During  his  residence  at  Kaskaskia  he  expended  a  con- 
siderable part  of  his  labors  west  of  the  Mississippi.  When 
the   apostolical  Giddings  was  installed,  November  9,  1826, 


62  PRESBYTERIAXISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

the  first  in  Missouri,  Mr.  Ellis  was  present  and  preached 
in  the  morning.  The  other  clergy  present  were,  Messrs, 
Ball,  Mathews,  Chamberlain,  Robinson,  Donnell  and  Lacy ; 
these  composed  the  Presbytery  of  Missouri,  which  also  em- 
braced Western  Illinois. 

Mr.  Ellis  was  of  that  type  of  mind,  and  from  that  stock  of 
mankind,  with  whom  it'is  an  instinct  to  build  colleges.  From 
Elias  Cornelius  he  had  received  the  charge  "to  build  up  an 
institution  of  learning  which  should  bless  the  West  for  all 
time."  He  gave  instructions  himself  to  a  select  class  near 
his  residence  ;  and  in  all  his  journeys  and  intercourse  it  was 
a  prominent  subject  of  his  conversation.  In  Presbytery  he 
obtained  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  advise  on  the 
subject.  The  earliest  considerable  subscription  was  four 
hundred  dollars,  made  by  Elder  William  Collins,  of  Collins- 
ville.  In  January,  1828,  Mr.  Ellis  and  Mr.  Lippincott  went 
on  a  tour  of  inquiry  and  observation  to  the  Sangamon 
country.  At  Jacksonville,  so  charming  was  the  landscape, 
so  rich  the  soil  around,  and  so  enterprising  the  people  who 
had  settled  there,  that  Mr.  Ellis  appears  to  have  concluded 
at  once  that  this  was  the  place  for  a  Seminary  in  preference 
to  other  towns  he  visited.  Within  a  few  days,  with  charac- 
teristic promptitude,  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  and 
set  the  stakes  for  a  building.  Mr.  Ellis  appears  to  have  de- 
termined to  remove  to  Jacksonville,  and  in  the  summer  he 
took  up  his  residence  there. 

In  a  letter  dated  Jacksonville,  September  15,  1S28,  he  saj^s: 
"A  Seminary  of  learning  is  projected  to  go  into  operation 
next  fall.  The  subscription  now  stands  at  ;$2,ooo  or  $3,000. 
The  site  is  in  this  county.  The  half  quarter  section  pur- 
chased for  it  is  certainly  the  most  delightful  spot  I  have  ever 
seen.  It  is  about  one  mile  north  of  the  celebrated  Diamond 
Grove,  and  overlooks  the  town  and  country  for  several  miles 
around.  The  object  of  the  Seminary  is  popular,  and  it  is 
my  deliberate  opinion  that  there  never  was  in  our  country  a 
more  promising  opportunity  to  bestow  a  few  thousand  dol- 
lars in  the  cause  of  education  and  of  missions." 

This  letter  arrested  the  attention  of  young  men  in  the 
divinity  school  at  Yale  College,  and  led  to  a  correspondence 
between  them  and  Mr.  Ellis,  and  determined  seven  of  them 
to  a  residence  in  Illinois  and  to  aid  in  the  building  up  of  the 
college. 

Janunr}'  9,  1829,  a  Presb}'ter\-  was  organized  in  this  State, 


JOHN    M.    ELLIS.  63 

having  been  set  off  from  the  Presbytery  of  Missouri  and 
Wabash  by  the  Synod  of  Indiana  the  last  October. 

As  a  result  of  the  correspondence  between  Mr.  Ellis  and 
the  young  gentlemen  at  Yale  College,  having  been  sent  Com- 
missioner to  the  General  Assembly,  he  spent  the  summer  of 
of  1829  at  the  East,  aiding  them  in  raising  a  fund  of  $10,000 
for  the  college,  and  in  maturing  their  plans.  Two  of  them, 
Rev.  Messrs.  Sturtevant  and  Baldwin,  arrived  in  Jackson- 
ville in  November,  and  instruction  in  the  college  began  the 
first  of  January.  The  original  stockholders  passed  resolu- 
tions of  thanks  to  the  young  men  of  Yale  College  who  had 
aided  in  their  enterprise,  and  placed  them  in  the  Board  of 
Trustees;  of  thanks  also  to  I\Ir.  Ellis,  and  to  donors  to  the 
college. 

This  brings  down  his  history  till  the  close  of  1831,  when 
his  pastorate  in  Jacksonville  ended.  He  had  projected  the 
college  and  procured  it  a  real  estate.  The  designs  which 
resulted  in  the  Female  Seminary  at  Jacksonville,  and  pro- 
cured its  beautiful  grounds,  were  formed  in  his  house.  This 
institution  continues  to  be  a  monument  in  honor  of  him  and 
his  accomplished  wife.  One  of  his  successors  has  said  of 
him  :  "  His  people  parted  lightly  and  causelessly  with  him, 
as  is  too  often  the  case  in  the  West." 

He  presently  became  Secretary  of  the  Indiana  Education 
Society,  and  while  so  engaged  took  an  active  part  in  the 
deliberations  which  resulted  in  the  foundation  of  Wabash 
College,  at  Crawfordsvilie.  For  several  years  a  few  persons 
had  kept  the  subject  under  advisement.  On  the  21st  of 
November,  1832,  eight  of  them  met  at  the  house  of  Rev. 
James  Thompson,  in  Crawfordsvilie.  Mr.  Ellis  was  chairman 
of  the  meeting.  After  full  discussion  and  prayer  they  were 
unanimous  in  the  resolve  that  efforts  should  be  made  with- 
out delay  to  establish  an  institution  of  learning  there.  The 
next  day,  fifteen  acres  of  land  having  been  given  for  the 
purpose,  they  selected  the  spot  for  the  building,  in  the  forest, 
in  the  midst  of  nature's  unbroken  loveliness,  and  kneeling 
upon  the  ground,  white  with  snow,  they  consecrated  the  en- 
terprise to  God  by  prayer.  Mr.  Ellis  contributed  thirty  dol- 
lars to  the  funds  at  the  commencement,  and  retained  his  in- 
terest in  it  to  the  end  of  his  days. 

The  next  year,  1833,  he  was  prosecuting  his  agency  in 
Indiana,  his  family  residing  meantime  at  Jacksonville.  That 
town  was  visited  during  July  and   August  by    the    cholera, 


64  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

and  Mrs.  Ellis  and  their  two  children  were  swept  away  at 
once.  Having  heard  that  the  pestilence  had  reached  Jack- 
sonville, he  started  homeward  immediately,  alone  and  on 
horseback.  He  was  just  setting  forward  one  day  after  din- 
ner, when  a  man  rode  up  whom  he  recognized  as  a  townsman. 
"  How  long  have  you  been  from  home  ?  "  inquired  Mr.  E. 
"  About  two  days."  "Do  you  know  anything  of  my  family, 
sir?  "  "  Mr.  Ellis,  your  wife  and  your  children  are  dead  and 
buried  !  "* 

For  several  months  following  we  hear  little  of  him.  But 
the  next  two  years,  1834  and  1835,  he  was  serving  the  Edu- 
cation Society,  i»-^New  England.  In  the  latter  part  of  1835, 
having  married  again,  he  terminated  his  agency,  and  again 
sought  a  residence  in  the  West. 

He  entered  with  great  warmth  into  the  designs  for  the  aid 
of  Marshall  College,  Michigan.  He  sought  to  secure  lands 
and  funds  and  friends  for  it.  It  was  a  time,  however,  when 
speculation  was  frantic  in  that  region  ;  and  he  presently 
left  the  enterprise  to  others,  and  having  organized  a  church 
at  Grass  Lake  he  was  settled  there  in  the  autumn  of  1836. 
The  settlement  was  then  quite  new,  not  one  resident  having 
been  there  three  years.  He  preached  in  a  log  meetinghouse 
and  dwelt  in  a  log  cabin.  But  hope  and  joy  dwelt  with  him,, 
and  his  parish  was  a  scene  of  constant  revival.  The  num- 
ber of  communicants  rose  to  more  than  one  hundred,  and 
two  churches  were  set  off  from  its  borders.  Parsonage  and 
glebe  were  furnished,  a  church  was  built,  and  an  academy. 
Thus  four  years  passed  away,  and  it  was  found  that  the 
climate  was  proving  extremely  dangerous  to  his  wife,  and  he 
returned  to  New  England. 

In  the  year  1840,  he  was  settled  pastor  of  the  church  at 
East  Hanover,  N.  H.  This  parish  is  about  four  miles  from 
the  college  where  he  was  educated,  and  from  its  hill  tops 
and  mountain  sides,  looks  down  upon  the  emerald  and  silvei 
of  the  Connecticut  river. 

About  this  time,  1844,  the  Society  for  Promoting  Col- 
legiate and  Theological  Education  at  the  West,  came  into 
existence,  mainly  under  the  instrumentality  of  its  secretary,. 
Rev.  Theron  Baldwin.  The  objects  of  this  society  were  very 
dear  to  him,  and  he  had  a  special  right  to  speak  to  the  peo- 
ple of  New  England  in  advocacy  of  Western  colleges,  for  he 
had  given  to  them  his  early  and  far-seeing  efforts.     In  the 

*Vide  Repoter,  Vol.  5,  p.  93. 


JOHN   M.    ELLIS.  6$ 

service  of  this  society  he  continued,  with  some  interruptions, 
to  the  end  of  his  Hfe. 

At  his  home  in  Nashua,  N.  H.,  he  was  taken  sick  with 
bihous  fever,  which  terminated  his  hfe  in  eight  days,  Aug. 
6,  1855.     He  was  a  Httle  more  than  sixty-two  years  old. 

Just  before  Mr.  ElHs's  second  removal  to  the  West,  he 
married  with  Miss  Josephine  Moore,  daughter  of  the  dis- 
tinguished Rev.  Dr.  Moore,  of  Milford,  N.  H.,  a  person  in 
every  way  fitted  to  grace  any  position  in  life.  Again  two 
children  were  given  to  him,  both  of  whom  died  during  his 
residence  in  East  Hanover,  and  he  remained  childless. 

During  the  last  years  of  his  life  he  paid  three  premiums  of 
two  hundred  dollars  each  for  essays  on  important  subjects. 
The  first  premium  was  obtained  by  Professor  Noah  Porter, 
of  Yale  College,  for  an  "  Essay  on  the  comparative  merits  of 
the  Jesuit  and  the  Puritan  system  of  education."  The 
second  successful  essay  was  written  by  Rev.  H.  C.  Fish,  on 
a  subject  very  dear  to  Mr.  Ellis,  "  Primitive  Piety  Reviewed." 
The  third  essay  was  written  by  Prof.  Tyler,  of  Amherst,  on 
"  Prayer  for  Colleges."  These  are  all  deeply  interesting 
works,  and  of  great  value.  After  knowing  the  books  it  is  in- 
teresting to  know  the  occasion  of  them,  in  the  wisdom  and 
liberality  of  such  a  man  as  Mr.  Ellis. 

By  his  will  he  gave  ^3,300,  in  equal  portions,  to  Illinois, 
Wabash  and  Wittenberg  Colleges,  as  funds  for  scholarships. 
This  munificence  may  suggest  to  some  that  he  enjoyed  a 
large  fortune.  Not  so.  But  he  had  studied,  like  Franklin, 
how  to  make  a  little  money  do  a  great  deal  of  good.  Let 
us  admit  that  he  had  found  out  how. 

Mr.  Ellis  was  a  Calvinist  of  the  graver  type.  He  had  a 
special  fondness  for  divines  of  the  class  of  Dr.  Griffin,  whose 
sermons  he  is  remembered  to  have  selected  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  his  people,  when  he  was  himself  detained.  He  was 
no  sectarian,  and  so  he  became  a  Presbyterian  of  the  New 
School.  He  was  the  Stated  Clerk  of  his  Presbytery  in  Illi- 
nois, and  his  most  intimate  clerical  friend  in  Michigan  was  a 
leader  in  the  councils  of  his  Church  during  the  times  of  the 
rupture.  He  was  the  chief  agent  in  organizing  the  Presby- 
tery of  Marshall,  and  was  its  first  Moderator.  That  he 
could  pass  so  easily  from  the  Congregational  body  to  the 
Presbyterian,  and  back  again,  is  to  some  a  wonder  and  a 
scandal.  But  in  coming  hither  he  had  the  example  of  the 
Edwardses,  and  going  thither  the  example  of  half  the  pas- 
tors of  that  venerable  church  where  he  was  ordained. 


66  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Mrs.  Frances  C.  Brard  Ellis.*  In  the  stormy  close  of 
the  last  century,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Regis  Brard  were  residents  of 
the  Island  of  San  Domingo.  From  the  disturbances  occur- 
ing  in  that  island  they  removed  to  Baltimore,  in  the  United 
States,  where  their  daughter,  Frances  Celeste  Brard,  was 
born  in  1795. 

They  returned  to  San  Domingo  when  she  was  four  years 
old.  We  know  nothing  of  her  father,  but  it  is  remembered 
that  her  mother  was  a  very  strict  Papist,  and  that  she  nursed 
a  little  negro  boy  through  an  attack  of  yellow  fever,  which 
her  daughter  took  from  him.  Some  five  years  after  their 
return  to  the  islanif,  the  insurrection  of  the  blacks  placed  the 
family  in  imminent  peril.  The  front  of  their  house  was 
guarded  and  they  forbidden  to  stir  out  on  pain  of  instant 
massacre,  which  had  been  the  fate  of  their  neighbors  on 
both  sides.  But  the  father  of  the  little  negro  remembered 
and  rewarded  the  kindness  of  Mrs.  Brard.  He  traded  in  a 
small  vessel  between  the  islands  and  sent  his  son,  by  night, 
to  guide  them  to  his  boat  lying  concealed  where  it  could  be 
reached  from  the  rear  of  the  dwelling.  They  crept  on  hands 
and  knees,  and  got  out  at  the  back  of  the  garden  through  a 
broken  paling,  and,  favored  by  the  darkness,  reached  in 
safety  the  boat  which  took  them  to  a  vessel  waiting  for  them. 

They  landed  in  Philadelphia  and  sent  Frances  to  a  French 
school.  Some  years  after  her  parents  left  for  St.  Thomas 
and  placed  her  in  an  English  boarding  school,  under  the 
care  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tuchett,  in  Philadelphia.  When  she 
had  completed  the  prescribed  course  of  study,  Mr.  Tuchett 
offered  her  the  position  of  French  teacher  in  his  establish- 
ment, and  she  remained  there  until  the  death  of  her  mother, 
in  18 19,  when  she  came  to  Kaskaskia  to  reside  with  her 
sister,  Mrs.   Conn. 

Mr.  Tuchett's  family  were  Baptists  and  Miss  Brard  went 
occasionally  with  them  to  hear  the  then  much  admired 
Dr.  Stockton.  Under  the  influences  thus  brought  to  bear 
upon  her  she  gradually  emerged  from  the  bonds  of  her 
Popish  education  and  became  as  devout  a  Protestant  as  she 
had  before  been  a  Romist.  She  united  with  the  little  Pres- 
byterian church  in  Kaskaskia,  and  helped  to  originate  a 
Sabbath  school  there,  also  another  in  the  country.  Mr. 
Ellis  found  her  an  efficient  helper  there,  and  after  a  mature 
acquaintance  they  were   married,  April  2,  1828,  and  the  ea- 

*By  Mrs.  M.  H.  Barton. 


FRANCES  C.  B.  ELLIS.  6/ 

suing  autumn  found  them  settled  at  housekeeping  in  a  par- 
sonage built   for  them  in  Jacksonville. 

Most  of  the  people  in  that  young  village  lived  in  log 
cabins,  and  the  little  building  , of  one  story,  some  eighteen 
by  twenty-eight  feet,  was  a  great  achievement  for  the  little 
Presbyterian  church.  There  were  no  schools  for  the  higher 
education  of  young  ladies  at  that  time  in  this  State,  except  the 
convents  in  the  old  French  settlements.  As  soon  as  it  was 
known  that  Mrs.  Ellis  would  take  pupils  in  her  house,  the 
privilege  of  her  instruction  was  eagerly  sought.  Besides 
many  day  scholars  from  the  village,  she  received  pupils  from 
St.  Louis,  from  Kaskaska,  and  Prairie  du  Chien,  as  well  as 
from  the  neighboring  country.  V^Hiile  her  husband  was 
soliciting  funds  and  awakening  an  interest  among  Eastern 
Christians  for  the  establishment  of  a  Female  Academy  in 
Jacksonville,  she  was  training  pupils  to  fill  it.  That  little 
cottage  which  she  occupied  five  years,  and  from  which  she 
was  borne  to  the  tomb  with  her  two  children,  witnessed  the 
beginning  of  many  enterprises  which  were  destined  to  have 
a  wide  and  growing  influence,  blessing  multitudes  in  after 
years.  Many  of  her  pupils  came  to  the  decision  to  number 
themselves  with  the  people  of  God  while  under  her  care. 
Many  men  and  women  w^ho  have  become  distinguished  for 
their  successful  labors  in  the  State,  were  welcomed  to  her 
house,  and  entertained  at  her  table,  while  their  schemes 
were  being  discussed  and  their  plans  matured. 

She  entered  into  all  her  husband's  intense  anxiety  to  plant 
institutions  of  learning  and  religion  in  this  great  destitute 
field,  and  submitted  cheerfully  to  all  the  privation,  which  his 
untiring  labors  involved.  But  however  enthusiastic  the 
spirit  may  be  there  is  a  point  beyond  which  the  body  cannot 
endure. 

While  I\Irs.  Ellis  and  her  husband  were  spending  their 
energies  and  exhausting  their  lives  to  open  fountains  of 
learning,  and  wealth,  and  Christian  refinement  that  would  in- 
crease the  value  of  every  foot  of  ground  in  the  vicinity  of 
Jacksonville  an  hundred  fold,  their  efforts  were  far  less  ap- 
preciated by  those  who  were  to  reap  their  benefits,  than  by 
Christian  friends  abroad  who  helped  to  confer  them. 

Like  most  others  who  unselfishly  throw  their  whole  soul 
into  a  great  work  for  the  good  of  others,  Mr.  Ellis  made 
enemies  and  aroused  opposition.  In  order  to  obtain  the 
assistance  of  the  benevolent  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  tell 


6S  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

at  the  East  how  low  the  general  standard  of  intelligence  then 
was  at  the  West,  and  the  echo  of  his  words  there  througii 
the  public  prints  returned  here.  Who  were  ever  pleased 
with  the  exposure  of  their  own  ignorance  ?  The  result  was 
that  the  man  whose  single  arm  had  laid  hold  of  and  set  in 
motion  forces  that  would  lift  the  whole  region  into  a  higher 
life,  was  voted  unpopular.  Dr.  Taylor,  his  noble  friend,  who 
understood  him,  and  worked  with  him,  was  dead,  and  the 
church  which  had  risen  in  three  years  from  fourteen  to  one 
hundred  members  under  his  care,  and  who  were  worshiping 
in  a  house  which  he-had  largely  procured  the  means  of  build- 
ing, through  his  influence  abroad,  concluded  it  would  be 
better  to  get  some  new  man  who  would  tickle  the  people, 
and  flatter  their  self-conceit,  and  make  himself  generally 
more  agreeable.  It  was  but  another  step  to  take  the  scholars 
who  had  been  developed  into  good  material  for  a  public  in- 
stitution of  a  high  grade  out  of  Mrs.  Ellis'  hands,  and  use 
the  funds  which  her  husband  had  collected  to  open  an 
academy  in  which  she  was  not  even  invited  to  teach  the 
French  language,  for  which  her  qualifications  were  so  per- 
fect. 

If  ever  laborers  had  the  opportunity  to  bring  a  noble 
work  to  the  great  Master,  and  lay  it  at  his  feet  in  utter  self- 
abnegation,  it  certainly  then  presented  itself  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ellis,  and  those  who  knew  them  intimately  feel  that  it  was 
met  by  them  with  admirable  wisdom,  in  a  grand,  almost 
sublime  silence. 

Ah,  could  Mrs  Ellis,  in  those  last  weary  months  of  her  life, 
have  heard  the  loving,  reverent  words  which  her  few  sur- 
viving pupils  and  acquaintances  now  speak  of  her,  and  could 
her  husband  have  known  how  his  honored  memory  in  the 
beautiful  city  of  Jacksonville  would  "  take  root  downward 
and  bear  fruit  upward,"  as  the  years  roll  on,  it  surely  would 
have  been  cheering  to  their  hearts,  as  he  went  out  alone, 
to  lay  new  foundations  and  sow  new  fields,  and  as  she, 
weary  and  worn,  remained  in  the  home  to  which  death  was 
coming  soon  to  close  her  earthly  toil. 

"The  word  you  would  speak  beside  the  bier 
Falls  sweeter  far  on  the  living  ear." 

The  summer  of  1833  was  one  of  terrible,  burning  heat^ 
We  had  heard  with  a  shudder  that  Asiatic  cholera  had 
crossed  the  ocean  and  begun  its  ravages  in  our  own  country, 
and  every    succeeding    mail    announced   its    rapid    progress 


FRANCES  C.  B.  ELLIS.  69 

westward.  On  the  morning  of  its  first  appearance  in  Jack- 
ville,  one  of  her  neighbors  passed  up  the  street  and  stopped 
to  speak  with  Mrs.  EUis  at  her  door,  and  she  told  him  that 
the  cholera  was  doing  its  fatal  work  in  the  opposite  house. 
As  he  passed  back  she  told  him  that  the  neighbor  was  dead. 
In  the  evening  she  too  was  lying  in  the  grasp  of  the  mighyt 
■destroyer.  Just  before  she  passed  into  the  death  stupor  her 
physician,  then  a  wordly  man,  said  to  her  kindly,  "  Don't  be 
afraid,  Mrs.  Ellis."  "Afraid!"  she  replied,  "I  know  too 
well  in  whom  I  have  believed,  to  be  afraid  now."  In  two 
days  more  her  children  had  passed  through  the  same  dread 
agony,  and  the  home  of  the  absent  minister  was  desolate. 

As  she  lay,  robed  in  garments  for  the  tomb,  her  sister  bent 
■over  her,  and  taking  in  her  hand  the  slender  fingers  which 
had  been  familiar  with  the  pen,  the  pencil,  and  the  lyre,  she 
spoke,  not  of  the  talents,  the  vivacity,  and  the  elegance 
which  had  made  the  pale  sleeper  the  admired  of  every  circle, 
but  one  sentence  revealed  the  tie  which  had  bound  her  to 
many  a  heart.  As  she  folded  the  white  hands  over  the  still, 
cold  breast,  she  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  the  acts  of  kindness  these 
hands  have  done  !  " 

Mrs.  Ellis  was  one  of  those  superior  women  who,  though 
not  without  defects,  have  yet  such  breadth  of  intellect,  such 
superiority  of  culture  in  mind  and  manner,  and  such  lofty 
heroism  of  soul,  as  to  put  quite  out  of  sight  every  blemish 
and  so  impress  their  image  upon  young  and  susceptible  minds, 
that  death  itself  cannot  obliterate  the  lines  or  shroud  their 
memory  in  darkness. 

Having  been  educated  entirely  under  French  and  English 
teachers,  a  spirit  of  caste  had  been  cultivated  in  her  case  as 
in  most  Europeans  and  many  Americans,  which  would  better 
have  been  changed  for  humble  gratitude  to  Him  who  "  mak- 
eth  us  to  differ,"  and  she  had  not  always  the  perfect  control 
of  her  temper  which  Christian  gentleness  requires  in  deal- 
ing with  children  and  pupils. 

Notwithstanding  all  her  elegant  tastes  and  accomplish- 
ments, she  was  willing  to  put  her  hand  to  any  useful  work. 
Her  house  was  carefully  ordered,  and  always  made  a  resting 
place  for  those  who  needed  hospitality.  Laboring  men  when 
-employed  there  found  torn  clothes  repaired,  and  lost  buttons 
replaced  by  her  obliging  hands.  As  a  pastor's  wife  she  was 
an  affectionate  and  sympathizing  friend  to  every  member  of 
her  husband's  flock,  and  the  lowliest  of  them  was  an  abund- 


JO  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

ant  recijsient  of  the  exuberant  courtesy  which  was  as  natural 
to  her  as  her  breath. 

She  could  not  be  called  beautiful,  but  she  had  a  fine,  ex- 
pressive eye,  and  when  her  face  kindled  up  with  her  glori- 
ous thoughts,  her  whole  form  was  in  motion  with  their  ele- 
gant expression,  she  was  certainly  a  most  fascinating  woman 
to  persons  of  superior  culture.  In  the  domain  of  history 
and  polite  literature  she  was  entirely  at  home  ;  her  wit  was 
quick  and  keen,  and  always  as  polished  as  it  was  acute. 

She  had  a  poetic  taste  for  the  beautiful  in  the  realms  of 
nature  and  of  mind,  and  exhibiting  the  sparkling  vivacity 
and  perfect  grace'of  manner  for  which  her  nation  are  emi- 
nent, she  was  brilliant  in  conversational  power.  Above  all, 
her  heart  was  set  upon  whatever  was  noble,  pure  and  holy  ;. 
sublime  thoughts  and  emotions  welled  up  from  the  depths  of 
her  soul  as  from  a  full-fed  fountain,  and  overflowed  in  the 
most  glowing  imagery  and  eloquent  expression. 

Many  who  sat  at  her  feet  and  listened  to  the  impassioned, 
glowing  utterances  which  thrilled  our  youthful  hearts,  are 
with  her,  where  the  throbbing  flesh  no  longer  fetters  the 
soaring  spirit.  Those  of  us  who  linger  behind  love  to  go 
back  in  memory  nearly  half  a  century  and  think  what  it  was 
to  young  minds,  wholly  unacquainted  with  society,  in  the 
newly  settled  West,  and  all  unconscious  of  the  mental  wealth 
lavished  with  such  queenly  profusion,  to  be  warmed,  and 
melted,  and  stamped  under  her  influence. 

The  wives  of  the  early  ministers  of  Illinois  were  lovely, 
and  pure,  and  refined,  and  noble.  We  can  recall  many  whose 
names  are  as  ointment  poured  forth  :  Mrs.  Farnham,  Mrs. 
Sturtevant,  Mrs.  Messenger,  Mrs.  Hale,  Mrs.  Spilman,  Mrs. 
Gridley,  Mrs.  Eddy,  ?klrs.  Gait.  They  were  beautiful  flowers 
transplanted  from  cultured  homes  in  the  East,  to  droop  and 
die  on  the  prairies,  and  among  them  bloomed  and  withered 
a  brilliant  and  gorgeous  exotic. 

John  Mathews  was  born  in  Beaver  county,  Pa.,  February 
7,  1777.  He  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  He  graduated 
at  Jefferson  College,  Cannonsburg,  Pa.,  and  was  a  theological 
pupil  of  Dr.  John  McMillan.  For  seven  years  he  was  pastor 
of  Gravel-Run  and  Waterford  Churches  in  Erie  Presbytery. 
In  1 8 17  he  resigned  his  charge  to  become  an  itinerating 
missionary.  Starting  westward  he  went  down  the  Ohio  in  a 
flat-boat  as  far  as  Louisville.     Then  he  proceeded  on  horse- 


JOHN    MATrlEWS.  7 1 

back  across  Indiana  to  Vincennes,  and  then  through  the 
Territory  of  Illinois  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  arrived  May  15, 
1 8 17.  On  the  i8th  he  preached  in  St.  Louis.  Soon  after 
he  passed  up  the  Mississippi  to  Pike  county,  where,  before 
the  close  of  the  year,  he  organized  the  church  of  Buffalo, 
with  fourteen  members.  He  preached  the  opening  sermon 
at  the  organization  of  the  Presbytery  of  Missouri  at  St.  Louis, 
December  18,  1 8 17.  The  Presbytery  was  organized  with 
four  members,  Salmon  Giddings,  Timothy  Flint,  Thomas 
Donnell  and  Mr.  Mathews.  Mr.  Donnell  had  arrived  in  the 
Territory  (Missouri  was  not  a  State  until  1821)  on  the  4th  of 
September  next  preceding.  April  25,  18 18,  Mr.  Mathews 
and  Timothy  Flint  installed  Thomas  Donnell  pastor  of  Con- 
cord Church  in  Bellevue  Settlement,  Mo.  The  two  ministers 
— Flint  and  Mathews — journeyed  together  to  Bellevue  from 
St.  Louis,  a  distance  of  eighty  miles.  Of  that  trip  and  his 
companion  Mr.  Flint  says  :  "  The  third  year  of  my  residence 
in  Missouri  we  were  called  to  the  Mine  district  to  install  a 
young  gentleman  who  had  been  trained  to  the  ministry  under 
Rev.  Gideon  Blackburn.  The  gentleman,  though  sick  with 
the  measles  at  the  time,  was  inducted  into  office  with  happy 
auspices.  I  performed  the  journey  in  company  with  Rev. 
Mr.  Mathews,  a  Presbyterian  minister,  formerly  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, a  gentleman  of  great  strictness  of  principle  and  char- 
acter, whose  occasional  facetiousness  and  pleasantry  had 
infinitely  more  force,  as  they  beamed  from  a  countenance 
naturally  hard  and  austere,  and  from  whom,  judging  by  his 
tenets  or  his  manner,  no  such  things  could  have  been  expect- 
ed. We  made  our  way  among  the  high  hills,  the  flint 
knobs,  and  desolate  valleys  of  the  Maramec,  cutting  short 
the  way  with  anecdote  and  narrative,  mutually  relating  the 
scenes  and  events  of  our  youth.  The  second  day  we  missed 
our  way,  and  wandered  about  among  the  hills  until  after 
midnight.  We  had  concluded  to  pass  the  night  under  the 
open  sky ;  but  finally  heard  the  barking  of  dogs,  by  which 
we  were  directed  to  a  house.  We  suffered  not  a  little  peril, 
in  making  our  approaches  to  the  place,  from  a  pack  of  fierce 
dogs.  We  ascended  a  little  building  and  took  ourselves  out 
of  their  way  until  we  raised  the  master.  Although  it  was 
but  a  cabin,  and  the  hour  so  unseasonable,  we  were  most 
hospitably  received  and  entertained." 

August  29,   18 18,  Mr.  ^lathews  and   Mr.  Giddings  organ- 
ized a  Presbyterian   Church  at   St.  Charles,   Mo.,  with   nine 


^2  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

members.  He  seems  to  have  itinerated  and  labored  princi- 
pally in  Pike  county,  Mo.,  until  1825,  when  he  removed  to 
Apple  Creek  Church,  Cape  Girardeau  county.  This  church 
had  been  organized  by  Mr.  Giddings,  May  21,  1821,  with 
forty-one  members,  just  one  week  before  he  organized  the 
church  at  Kaskaskia,  III.  From  Apple  Creek  Mr.  Mathews 
removed  to  Kaskaskia,  probably  in  1828,  and  was  the  suc- 
cessor of  Mr.  Ellis  in  that  field. 

When  the  Synod  of  Indiana,  at  its  session   in   October, 
1828,   passed  an   ordinance  for  the  establishment  of  Center 
Presbytery,  Mr.  Mathews  was  appointed  to  preach  the  open- 
ing sermon,   and  preside   until  a  Moderator  was  appointed. 
He  performed  the  required  service,   at  Kaskaskia,  January 
9,   1829.     He  attended  every  meeting  of  Center  Presbytery, 
near  or  remote.      In  the  division  of  that  Presbytery  by  In- 
diana  Synod,   October,    1830,   to  constitute   the   Synod    of 
Illinois,   Mr.  Mathews  fell  into  Kaskaskia  Presbytery.     Its 
first  meeting  was  held  at  Vandalia,   March  4,   183 1,  and  Mr. 
Mathews  preached  the  opening  sermon.     In  like  manner  did 
he  open  the  Synod  of  Illinois  at  its  first  meeting  in  Septem- 
ber, 183 1.     His  residence  continued  in  Kaskaskia  until  the 
beginning   of  1829,   when   he   bought   a   place   at    Pleasant 
Ridge,  five  and  a  half  miles  east  of  Kaskaskia.     This  place 
is  in  T.  6  S.,   R.  7  W.,  in  S.  W.  corner  of  N.  W.  quarter  of 
Sec.   36.     The   house   is  still  standing — an  old   dilapidated 
frame,  now    (1879)    owned  and  occupied  by  Stephen  Hill. 
He  continued  to  minister  to  Kaskaskia  Church,  though  that 
village  itself  was,  about   1830,  abandoned  as  the    place  of 
religious  service.     As  several  of  its  remaining  families  were 
in  his  neighborhood  he  preached  for  them  in  a  school-house 
near  his  residence  for  four  years  longer.     This  neighborhood 
therefore — where  Pleasant  Ridge  Church  now  is — may  be 
considered  as  the  half-way  house  in  the  migration  of  the 
Kaskaskia  Church  to  Chester.     Mr.  Mathews'  next  field  was 
Sugar  Creek  Church,  from  1834  to  1837,  with  his  address  at 
Clifton,    111.      October    14,    1839,   he  was   dismissed   to    the 
Presbytery  of  St.  Louis,  and  returned  to  Kaskaskia  Presby- 
tery April  II,    185 1.     While  absent  he  spent  a  part  of  the 
time  in  Ohio,  a  part  in  West  Greenville,  Mercer  county.  Pa., 
where  he  had  charge  of  a  congregation,  and  the  last  part  of 
the  period  in  Bonhomme  Parish,   Mo.,  where   some  of  his 
second  wife's  relatives  still  reside.     On  his  return  to  Illinois 
he  fixed  his  residence  in  Georgetown — now  Steele's  Mills — 


JOHN    MATHEWS.  73 

Randolph  county,  where  he  purchased  a  house  and  contin- 
ued to  reside  until  his  death,  which  took  place  May  I2, 
i86i.  Mr.  Preston  Brown,  who  married  Mrs.  Mathews' 
niece — Miss  Missouri  Smith — still  occupies  the  same  house. 
At  their  meeting,  October  ii,  i86i,  Presbytery  adopted  the 
following  minute :  "  Whereas,  Rev.  John  Mathews,  late 
a  member  of  this  Presbytery,  departed  this  life  on  the  I2th 
of  May  last,  in  the  84th  year  of  his  age  and  the  52nd  of  his 
Ordination:  Resolved,  1st.  That  we  return  hearty  thanks  to 
the  Head  of  the  Church  for  having  spared  Bro.  Mathews  so 
long  in  his  vineyard.  2nd.  That  his  faithfulness  and  success 
are  ground  of  rejoicing  and  encouragement  to  us  who  sur- 
vive. 3rd.  That  a  copy  of  the  above  be  tr'2*iismitted  to  the 
widow  and  her  niece,  Mrs.  Preston  Brown."  Mr.  Mathews 
was  twice  married,  first  to  Miss  Nancy  Bracken,  who  died  in 
1819;  second,  to  Miss  Anna  Smith,  in  1820.  He  had  no 
children  by  either  marriage. 

Mr.  M.  and  his  second  wife  are  buried  in  Jones'  Cemetery 
near  Georgetown.  The  inscriptions  on  their  tomb-stones 
are  these : 

JOHN  MATHEWS, 

Died  May  I2th,   i86l,  in  the  84th  year  of  his  age.     He  was  an  active  Presbyte- 
rian Minister  for  fifty  years. 

In  Memory  of 

ANNA,  wife  of  Rev.  John  Mathews, 

Born  September  13,  1789.     Died  August  7,  1863,  aged  seventy-three  years,  ten 
months  and  twenty-four  days. 

This  memoir  has  been  drawn  from  original  sources.  The 
statement  in  the  action  of  Presbytery  and  on  the  tomb-stone, 
in  regard  to  Mr.  Mathews'  age,  is  not  strictly  correct.  He 
died  in  his  eigJity-fifth  year,  not  his  eighty-fourth.  His  pre- 
cise age  at  his  death  was  eighty-four  years,  three  months  and 
five  days.  His  will  is  on  record  at  the  court-house  in  Chester. 
He  was  one  of  the  fathers.  Born  in  the  early  part  of  our 
Revolutionary  struggle,  he  lived  to  witness  the  commence- 
ment of  our  great  civil  war.  In  the  division  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  from  1838  to  1870,  he  was  decidedl}^  with  the 
Old  School.  I  judge  him  to  have  been  a  fair  preacher,  severe 
in  his  morals,  and  somewhat  austere  in  his  countenance  and 
manners. 

Alton  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  by  Rev.  Ed- 
ward Hollister  and  Rev.  Daniel  Gould,  missionaries  of  the 
Connecticut  ^Missionary  Society,  June  9,   1 821,   with  these 


74  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

members,  viz  :  Enoch  Long,  Isaac  Waters,  Henry  H.  Snow, 
Mary  Long,  Ednah  Hastings,  Abigail  Waters,  Lavina  Bishop, 
Brittania  S.  Brown.  The  next  day  the  Sacrament  of  the  . 
Supper  was  administered.  On  July  8,  August  12  and  Octo- 
ber 9  of  the  same  year  Mr.  Gould  preached  to  the  church. 
On  December  4,  1821,  and  March  25,  1822,  Mr.  Hollister 
preached,  and  the  next  morning  took  leave  of  the  church  to 
return  to  his  native  place  at  the  East.  Brittania  S.  Brown 
died  on  the  28th  of  August,  and  on  September  15,  1822,  her 
funeral  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  Jesse  Townsend.  On 
January  28,  February  18  and  March  5,  1823,  Rev,  Oren 
Catlin  preached.^  At  the  last  date,  Henry  H.  Snow  was 
made  clerk  of  the  Session,  and  John  L.  Ramsey,  Mrs.  Martha 
Ramsey  and  Mrs.  Twitchell  were  received  into  the  church  on 
examination.  On  April  7  and  April  23,  1823,  Rev.  Oren 
Catlin  and  Rev.  Daniel  G.  Sprague  visited  and  addressed 
the  church.  April  24,  1824,  Miss  Ednah  Hastings  was  dis- 
missed. This  is  the  last  entry  on  the  session  book  by  the 
clerk.  But  to  it  the  following  statement  is  appended,  viz  : 
"At  the  session  of  the  Presbytery  of  Missouri,  held  at  St. 
Charles  in  March,  1826,  a  resolution  was  passed  incorporating 
the  church  of  Alton  with  the  church  of  Edvvardsville,  in 
consequence  of  the  removal  of  a-U  the  members  of  said 
church  except  two,  viz  :  Enoch  Long  and  Mrs.  Mary  Long. 
The  above  fact  is  certified  by  the  undersigned,  who — as  an 
Elder  of  the  church  at  Edwardsville — was  a  member  of  said 
Presbytery  at  the  time  of  the  passage  of  the  resolution. 

"Alton,  June  18,  183 1.  Thomas  Lippincott." 

Wabash  Church,  Wabash  county,  at  first  called  "The 
First  Presbyterian  Church"  in  Edwards  county,  was  organ- 
ized March  5,  1822,  with  five  members,  viz:  Stephen  Bliss, 
Mrs.  Betsey  Bliss,  George  May,  Cyrus  Danforth  and  Mrs. 
Polly  Danforth. 

Those  good  old-fashioned  names,  Betsey  and  Polly,  had 
not  then  lost  their  savor.  Twenty-five  years  later  they 
would  have  been  Mary  and  Eliza.  In  this  day  of  grace, 
1879,  the  boarding  school  way  of  writing  them  would  be 
Lizzie  and  Marie.  O  tempora  !  O  mores !  have  we  advanced, 
or  receded  ? 

The  history  of  this  church  is  full  of  interest.  It  may  be 
learned  from  the  interesting  little  volume  of  Rev.  S.  C.  Bald- 
ridge — Life  and  Times  of  Stephen  Bliss. 

The  first  Presbyterian  family  who  settled  in  this  region  was 


WABASH    CHURCH.  75 

Thomas  Gould,  in  the  spring  of  1816.  They  floated  down 
the  Ohio  from  Cincinnati  to  Evansville  in  a  flat-boat,  came 
across  in  a  wagon,  and  settled  in  Timber  Settlement.  In  his 
cabin  the  Presbyterian  Church  began  her  work  in  this  field. 
Rev.  S.  T.  Scott,  of  Vincennes,  soon  heard  of  the  new  family, 
and  came  down  to  visit  them.  On  these  occasions  Mr.  Gould 
would  send  out  runners  to  invite  the  settlers,  far  and  near,  to 
a  preaching  service,  and  in  the  evening  the  cabin  would  be 
full. 

The  next  was  Cyrus  Danforth,  of  Cayuga  county,  N.  Y., 
who,  in  the  summer  of  18 18,  located  on  the  farm  now  occu- 
pied by  his  son,  Franklin  Danforth. 

In  October  of  the  same  year  came  Stephen  Bliss  and 
George  May,  New  Englanders,  and  settled  on  Decker's 
Prairie.  April  ii,  1819,  they  opened  a  Sabbath-school  in 
their  humble  cabin — the  first  Sabbath-school  in  the  State  of 
Illinois,  though  Thomas  Lippincott  and  his  wife  set  up  one  in 
Milton,  Madison  county,  in  the  spring  or  summer  of  the  same 
year.  Bliss  and  May  also  established  a  meeting  for  prayer, 
reading  sermons,  missionary  and  other  religious  articles.  The 
church  was  organized,  as  stated  above,  by  Rev.  David  Choate 
Proctor,  and  of  it  Stephen  Bliss  and  George  May  were  made 
Elders.  George  May  died  on  the  third  of  August,  1822. 
The  church  was  taken  under  the  care  of  Salem  Presbytery, 
and  its  name  changed  to  Wabash  in  April,  1825.  Its  history 
is  so  intimately  connected  with  that  of  Stephen  Bliss  that 
it  is  almost  impossible  to  write  one  without  the  other. 
Mr.  Bliss  was  licensed  by  Hopkinton  Association  in  the 
summer  of  1823  on  an  examination  had  nine  years  before. 
He  heard  of  this  license  August  19,  more  than  five  months 
after  the  organization  of  the  church.  Though  active  in  Sab- 
bath-school and  prayer-meetings,  he  did  not  begin  to  preach 
until  August  3,  1823,  when  his  first  sermon  was  delivered  at 
Danforth  school-house.  He  was  ordained  by  Salem  Pres- 
bytery at  their  stated  meeting  in  Vincennes,  August  4,  1825, 
and,  though  laboring  much  in  various  other  quarters,  contin- 
ued in  charge  of  Wabash  Church  until  within  a  few  months 
of  his  death.  Wabash  is  a  mother  church.  Mt.  Carmel, 
Friendsville  and  Allendale — at  first  Timberville — in  Wabash 
county;  Pisgah  in  Lawrence  county,  and  Shiloh  in  Edwards 
county,  are  her  daughters.  Though  general  bishop  of  this 
wide  field,  Mr.  Bliss  had  helpers.  In  March,  1831,  came 
Rev.  Isaac  Bennet,  who  for    17   years  had  his  home  in  the 


y6  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

bounds  of  Pisg-ah  Church,  doing  wonders  of  labor  for  the 
Llaster  there,  in  Wabash  county,  and  elsewhere. 

In  1839  Rev.  Joseph  Butler  settled  in  Shiloh  Church,  in 
Edwards  county,  and  labored  with  Wabash  Church  one- 
fourth  of  his  time.  In  the  spring  of  1847 — Mr.  Bliss's  health 
being  feeble — Rev.  Blackburn  Leffler  took  charge  of  Wabash 
and  Mt.  Carmel  churches.  December  6,  1847,  ^^-  Bliss 
died. 

In  the  fall  of  1848  Rev.  P.  W.  Thompson  took  charge  of 
Mt.  Carmel  and  Wabash  churches  until  1852.  Wabash  was 
then  vacant  until  May,  1853,  except  an  occasional  supply 
from  Rev.  John  fc.  Hawkins.  At  the  last  date,  1853,  Rev. 
Samuel  C.  Baldridge  took  the  field  and  has  continued  in  it 
ever  since.  About  the  beginning  of  1878,  however,  he  re- 
signed the  care  of  Wabash,  but  continued  still  to  labor  at 
Friendsville  and  Allendale. 

Since  1878  Rev.  J.  S.  Davis  has  given  to  Wabash  a  por- 
tion of  his  time,  the  balance  being  devoted  to  Sumner  and 
Gilead,  Lawrence  county,  and  Richland,  Richland  county. 

From  its  beginning  until  1 838  this  church  had  no  settled 
habitation,  but  held  its  meetings  at  various  places.  "  Some- 
times in  some  school-house,  sometimes  at  the  residence  of 
one  of  the  Elders,  a  few  times  in  Mr.  Bliss'  barn,  and  often, 
when  the  weather  was  fine,  in  the  shade  of  some  grove." 
There  was  some  difficulty  about  the  site  ;  but  the  grave  of 
Mrs.  Bliss  determined  it.  That  sainted  woman  died  May  21, 
1836,  and  was  buried  in  the  S.  W.  quarter  of  the  S.  W.  quarter 
of  Sec.  32,  T.  2  N.,  R.  12  W.  "  All  felt  that  burial  had  decided 
the  location  of  the  church-yard;  and  the  sacred  associations 
of  the  place  where  they  expected  to  lay  their  dead,  made  it 
the  fitting  spot  near  which  to  erect  the  house  of  God.  A 
neat,  plain  building  went  up  among  the  trees  of  the  young 
woods  in  the  fall  of  1838.  Mr.  Bennet,  a  famous  church- 
builder,  wrought  on  the  new  sanctuary.  He  was  permitted 
to  construct  the  pulpit  after  his  own  ideal.  The  room  was 
wainscoted  with  poplar.  Without  one  trace  of  ornament  it 
still  stands,  sheltered  by  its  trees,  with  the  prairie  filled  with 
farms,  stretching  out  to  the  south  and  west,  and  the  silent 
church-yard  in  the  rear." 

The  edifice  stands  on  three  acres,  given  to  the  congregation 
so  long  as  used  for  church  purposes.  The  cemetery,  where 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bliss  lie,  is  on  these  three  acres.  Directly  across 
the  way  are  ten  acres  more  belonging  to   the   church.      Ail 


STEPHEN    BLISS.  77 

this  land  is  pleasantly  situated  and  mostly  covered  with  tim- 
ber. The  building  in  which  Mr.  Bliss  taught  and  often 
preached,  before  the  erection  of  the  church-house,  stood 
close  by  the  northeast  corner  of  Henry  Thompson's  resi- 
dence. 

Stephen  Bliss  was  born  in  Lebanon,  N.  H.,  March  27, 
1787.  His  parents  were  poor,  his  father  being  a  small  farmer 
at  the  time  of  his  son's  birth,  with  a  cottage  in  the  village, 
where  the  family  resided.  Later  his  father  removed  to 
Glover,  Vt.  Here  in  1808  the  family  were  living  in  a  log 
hut  that  had  to  be  daubed  up  each  autumn  to  guard  against 
the  winds  of  winter.  The  family  at  that  time  consisted  of 
the  parents,  two  sisters  and  five  brothers.  Of  the  sons 
Stephen  was  the  third.  As  he  approached  manhood,  his 
uncle,  Samuel  Wood,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
church,  Boscawen,  N.  H.,  invited  him  to  become  a  student 
in  his  family.  Here  he  fitted  for  the  junior  class,  and  grad- 
uated at  Middlebury  College  in  181 2,  with  a  high  standing 
for  scholarship.  His  theological  education  was  prosecuted 
with  the  same  instructor  who  had  prepared  him  for  college. 
In  1 8 14  he  applied  to  Hopkinton  Association  for  license  to 
preach.  He  was  rejected  on  account  of  alleged  defective 
views  of  the  person,  and  consequently  the  atoning  work  of 
Christ.  Nine  years  later  the  Association  was  led  to  review 
their  action,  and,  without  any  request,  or  one  word  of  expla- 
nation from  Mr.  Bliss,  granted  his  license.  After  his  rejection 
by  the  Association  Mr.  Bliss  gave  up  all  thought  of  the 
ministry,  and  turned  his  attention  to  teaching.  With  an  old 
college-mate,  George  May,  he  started  out  to  procure  a  situa- 
tion as  teacher.  Both  were  successful  in  this,  and  taught  for 
several  years  in  eastern  and  central  New  York.  But  the 
confinement  of  the  school-room  impaired  Mr.  Bliss'  health, 
and  in  September,  18 18,  he  and  his  close  friend,  George 
]May,  started  in  a  one-horse  wagon  for  the  far  West.  They 
reached  the  lake  at  Buffalo ;  went  down  to  see  Niagara  ;  then 
passed  along  the  lake  shore  through  Ohio,  and  then  across 
Indiana  to  Vincennes.  Here  they  crossed  the  Wabash,  and 
having  traveled  fifteen  miles  southwest,  called  a  halt  in 
Decker's  Prairie.  Palm)  ra,  on  the  Wabash,  three  miles 
above  i\It.  Carmel,  was  then  the  rising  village  of  Edwards 
county.  It  was  the  county  seat  and  contained  a  post-office. 
]\It.  Carmel  had  just  been  laid  out.  In  five  days  from  their 
arrival  the  friends  purchased  a  tract  of  land,  in  the  center  of 


yS  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

the  prairie,  on  which  was  a  cabin.  As  the  former  proprietor 
could  not  vacate  the  cabin  at  once,  they  constructed  an 
addition  to  accommodate  them  for  the  winter.  The  next 
spring  the  cabin  was  given  up  to  them,  and  on  Sabbath 
morning,  April  ii,  1819,  they  opened  in  it  a  Sabbath  school, 
which  was  perhaps  the  first  in  the  State. 

In  the  fall  of  1820  Mr.  Bliss  returned  to  New  Hampshire 
on  foot,  making  the  journey  of  1,200  miles  in  fifty  days. 
April  20,  1 82 1,  he  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Worcester,  On 
the  last  day  of  the  same  month  the  newly  married  pair 
started,  in  a  two-Jbiorse  wagon,  for  Illinois,  and  reached  the 
cabin  on  Decker's  Prairie  in  eight  weeks.  The  wife  was  tall 
and  fair,  of  English-Puritan  descent.  Her  father,  Noah 
Worcester,  D.D.,  was  born  in  Hollis,  N.  H.,  November  25, 
1758.  At  sixteen  he  was  a  fifer  in  the  patriot  army,  and 
took  part  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  afterward  of 
Bennington.  After  the  war,  he  settled  in  Thornton,  N.  H., 
pursued  a  course  of  self-instruction,  was  licensed  to  preach 
in  1786,  and  the  next  year  was  settled  as  pastor  of  the 
church  of  Thornton.  In  18 18  he  received  the  degree  of 
D.D.  from  Harvard  College.  He  died  in  Brighton,  Mass., 
October  31,  1837. 

"  The  new  family  was  a  most  devout  and  godly  one,  after 
the  noblest  Puritan  type,  from  the  day  the  pair  established 
themselves  in  the  humble  cabin." 

The  organization  of  the  "  First  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Edwards"  county,  March  5,  1822,  afterwards  called  "Wa- 
bash," is  related  in  another  connection.  In  it  Messrs.  Bliss 
and  May  had  been  made  Elders.  It  has  also  been  related 
how  Mr.  Bliss  received  his  license  and  entered  upon  the 
duties  of  the  ministry.  On  the  very  day — August  3,  1823 — 
in  which  he  preached  his  first  sermon,  Thomas  Gould  and 
his  wife  united  with  the  church.  Mr.  Gould  was  soon  after 
made  an  Elder.  "  From  that  time  until  the  close  of  Mr. 
Bliss'  ministry  there  was  but  one  year  when  the  church  did 
not  receive  from  one  to  twenty-four  additions." 

Thus  at  last,  at  the  ripe  age  of  thirty-six  years,  Mr.  Bliss 
entered  the  sacred  office.  The  next  Sabbath  he  preached 
again  at  the  Danforth  school-house  ;  soon  after  at  Mr.  Gould's 
residence,  seven  miles  to  the  southeast,  and  later  at  the 
dingy  school-house  near  his  home,  which  stood  in  what  is 
now  Henry  Thompson's  front  yard.  In  the  Spring  of  1824 
Mr.  Bliss  assisted  Rev.  S.  T.  Scott  at  a  communion  season 


STEPHEN    BLISS.  79 

held  with  the  Indiana  Church,  five  miles  north  of  Vincennes. 
The  meeting  was  held  in  the  woods,  and  sometimes  the 
congregations  amounted  to  more  than  one  thousand.  In  the 
following  September  Mr.  Scott  repaid  the  visit.  The  ser- 
vices were  held  at  the  "  New  Light"  camp-ground,  one-half 
mile  south  of  the  present  village  of  Friendsville.  Eight 
persons  were  added  to  the  church  on  examination,  and 
twelve  children  were  baptized.  In  the  fall  of  1824  Mr. 
Bliss  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  of  Illinois,  and  spent 
the  next  winter,  until  January  20,  in  Vandalia.  At  that 
time  the  Legislature  adjourned,  and  Mr.  Bliss  returned  home. 
The  next  April  he  attended  the  meeting  of  Salem  Presby- 
tery, at  Washington,  Ind.,  presented  his  credentials  from 
Hopkinton  Association  and  was  received  under  the  care  of 
Presbytery  as  a  licentiate.  Immediately  upon  his  reception 
he  engaged  to  supply  two  vacant  churches  of  the  Presbytery 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  Carlisle,  forty  miles  from  his 
home,  and  Fort  Harrison,  sixty  miles — one  Sabbath  in  each 
month.  The  Sabbaths  not  thus  occupied  he  spent  with 
Wabash  Church. 

At  the  next  stated  meeting  of  Presbytery — held  at  Vin- 
cennes, August  4 — Mr.  Bliss  was  ordained.  Rev.  John  IMc- 
Elroy  Dickey  preached  the  sermon.  His  old  class-mate  at 
Middlebury  College,  Rev.  Isaac  Reed,  gave  the  charge.  On 
returning  home  he  laid  off  the  field  of  his  labors,  taking  the 
Presbyterian  families  which  had  settled  about  equally  distant 
from  him  as  his  centers.  These  centers  were  Dennison,  six 
miles  north,  Thomas  Gould,  six  miles  east,  Mr.  Danforth,  six 
miles  southwest,  and  the  communit}'  immediately  about  his 
residence.  Within  the  region  covered  by  these  appointments 
he  labored  till  the  close  of  his  life.  His  family  consisted  at 
this  time  of  himself,  his  wife,  a  son  (Samuel  Wood,  three 
years  old,)  and  Delia,  an  infant  daughter.  He  kept  "  open 
house,"  as  everybody  else  did  in  those  times. 

He  was  supported  from  his  farm  principally.  His  sheep 
and  cattle  cost  him  little,  and  were  his  chief  source  of  income. 
He  kept  twelve  dairy  cows,  and  "Betsey "  was  a  famous 
cheese  maker.  He  found  in  Vincennes  a  market  for  his 
dairy  products.  His  church,  having  increased  from  five  to 
seventeen  members,  met  in  a  congregational  capacity.  After 
canvassing  the  matter  they  subscribed  $123  towards  their 
minister's  support.  This  was  Mr.  Bliss'  second  means  of 
livinsf. 


80  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

From  the  time  of  his  ordination  Mr.  B.  took  rank  among  the 
most  prominent  preachers  of  the  Presbytery.  His  address 
was  manly  and  pleasing.  His  style  was  clear,  his  manner 
slow,  calm  and  dignified.  August  19,  1827,  Mr.  B.  assisted 
B.  F.  Spilman  in  a  sacramental  meeting  in  Sharon  Church, 
From  that  time  those  two  men — the  quiet,  gentlemanly  New 
Englander,  and  the  rugged  and  stalwart  Kentuckian — la- 
bored much  together. 

I  give  here  a  few  extracts  from  Mr.  Bliss'  journal :  "  No- 
vember 2,  1827.  Cloudy.  Started  in  company  with 
Brother  Perrin — Rev.  Truman  Perrin,  Principal  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Seminary  at  Vincennes — to  visit  a  church  on  the 
west  of  the  Little  Wabash.  Rode  fifteen  miles  to  Mr.  M.'s,^ 
where  we  dined.  Six  miles  farther  we  reached  the  river. 
The  rest  of  the  P.  M.,  until  nine  o'clock,  was  spent  in  trav- 
ersing the  bottom,  endeavoring  to  thread  our  way  out  to  the 
prairie.  The  afternoon  was  cloudy,  and  the  path  separated 
into  stray  tracks  as  we  proceeded,  where  the  travelers  before 
us  had  straggled  around  in  the  deep  woods  to  escape  quag- 
mires. As  night  set  in  the  sky  was  still  obscured,  and  we 
had  to  wander  on  without  anything  to  guide  us  in  the  de- 
sired direction.  The  wolves  howled  hideously  around  us. 
To  crown  all,  Mr.  Perrin  was  taken  sick,  and  after  trying  to 
go  on  for  some  time,  with  frequent  stops,  we  finally  unsad- 
dled our  horses  and  encamped  for  the  night.  Having  ob- 
tained a  little  rest,  we  again  pursued  our  course,  and  arrived 
at  a  safe  habitation." 

"  November  3.  Cloudy.  Rode  two  miles  to  the  place  of 
meeting,  where  we  met  Brothers  B.  F.  and  T.  A.  Spilman.  I 
preached  in  the  forenoon,  Mr.  Perrin  in  the  afternoon,  and  I 
again  in  the  evening.  November  4.  Cloudy.  A  most  in- 
teresting communion  season.  Brother  Spilman  preached  in 
the  morning  and  Brother  Perrin  in  the  evening.  November 
5.  Cloudy.  Preached  at  8  in  the  A.  M.  to  a  solemn  audi- 
ence. An  affecting  parting  season  in  the  afternoon.  Re- 
turned within  fifteen  miles  of  home." 

The  Indiana  Synod  met  October  16,  1828,  at  Vincennes. 
Of  Sabbath's  meeting,  October  19,  Mr.  B.  says:  "The  most 
interesting  meeting  I  have  ever  witnessed  in  the  Western 
country — sixty-three  persons  connected  with  the  church."' 
In  1828  Mr.  Bliss  received  aid  from  the  American  Home 
Missionary  Society.  This  was  continued  for  three  years,, 
and  then — at  Mr.  B.'s  request — discontinued. 


STEPHEN    BLISS.  8 1 

In  his  report,  dated  August  13,  1831,  Mr.  B.  says:  "Dur- 
ing my  last  quarter  I  have  spent  two  Sabbaths  in  Coles 
county — one  at  a  point  eighty,  the  other  more  than  one  hun- 
dred miles  north  of  this.  At  the  most  distant  congregation 
I  organized  a  church  consisting  of  seventeen  members,  with 
the  prospect  of  soon  doubling.  [This  was  Bethel,  afterwards 
Oakland.]  Ordained  Elders,  and  administered  infant  bap- 
tism. Found  here,  in  a  little  log  cabin,  a  theological  stu- 
dent. He  spends  part  of  the  time  in  cultivating  a  field  of 
corn,  to  procure  sustenance  for  himself,  wife  and  two  small 
children,  and  the  other  in  theological  studies.  Next  I  at- 
tended a  four  days'  meeting  in  a  congregation  twenty-five  or 
thirty  miles  south  of  the  point  just  named.  [Pleasant  Prai- 
rie.] Here  was  a  church  of  about  twenty  members,  or- 
ganized last  autumn.  Thirteen  were  received  into  the 
church ;  several  others  are  indulging  hope.  Baptized  one 
adult  and  fourteen  children." 

July  6,  1833,  came  Adam  Shepard  from  New  Hampshire, 
and  entered  a  tract  of  land  adjoining  Mr.  Bliss'  farm,  and 
made  his  home,  as  it  proved,  for  life.  This  gentleman  was 
a  graduate  of  Middlebury  College,  in  the  class  of  1826.  Most 
cordial  was  the  welcome  extended  to  this  family  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bliss. 

Mrs.  Bliss  died  Sabbath,  May  21,  1837,  with  consumption 
Mr.  Bennet  came  down  from  Pisgah  and  preached  the  funeral 
sermon  on  Monday  to  a  great  congregation,  from  Prov.  14, 
32 — "The  righteous  hath  hope  in  his  death." 

Mrs.  Bliss'  grave  was  the  first  one  opened  in  the  church- 
yard of  Wabash.  It  had  been  customary  for  each  family  to 
bury  their  dead  in  a  private  burial  ground  on  their  own  farm, 
though  a  public  one  had  been  much  talked  of.  Mrs.  Bliss' 
interment  brought  this  question  to  a  decision,  and  also,  as 
has  been  seen,  fixed  the  location  of  the  church  edifice. 

Says  Mr.  Baldridge  :  "  Fifteen  years  of  ministerial  service 
only  passed  and  Mr.  Bliss  was  permitted  to  see  four  churches 
gathered  and  three  ministers  besides  himself  laboring  effi- 
ciently in  what  was  once  his  own  charge."  These  churches 
were  Wabash,  organized  March  5,  1822  ;  Pisgah,  in  Lawrence 
county,  organized  1835  ;  Shiloh,  organized  in  1835,  and  Mt. 
Carmel  in  1839.  The  ministers  were  Isaac  Bennet,  R.  H. 
Lilly  and  Joseph  Butler.  Two  other  churches  subsequently 
sprung  from  the  same  root,  Friendsville  and  Allendale. 

In  1839  Mr.  Bliss'  health  began  to  give  way,  and  Mr.  But- 

5 


82  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

ler  was  called  in  to  supply  his  pulpit,  as  his  colleague,  one 
Sabbath  in  the  month  for  that  year;  the  session,  however, 
stipulating  that  Mr.  Bliss  was  to  moderate  their  meetings, 
and  superintend  the  affairs  of  the  church.  From  this  time 
forth  his  regular  ministerial  work  was  interfered  with  by 
increasing  infirmities. 

Mr.  Bliss  was  a  member  of  the  Assembly,  which  in  1845, 
met  at  Cincinnati,  and  which  passed  resolutions  which  were 
understood  as  essentially  modifying  the  testimony  of  the 
Church  given  in  18 18  against  slavery. 

The  vote  stood  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  ayes  to  thir- 
teen nayes  and  four  excused.  Mr.  Bliss  was  one  of  those  im- 
mortal thirteen.  On  Monday  morning,  December  6,  1847. 
Mr.  Bliss  finished  his  course. 

In  1875  a  monument  was  erected  to  Stephen  Bliss  and  his 
wife  by  his  grateful  people.  It  is  a  four-sided  shaft  of  fine 
marble,  about  five  feet  high,  standing  on  a  square  stone  base 
about  one  foot  thick.     On  one  side  is  this  inscription : 

REV.  STEPHEN  BLISS,  A.M., 

Born  at  Lebanon,  N.  H.,   March  27,  1787. 
Graduated  at  Middlebury  College,  1812. 
Licensed  by  the  Hopkinton  Association,   1822. 
Ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Salem,  August  4,  1825. 

Died  December  6,  1847. 
Pastor  of  Wabash  Church  from  1823  to  1847. 

On  the  reverse,  or  north  side,  is  this  inscription : 
MRS.  ELIZABETH  BLISS, 

Daughter  of  N.  Worcester,  D.D.,    wife  of  Rev.  S.  Bliss.     Born  at  Thornton,  N. 
H.,  February  27,  1789;    married  at  Boscawen,  N.  H,,   April  7,    1820; 
Died   May  21,    1837. 
"  When  the  Chief  Shepherd  shall  appear,   ye  shall  receive  a  crown  of  glory, 
that  fadeth  not  away." — i  Pet.  v  :  4. 

On  the  west  side  this  : 

This  monument  was  erected  by  a  grateful  people  A.  D.,  1875. 

"  How  beautiful  upon  the  moutitains  are  the  feet  of  him  that  bringeth  g'~«od 
tidings,  that  publisheth  peace,  that  saith  unto  Zion,  Thy  God  reigneth." — 
Isaiah  52:  7. 

"  I  shall  be  satisfied  when  I  awake  with  thy  likeness." — Ps.  17 :  15. 

"I  am  the  Resurrection  and  the  life." — John  11:25. 

Mr.  Bliss  had  two  children,  one  son  and  one  daughter. 
The  son,  Samuel  Wood  Bliss,  a  most  estimable  man,  was  for 
years  an  Elder  in  the  Wabash  Church.  His  widow  still 
survives  and  occupies  the  old  homestead.  Samuel  Wood 
Bliss  had  eleven  children,  six  of  whom  lie  in  the  cemetery 
and  five  are  living.     Of  these  five,  four  are  daughters  and 


DAVID    C.    PROCTER.  83 

one  son — John — now  about  fifteen.  The  daughter,  Delia, 
married  Mr.  Schrader.  She  resides  about  one-half  mile 
from  Mr.  Bliss'  old  farm,  and  has  two  daughters,  Maria  and 
Florence,  now  in  early  womanhood. 

It  thus  appears  that  Stephen  Bliss  has  eight  descendants 
living — one  daughter  and  seven  grand-children.  Of  these 
all  but  one  are  females. 

David  Choate  Procter  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire. 
He  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1818.  He  was 
ordained  in  1821  as  a  Home  Missionary.  On  his  way  to 
Missouri  he  passed  the  winter  at  Indianapolis.  Mr.  Baldridge 
gives  an  exceedingly  interesting  account  of  his  brief  visit  in 
Illinois,  which  I  condense  :  Leaving  Indianapolis  he  crossed 
the  Wabash  and  found  a  lodging  at  a  village  of  cabins,  on 
its  west  side,  called  Mt.  Carmel.  In  the  morning,  when 
preparing  to  start,  his  horse  was  found  to  be  lame.  Unable 
to  go  on  his  journey,  he  began  to  make  enquiries.  He  was 
told  of  two  Presbyterian  families  residing  one  seven,  the 
other  twelve  miles  north  on  the  prairie.  He  at  ouce  set  out. 
On  arriving  at  the  first  of  the  two  dwellings,  the  door  was 
opened  by  a  comely  young  girl,  whose  face  beamed  with 
intelligence.  Satisfied  he  was  right,  he  walked  in  without 
ceremony,  exclaiming,  "  I  am  on  Presbyterian  ground,  I 
know."  His  greeting  was  most  cordially  reciprocated.  It 
was  the  house  of  Cyrus  Danforth,  and  the  day  was  Friday. 
The  next  day,  March  2,  they  all  went  to  the  home  of  Mr. 
Bliss,  five  miles.  On  Sabbath  a  large  congregation  convened 
at  the  school-house  near  Mr,  Danforth's,  and  Mr.  Proctor 
preached.  On  Tuesday  he  preached  again,  and  the  church 
was  organized.  Mr.  Proctor  remained  through  the  week 
and  preached  the  following  Sabbath.  The  next  morning, 
the  nth,  he  went  on  his  way.  He  may  have  gone  on  to  Mis- 
souri, but  if  so  he  was  back  in  Indianapolis  in  the  fall  of  the 
same  year.  In  1823  he  located  in  Kentucky,  and  was  stated 
supply  of  Springfield  and  Lebanon  churches  from  1823  to 
1827.  He  was  temporary  President  of  Center  College, 
Danville,  Ky.,  in  1826.  He  was  Home  Missionary  in  Prince 
Edward  county,  Va.,  from  1827  to  1833;  supply  pastor  in 
Shelby ville,  Ky.,  in  1834,  and  died  near  Frankfort,  Ky.,  Jan- 
uary 18,  1865,  aged  seventy-one. 

CoLLiNsviLLE  Church  (the  place  was  at  its  first  settlement 
called  Unionvi/lc,)  Madison  county,  111.,  was  organized  May 
3,  1823,  by  Rev.  Salmon  Giddings,  with  these  members,  viz.: 


84  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

William  Collins,  Esther  Collins,  Augustus  Collins,  Elizabeth 
B.  Collins,  Eliza  Collins,  Almira  Collins,  Frederick  Collins, 
Oriel  Wilcox,  Susan  Wilcox,  Horace  Look,  Emma  C, 
Look.  Seven  of  these  belonged  to  the  family  of  Deacon 
William  Collins,  who  came  to  this  place  in  tht  fall  of  1822, 
with  his  wife,  three  daughters  and  one  son.  Four  of  his  six 
sons — viz.,  Augustus,  Anson,  Michael  and  William  B. — had 
preceded  him  by  several  years.  The  family  was  from  Litch- 
field, Conn.,  to  which  place  William  Collins,  when  a  young 
man,  had  removed  from  Guilford,  Conn.  The  church,  from 
its  formation  until  jiie  fall  of  1843,  worshipped  in  a  house 
erected  in  18 18,  the  first  frame  meeting-house  built  in  Illi- 
nois. The  stated  preaching  of  the  gospel  was  not  enjoyed 
until  1830,  though  for  nearly  twelve  years  a  Sabbath-school 
had  been  sustained,  and  worship  of  some  kind  had  been  held 
almost  every  Sabbath.  When  a  minister  could  not  be  ob- 
tained, they  met  tor  prayer  and  exhortation,  or  read  a  ser- 
mon. From  1830  to  1840  the  church  enjoyed  for  half  the 
time,  successively,  the  services  of  Revs.  Thomas  Lippin- 
cott,  John  F.  Brooks,  Roswell  Brooks  and  Robert  Blake. 
Up  to  1835  it  was  aided  by  the  Home  Missionary  Society. 
Since  that  time  it  has  received  no  assistance  from  abroad. 
Ministers:  Charles  E.  Blood,  pastor,  commenced  laboring 
with  them  July  4,  1840;  Thomas  Lippincott,  supply  pastor, 
1848;  Lemuel  Grosvenor,  pastor,  1848;  David  Dimond,  sup- 
ply pastor,  1850;  Gideon  C,  Clark,  pastor,  1856;  Charles 
F.  Halsey,  pastor,  1864;  John  D.  Jones,  pastor,  1867;  J. 
R.  Barnes,  pastor,  1870;  George  W.  Coit,  pastor,  1874; 
Joseph  G.  Reasor,  D.  D.,  pastor,  1878.  Elders:  William 
Collins  and  Oriel  Wilcox  at  the  organization  ;  Horace  Look 
and  Frederick  Collins,  January  12,  1829;  William  B.  Collins, 
November  10,  1832;  Lewis  Weeks,  August,  1837;  Hiram 
L.  Ripley,  September  15,  1838;  Philander  Braley,  Austin  B. 
Beach,  James  Haffy,  November  14,  1841  ;  J.  Vanstavoren, 
S.  Shepard,  January  24,  1847;  E.  B.  Lockwood,  February 
21,  1847;  C.  C.  Tread  way,  1861. 

In  the  month  of  January,  1869,  at  a  congregational  meet- 
ing, a  change  was  effected  in  the  organization  of  the  church. 
Deacons  were  elected,  who  in  addition  to  their  proper  func- 
tions, should  also,  with  Elder  H.  L.  Ripley,  exercise  those  of 
Elders.  Two  other  persons  were  chosen,  who  should  con- 
stitute an  advisory  committee  to  counsel  with  the  Deacons 
and  Elder  Ripley.     When  this  Board  acted  in  a  judicial  ca- 


APPLE    CREEK    CHURCH.  85 

pacity  an  appeal  might  lie  either  to  the  Society,  or  the  Pres- 
bytery, or  both.  Under  this  arrangement  the  following  offi- 
cers were  chosen  :  Deacons — James  F.  Wadsworth,  for  three 
years,  J.  C.  Moore,  two  years;  H.  L.  Strong,  one  year.  Ad- 
visory Committee  :  Joshua  S.  Peers,  for  two  years ;  Cars- 
well  McClellan,  one  year.  The  whole  Board  is  at  present  as 
follows:  Elder,  H.  L.  Ripley;  Deacons,  J.  F.  Wadsworth, 
J.  W.  Peers,  George  A.  Miller.  Advisory  Committee — 
J.  S.  Peers,  C.  L.  Roberts,  J.  R.  Miller,  O.  C.  Look. 

The  present  church  building  was  erected  in  1843,  at  a  cost 
■of  about  eighteen  hundred  dollars.  It  was  badly  shattered 
by  a  storm  in  1879.  In  addition  the  church  owns  property  in 
the  shape  of  lots,  a  parsonage,  and  another  valuable  resi- 
dence. It  is  not  in  debt,  and  pays  a  liberal  salary  to  the  pas- 
tor, and  contributes,  though  not  systematically,  to  the  benev- 
olent agencies  of  the  Church  at  large.  The  membership  at 
present  is  about  one  hundred  fifty.  The  Sabbath-school  is 
quite  flourishing ;  two  officers,  fourteen  teachers,  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  pupils. 

The  First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Green  County,  af- 
terwards Apple  Creek. — On  the  last  day  of  April,  1823,  the 
ministers,  Revs.  Oren  Catlin  and  Daniel  G.  Sprague,  met  at 
the  house  of  Zechariah  Allen,  several  persons  who  desired  to 
be  organized  into  a  Presbyterian  church.  After  two  such 
meetings  of  conference  the  organization  was  duly  made  in 
the  Court-house,  May  4,  1823,  under  the  name  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Green  county,  with  these  members: 
Zechariah  Allen,  Elizabeth  Allen,  Ruleff  Stevens,  Elizabeth 
Stevens,  Anthony  Potts,  John  Allen,  Polly  Allen,  Thomas 
Allen,  Margery  Allen,  William  Morrow,  Jean  Morrow,  John 
Dee,  Frances  Bell,  Elizabeth  Bell,  William  Allen,  Sally  Al- 
len, Christian  Link,  Fanny  Painter,  Lucretia  Brush,  Lavinia 
Redel  and  Lucy  Thomas.  Elders:  Zechariah  Allen,  Ru- 
leff Stevens,  Anthony  Potts  and  John  Allen. 

The  church  was  long  without  a  shelter  of  its  own.  Min- 
isters were  (qw  and  itinerating.  -  Services  were  held  as  fre- 
quently as  practicable;  sometimes  in  the  Court-house,  a 
mere  shell  of  a  building;  sometimes  in  an  old  blacksmith 
shop,  near  the  northwest  corner  of  the  village,  and  frequently 
north  of  Apple  Creek,  where  a  large  part  of  the  members 
resided,  and  where  in  1827  a  sacramental  meeting  was  held 
in  which  there  were  several  additions  to  the  membership. 
Hence  the  church  came  to  be  known  in   common  parlance 


86  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

and  on  the  Records  of  Presbytery  as  Apple  Creek  Church, 
April  II,  1840,  the  name  was  changed  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Ilhnois  to  Whitehall. 

Hence,  too,  it  came  about  that  on  Sabbath,  July  24, 
1831,  a  new  church  was  organized  in  CarroUton,  called  The 
Carrollton  Presbyterian  Church,  with  these  members, 
viz. :  Anthony  Potts,  Joseph  Gerrish,  Elizabeth  Gerrish,  Cor- 
nelia H.  Leonard,  Elizabeth  Page,  Abigail  T.  Hopping,  Mi- 
riam Turner,  Sarah  Lee,  Reuben  Page,  Morris  Lee,  Julius  A. 
Willard  and  Almira  C.  Willard.  They  chose  as  Elders, 
Julius  A.  Willard,  Joseph  Gerrish  and  Anthony  Potts. 

Whether  this  church,  or  the  one  organized  in  the  Court- 
house in  Carrollton,  May  4,  1823,  is  the  present  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Carrollton,  I  leave  for  casuists  to  determine.  The 
facts  seem  to  be  tiiat  the  church  of  1823  gradually  made  its 
center  north  of  and  near  Apple  creek,  and  hence  came  to  be 
called  Apple  Creek  Church.  The  members  in  and  near  Car- 
rollton, seeing  that  the  church  of  1823  was  practically  gone' 
from  them,  in  1831  asked  from  Presbytery  a  new  organization, 
which  was  granted.  Thus  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Green  county  became — not  by  express  action  of  Presbytery 
but  by  common  consent  and  usage — Apple  Creek  Church. 
In  1840  it  changed  its  connection  from  Illinois  Presbytery  to 
that  of  Sangamon,  and  presently  died.  But  the  church 
formed  by  Presbytery  at  Carrollton,  July  24,  185 1,  while 
Henry  Herrick  was  in  charge,  is  the  present  Carrollton 
Church, 

In  May,  1832,  Rev.  Elisha  Jenney  took  Mr,  Herrick's 
place  as  stc-ited  supply.  In  July  following  a  meeting  of 
eleven  days  was  held,  in  which  some  fifty  persons  were  hope- 
fully converted.  At  the  close  of  this  meeting  Rev.  Thomas 
Lippincott  became  the  supply,  and  continued  until  the  spring 
of  1835.  Under  his  ministry  sixty-eight  persons  were  received. 
The  next  Elders  chosen  were  Samuel  D.  Gushing,  Alfred  L. 
ShuU  and  John  Evans,  Mr,  Lippincott  was  succeeded  by 
Rev.  Hugh  Barr,  whose  lab'ors  extended  over  a  period  often 
years.  In  1837,  assisted  by  Dr.  Blackburn,  he  held  a  pro- 
tracted meeting,  which  resulted  in  an  accession  of  eleven 
members.  About  this  time  J.  H.  Hinton  and  Peter  Van 
Arsdale  were  made  Elders.  The  place  of  meeting  was  a 
long  brick  building  on  the  southwest  corner  of  the  square.  A 
house  of  worship  was  erected  afterwards  at  a  cost  of  about 
twenty-five  hundred  dollars,  and  dedicated  free  of  debt.     In 


CARROLLTON    CHURCH.  Biy 

1842,  Mr.  Barr,  assisted  by  Rev.  James  Gallaher,  held  an- 
other protracted  meeting,  which  resulted  in  an  accession  to  the 
church  of  some  fifty  persons.  At  this  time  William  Bates, 
Lucius  S.  Norton  and  Robert  L.  Doyle  were  made  Elders, 
After  Mr.  Barr's  term  of  service.  Rev.  James  Dunn  supplied 
the  church  for  two  years.  For  some  time  previous  to  1850, 
much  disorder  existed  among  this  people.  An  attempt  was 
made  to  change  the  polity  of  the  church.  Its  Eldership  be- 
came extinct  by  deaths  and  removals.  The  aid  of  Presby- 
tery was  invoked  ;  and  they,  in  February,  1850,  re-organized 
the  church  with  thirty-one  enrolled  members.  Alexander  W. 
Lynn,  Robert  F.  Clark,  Chester  Armstrong,  M.  D.,  and  J.  H. 
Wilson  were  made  Elders.  Rev.  E.  Jenney  then  supplied  the 
church  for  one  year.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  John  G. 
Rankin,  who  labored  for  ten  years  acceptably  and  with  great 
success.  In  these  years  the  church  received  large  additions, 
and  rose  to  the  condition  of  self-support.  They  also  under- 
took and  executed  an  important  educational  enterprise,  by 
erecting  the  Academy,  which  stands  adjacent  to  their  pres- 
ent church  edifice,  at  an  expense  of  twenty-eight  hundred 
dollars.  During  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Rankin  the  church  also 
purchased  a  parsonage,  valued  at  one  thousand  dollars.  A 
little  before  Mr.  Rankin's  departure,  A.  C.  Hinton  was  made 
an  Elder.  Rev.  Morgan  L.  Wood  succeeded  Mr.  Rankin, 
and  served  the  church  until  the  summer  of  1864.  The  pres- 
ent pastor,  Rev.  Smith  H.  Hyde,  commenced  his  labors  No- 
vember 13,  1864,  has  served  the  congregation  with  great  effi- 
ciency and  success,  and  still  continues  his  valuable  labors. 
Since  183 1  four  hundred  and  eight  persons  have  been  re- 
ceived into  the  church  ;  forty  of  these  died  whilst  residing  in 
CarroUton,  and  two  hundred  and  eighty  have  removed.  The 
present  beautiful  and  commodious  house  of  worship  was 
erected  at  an  expense  of  $11,000,  and  dedicated  unincum- 
bered March  18,  1868.  Improvements  have  also  been  added 
to  the  parsonage  to  the  value  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars. 
Thus  the  sum  total  of  the  property  of  this  congregation  is 
not  less  than  ^16,000.  The  Sabbath-school  work  has,  for  the 
most  part,  been  prosecuted  with  great  vigor,  and  been  an  im- 
portant factor  in  the  church's  internal  well  being  and  external 
usefulness. 

The  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Paris,  Edgar  county, 
111.,  was  organized  by  Rev.  Isaac  Reed,  November  6,  1824, 
with   these    members,    viz. :    John    Bovell,    William    Means, 


88  PRESBYTEKIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

James  Eggleston,  Adriel  Stout,  Amzi  Thompson,  Samuel 
Vance,  Christian  Bovell,  Nancy  Thompson,  Barbara  Alexan- 
der, Ehzabeth  Blackburn,  Hannah  Baird,  Mary  Vance. 
Elders:  Samuel  Vance,  John  Bovell,  William  Means.  The 
next  day.  Sabbath,  November  7,  the  following  wei'e  admit- 
ted: James  Ashmore,  Miss  Cassandra  Ashmore,  Rebecca 
Ives,  Mrs.  Susanna  Means,  Elizabeth  Jones,  Polly  Wayne, 
Eliza  Stout,  Jane  Ewing,  Margaret  Crozier,  Betsey  Burr, 
Mj^ron  Ives,  Mrs.  Sarah  Ives,  Asenath  McKown  and  Rachel 
Ashmore. 

The  history  of  this  church  down  to  1855,  is  so  clearly  given 
in  a  letter  addressed  by  Adriel  Stout,  a  former  Elder  of  this 
church,  to  Rev.  John  Crozier,  that  I  append  it  nearly  entire. 
"  Mr.  Samuel  Vance  and  Smith  Shaw,  were  the  first  set- 
tlers in  Sugar  Creek  Point.  They  arrived,  I  think,  in  the 
fall  of  1822.  Your  father's  family  and  your  grandfather's 
(  Means,)  family  and  my  own  arrived  in  the  spring  of  1823. 
From  that  time  we  would  meet  on  the  Sabbath  and  sing 
and  pray  together,  and  read  one  of  '  Burder's  Village  Ser- 
mons.' Sometimes,  but  not  often,  we  would  have  a  sermon 
from  some  of  our  Methodist  brethren.  Occasionally  Daniel 
Parker  would  visit  our  little  town  ( which  was  located  in 
the  spring  of  1823,)  and  scatter  his  two-seed  doctrine; 
but  we  had  had  no  Presbyterian  preaching  until  Nov.  6, 
1824.  Rev.  Isaac  Reed  had  been  spoken  to  by  Mr.  Vance 
and  your  father  to  come  and  preach  to  and  bring  us  into 
church  order,  but  he  failed  to  come.  In  June,  1824,  I  went 
to  Crawfordsville,  Ind.,  to  see  if  I  could  get  a  minister  to 
come  and  organize  a  church  here.  Mr.  Reed  promised  to 
visit  us  some  time  in  the  fall,  but  did  not  come  until  Nov. 
6.  On  that  day  while  he  was  preaching  there  appeared  to 
be  a  special  Divine  influence  on  the  minds  of  the  people, 
and  many  were  affected  to  tears.  After  sermon  those  pres- 
ent who  had  letters  presented  them,  and  a  church  was 
formed  consisting  of  twelve  members.  Immediately  after 
the  organization,  three  Elders  were  chosen.  The  Session 
met  the  same  evening  and  next  morning,  and  received  four- 
teen others.  We  had  little  preaching  from  that  time  until 
the  latter  part  of  April,  1825,  when  the  devoted  Missionary, 
John  Young,  came  among  us,  and  labored  with  us  until  the 
middle  of  July  following,  preaching  one-half  his  time  here 
and  the  other  half  at  New  Hope  Church,  Ind.  He  was 
loved  by  the  people  among  whom  he  labored,  and  his  labors 


PARIS  CHURCH,  EDGAR  COUNTY.  89 

were  successful,  many  being  added  to  the  church  during 
his  stay  with  us.  After  preaching  his  farewell  sermon  he 
left  for  Vi^icennes,  intending  to  return  to  his  friends  in  New 
York ;  but  he  was  taken  sick  in  Vincennes,  and  died  about 
the  middle  of  August,  bequeathing  most  of  his  property  for 
the  promotion  of  the  cause  of  his  Divine  Master. 

Our  next  minister  was  Rev.  Elbridge  G.  Howe,  whom  we 
engaged  to  preach  to  us  from  March  30,  1827,  for  one  year, 
half  his  time;  the  other  half  to  be  spent  with  New  Hope 
Church.  Owing  to  his  own  and  his  family's  bad  health,  he 
soon  returned  to  the  East.  We  then  employed  Rev,  Alex.  R. 
Curry,  for  three  months.  We  then  employed  Rev.  Claiborne 
Young,  for  six  months,  or  until  the  arrival  of  Rev.  John  Bovell, 
to  whom  we  had  written.  Mr.  Bovell  engaged  with  us,  July  6, 
1829,  and  labored  with  us  but  a  few  months,  when  he  was 
•called  to  his  final  reward.  He  was  an  able  preacher  and  much 
beloved  by  the  church.  Dr.  Samuel  Baldridge  then  preached 
for  us  half  his  time  for  about  one  year.  May  27,  1832,  we 
engaged  Rev.  Enoch  Bouton  to  preach  to  us  for  three-fourths 
of  his  time  for  eleven  months.  He  was  a  good  preacher.  His 
sermons  were  short  and  well  digested.  Under  the  administra- 
tion of  the  last  six  ministers,  a  space  of  about  six  years,  a 
general  coldness  prevailed,  and  but  few,  probably  not  more 
than  nine  or  ten,  were  received  to  the  church  on  profession. 
Rev.  John  Montgomery  commenced  his  labors  with  us  in 
the  fall  of  1833,  and  remained  until  the  spring  of  1836. 
During  his  stay  there  were  added  seven  on  examination  and 
ten  or  twelve  by  letter.  He  was  highly  esteemed  by  all. 
In  the  fall  of  1836  we  employed  Rev.  R.  Rutherford,  half 
his  time,  for  one  year.  During  his  administration  four  or  five 
were  added  by  examination,  and  ten  or  twelve  by  letter. 
Rev.  J,  C.  Campbell  then  supplied  us  one-half  of  the  time 
until  Rev.  Henry  I.  Venable  arrived  in  the  fall  of  1839.  He 
preached  to  us  about  one  and  one-half  years.  In  this  time 
three  or  four  were  added  by  examination  and  about  twenty 
by  letter.  He  afterwards  engaged  in  teaching,  and  did  as 
much  for  the  cause  of  education,  according  to  the  time 
spent,  as  any  other  man  in  the  county.  Rev,  J.  A.  Steel 
supplied  us  about  half  the  time  for  six  months,  until  Rev, 
Joseph  Piatt  arrived.  He  remained  two  years.  A  revival 
occurred  under  his  ministry.  About  eighty  were  added  by 
examination  and  twenty  by  letter.  We  then  engaged  Kev. 
Erastus  W.  Thayer,  who   remained  upwards  of  seven  years. 


90  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

In  this  time  about  thirty  were  added  by  examination  and 
as  many  by  letter.  We  next  employed  Rev.  R.  M.  Over- 
street  for  one  year.  In  the  spring  of  1853  we  employed 
Rev.  Samuel  Newell,  who  labored  with  us  with  good  success. 
Our  Bible  Society  was  organized  two  days  after  the  organi- 
zation of  the  church.  Our  Sabbath  school  commenced  in 
the  spring  of  1825."  In  a  letter  written  by  Rev.  John 
Crozier,  to  Rev.  Samuel  Newell,  then  pastor  of  the  church, 
and  dated  April  20,  1869,  enclosing  the  above  letter,  the 
following  information  was  furnished:  "The  church  was 
organized  in  a  log  school-house,  which  stood  on  corner  of 
the  alley  directly  east,  and  in  the  rear  of  the  old  Alexander 
residence,  on  the  south  side  of  the  public  square  and  court 
house.  The  first  communion  was  celebrated  at  Elder  Wm. 
Means'  residence,  about  two  hundred  yards  north  of  where 
Thomas  Means  now  lives.  Rev.  Isaac  Reed,  in  a  little  book 
called  'The  Youth's  Book,'  published  in  New  York,  in  1828, 
says,  Sept.  29,  1825  :  'I  was  as  far  out  across  the  Wabash 
as  Paris,  Edgar  County,  111.  Indeed  this  was  the  point  of 
my  principal  aim.  I  went  by  the  particular  and  earnest 
solicitation  of  some  of  the  people  in  that  vicinity,  that  I 
would  come  and  bring  them  into  church  order.  They  had 
been  about  two  years  there  with  their  families,  and  no  min- 
ister had  yet  found  his  way  to  their  settlement.  We  crossed 
the  Wabash  three  miles  above  Fort  Harrison,  the  4th  of 
Nov.  1824,  (Rev.  D.  Whitney  was  with  me).  That  night  we 
had  a  meeting  two  and  one-half  miles  from  the  river.  There 
were  present  three  female  members  of  our  Church,  all  of 
them  from  the  State  of  New  York.  One  had  been  seven 
years  there  and  the  others  four.  Neither  had  been  at  a 
communion  since  they  came  into  the  country,  nor  had  they 
heard  a  sermon  for  about  two  years,  and  this  purely  because 
they  had  had  no  opportunity.  The  next  day  at  evening  we 
began  our  meeting  in  the  neighborhood  of  Paris.  Nothing 
unusual  appeared.  The  people  seemed  pleased  to  see  us,  and 
in  the  prospect  of  a  church  and  the  sacrament.  On  the 
6th  we  preached  in  town.  It  was  a  new  and  small  place, 
though  the  seat  of  justice  for  Edgar  County.  The  services 
were  held  in  a  school-house.  While  preaching,  a  very 
uncommon  solemnity  and  deep  attention  prevailed.  Num- 
bers were  affected  to  tears.  After  the  sermon  the  church 
was  constituted.  Paris  is  a  very  small  place  of  about  eight 
cabins.'  " 


PARIS  CHURCH,  EDGAR  COUNTY.  pi 

Elders:  Samuel  Vance,  Nov.  6,  1824,  ceased  to  act 
April  16,  1833;  John  Bovell,  Nov,  6,  1824,  died  June,  1851  ; 
William  Means,  Nov.  6,  1824,  died  June  11,  1848;  Adriel 
Stout,  Sept.  19,  1825,  died  Oct.  17,  1858;  Robert  Brooks, 
Oct.  26,  1828,  dis.  August  6,  1831 ;  Thomas  M.  Brooks,  July 
28,  1832,  dis.  Feb.  5,  1867;  Wm.  R.  Laughlin,  July  28,  1832, 
ceased  to  act  Feb.  17,  1846;  David  McCord,  May  24,  1846, 
dis.  Oct.  1855  ;  Andrew  M.  Vance,  May  24,  1846,  died  Sept. 

12,  1869;  John  Sheriff,  May  24,  1846;  Noah  Harris,  March 

13,  1859,  dis.  May  21,  1871  ;  Albert  B;  Austin,  March  13, 
1859,  died  ^^ay  21,  1878;  Hyslop  A.  Conkey,  March  13, 
1859;  William  Blackburn,  May  7,  1871  ;  George  Dole,  May 
7,  1871  ;  John  C.  Means,  May  7,  1871  ;  John  C.  Collom,  May 
7,  1871  ;  Alexander  Mann,  June  16,  1878  ;  Willett  H.  Judson, 
June  16,  1878.  Rev.  Samuel  Newell,  D.D.,  having  been  the 
pastor  for  nearly  eighteen  years,  was  dismissed  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Mattoon,  April  28,  1871.  Rev.  R.  D.  Van  Deur- 
sen,  was  elected  pastor  by  the  congregation,  July  31,  1871, 
entered  upon  his  labors  Sept.  i,  1871,  and  was  installed  by 
Presbytery  of  Mattoon,  Sabbath,  April  21,  1872.  Rev.  Dr. 
Joseph  W.  Tuttle  preached  the  sermon.  Charge  to  pastor 
by  Rev.  R.  A.  Mitchell.  Charge  to  the  people  by  Rev.  R. 
F.  Patterson.  The  following  facts  are  given  by  the  present 
pastor.  Rev.  R.  D.  Van  Deursen  :  "  There  have  been  received 
to  membership  from  organization  to  date,  1,035  persons.  Of 
these  during  the  ministery  of  Rev.  Samuel  Newell,  D.D.,  from 
1853  to  1871,  four  hundred  and  eighty-two,  Duringthe  min- 
istry of  the  present  pastor  from  1 87 1  to  1878,  two  hundred  and 
twenty.  As  to  the  places  of  worship,  the  church  was  organ- 
ized in  a  small  school-house  which  stood  just  south  of  the 
buildings  on  the  south  side  of  the  public  square,  facing  the  court 
house.  The  court  house  was  generally  used  by  all  denomi- 
nations for  several  years.  The  Communion  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  was  first  celebrated  at  the  house  of  Elder  William 
Means,  about  two  miles  northwest  of  Paris,  Meetings  were 
frequently  held  in  private  houses,  often  at  Elder  Samuel 
Vance's,  near  the  present  residence  of  Mrs,  Dr,  Wm.  Kile, 
also  at  the  school-house,  then  nearly  opposite  and  north  of 
the  Christian  ( Campbellite )  Chapel.  Communion  meet- 
ings were  often  held  in  the  old  court  house,  .  a  large 
frame  building  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  Connelly  & 
Company  on  the  south  side  of  the  public  square.  The 
present  court  house   was   built   in    1833.     At  that  time   the 


92  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

building  of  a  Presbyterian  church  was  agitated,  but  not 
until  1834  was  any  work  begun.  Then  a  lot  was  secured, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1834  a  plain  brick  church,  with  sandstone 
foundation,  was  built,  but  was  not  ready  for  service  until  late 
in  the  year  1835.  Our  people  had  a  camp-ground  where 
they  held  meeting,  between  the  years  1828  and  1832,  in  a 
grove  of  black  walnuts  on  the  ground  just  east  of  the  pres- 
ent I.  &  St.  L.  freight  depot.  The  church  was  not  floored 
permanently  and  seated  until  after  Rev.  H.  I.  Venable  came 
in  1839.  We  have-no  record  as  to  time  of  dedication  of  this 
church.  It  stood  on  the  lot  now  occupied  by  the  Campbell- 
ite  church.  In-^853  a  movement  was  made  toward  a  new 
church  and  subscription  begun,  but  there  was  some  differ- 
ence of  opinion  as  to  location.  In  1854  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent church  was  decided  on,  and  the  house  occupied  in  the 
basement  in  the  fall  of  1855.  The  main  audience  room  was 
finished  and  the  house  dedicated  in  January,  1856.  This  is 
our  present  house  of  worship."  The  dedication  sermon  was 
preached  by  the  then  pastor.  Rev.  Samuel  Newell,  D.  D. 
This  church  has  no  parsonage.  The  pastor  resides  in  his 
own  "hired  house,"  for  the  use  of  which  he  pays  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  dollars  out  of  a  salary  of  fifteen  hundred. 

Isaac  Reed  was  born  in  Granville,  Washington  count}^,  N. 
Y.,  just  across  the  Vermont  line.  He  fitted  for  college  in 
the  academy  of  his  native  town,  and  graduated  at  Middle- 
bury,  Vt.,  in  18 1 2.  He  was  a  class-mate  of  Rev.  John  Mc- 
Elroy  Dickey.  He  studied  law  awhile  in  New  York  city  in 
1 81 3.  His  theological  studies  were  prosecuted  with  private 
ministers,  the  last  of  whom  was  Rev.  R.  R.  Swan,  of  Norwalk, 
Conn.  He  was  licensed  by  an  Association  in  Connecticut. 
On  the  2 1st  of  October,  18 17,  he  started  from  Fairfield 
county,  Conn.,  in  company  with  Rev.  Eli  Smith,  for  Ken- 
tucky. Mr.  Smith's  residence  was  in  Frankfort,  Ky.,  and  he 
was  returning  from  a  visit  to  relatives  in  New  England.  They 
traveled  on  horseback  through  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania, 
up  the  valley  of  the  Shenandoah,  in  Virginia,  across  the  Al- 
leghanies  to  the  Kanhawa,  entering  Kentucky  at  the  north- 
east corner  of  the  State.  The  succeeding  winter  and  until 
the  latter  part  of  July,  1818,  he  preached  in  the  central 
counties  of  Kentucky,  wherever  his  services  seemed  most 
needed.'  The  last  of  July,  1818,  he  crossed  the  Ohio  at  Mad- 
ison, Ind.,  and  commenced  laboring  in  that  State. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  Thomas  Lippincott  and  Isaac 


REV.  ISAAC    REED.  93 

Reed  started  for  the  West  within  one  week  of  each  other — 
Mr.  R.,  October  21,  Mr.  L.,  October  28,  1817.  Their  routes 
and  modes  of  travehng  were  different.  Mr.  R.  made  the  en- 
tire distance  from  Connecticut  to  central  Kentucky  on  horse- 
back;  Mr.  L.  traveled  in  a  one-horse  wagon  across  the  moun- 
tains in  Pennsylvania  to  Pittsburg,  and  then  down  the  Ohio 
in  a  keel  boat  to  Shawneetown.  Mr.  R.  arrived  at  Paris,  Ky., 
November  26;  Mr.  L.  at  Shawneetown  December  30. 

After  laboring  in  various  other  places  in  Indiana,  and  for 
five  weeks  in  New  Albany,  where  there  was  a  Presbyterian 
church  of  thirteen  members,  Mr.  Reed  attended  the  meeting 
of  Transj'lvania  Presbytery,  at  New  Providence  Church  in 
Mercer  county,  Ky.,  and  was  there  ordained,  October  10, 
18 18  From  Presbytery  he  went  to  the  meeting  of  Synod  at 
Lexington,  and  then  returned  to  New  Albany,  where  he  had 
been  invited  to  labor  for  a  year  at  a  salary  of  five  hund  ed 
dollars.  In  that  year  the  church  was  increased  to  thirty-five 
members  and  a  house  of  worship  erected.  The  next  year 
he  itinerated,  under  a  commission  from  the  Missionary  So- 
ciety of  Connecticut,  principally  in  Indiana,  but  also  in 
Kentucky.  He  organized  the  first  church  of  his  ministry 
at  Bloomington,  Monroe  county,  in  September,  18 19. 

The  same  fall  he  attended  the  meeting  of  Synod  at  Dan- 
ville, Ky.,  and  on  Christmas  day  was  married  to  Miss  Elinor 
Young,  by  Rev.  Samuel  R.  Nelson. 

In  March,  1820,  he  went  to  Granville,  Ohio,  with  a  view 
to  settlement.  But  the  arrangement  was  not  perfected,  and 
he  returned  to  Kentucky.  In  March,  1821,  he  fixed  his  res- 
idence at  Nicholasville,  Jessamine  county,  Ky.,  and  labored 
for  several  months  there  and  at  White  Oak,  ten  miles  distant. 
In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  went  on  a  missionary  and  busi- 
ness tour  to  Owen  county,  Ind.,  where  some  of  Mrs.  Reed's 
relatives  were  located.  While  there  he  entered  eighty  acres 
of  land.  In  May  of  1822  he  attended  the  meeting  of  the 
General  Assembly  at  Philadelphia,  and  after  its  close  visited 
his  aged  mother  in  his  native  town.  On  his  return  to  Ken- 
tucky he  continued  to  labor  in  his  old  field  until  the  latter 
part  of  the  next  September. 

On  the  25th  of  that  month  he  left  Kentucky  for  Owen 
county,  Ind.,  a  journey  of  two  hundred  miles.  A  four- 
horse  team  conveyed  their  goods,  Mr.  R.  and  his  wife  travel- 
ing in  a  one-horse  wagon.  They  arrived  in  the  first  week  in 
October,  and  engaged  at  once  in  erecting  a  log  house  upoa 


94  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

his  eighty  acres.  By  Christmas  they  were  occupying  the 
building,  though  in  a  very  unfinished  state. 

About  the  time  of  his  removal  from  Kentucky,  Rev.  Da- 
vid C.  Proctor,  already  mentioned,  engaged  for  one  year  at 
Indianapolis  and  Bloomington.  The  places  were  fifty-two 
miles  apart;  and  Mr.  Proctor  in  passing  from  one  to  the 
other  frequently  stopped  at  Mr.  Reed's  house.  July  3,  1823, 
Mr.  Reed  accompanied  Mr.  Proctor  to  Indianapolis.  On  the 
4th  he  preached  in  a  cabinet-maker's  shop.  On  the  5th,  Sat- 
urday, they,  with  two  other  ministers,  organized  the  Indian- 
apolis Church  in  that  same  rude  shop. 

In  August  of  this  year,  1823,  Mr.  Reed  was  installed  pas- 
tor of  the  church  in  Owen  county — it  was  called  Bethany. 
Rev.  J.  McE.  Dickey  and  Mr.  Proctor  conducted  the  servi- 
ces. In  October  he  attended  the  meeting  of  Presbytery, 
held  at  Shelbyville,  Ky.,  and  from  Presbytery  went  on  to 
Synod  at  Lexington.  That  Synod  divided  Louisville  Pres- 
bytery and  formed  that  of  Salem,  Ind.  This  name  was  given 
it  at  Mr.  Reed's  suggestion,  and  with  reference  to  its  scriptu- 
ral signification.  In  April,  1824,  Salem  Presbytery  held  its 
first  meeting,  and  at  the  town  of  Salem  in  Washington 
county,  Ind.  It  was  at  this  meeting  that  the  church  of 
Wabash  and  the  licentiate,  Stephen  Bliss,  were  taken  under 
care  of  Presbytery.  Immediately  after,  Mr.  Reed  organized 
a  church  in  the  south  part  of  Washington  county,  called 
BethleJiem.  The  same  spring  he  published  a  tract  called  The 
Christian  s  Diiiy.  This  year  he  organized  two  other  churches, 
that  of  Crawfordsville,  Ind.,  and  Paris,  111.,  as  already  related. 
The  same  year  he  traveled  two  thousand  four  hundred  and 
eighty  miles,  attended  sixteen  sacramental  meetings,  received 
into  the  church  forty  persons,  and  baptized  eight  adults  and 
sixty-one  children. 

In  1825  there  were  six  ordinations  in  Indiana,  at  four  of 
which  Mr.  Reed  was  present  and  took  part.  The  first  of 
these  four  was  that  of  B.  R.  Hall  at  Bloomington ;  the  sec- 
sond,  that  of  George  Bush  at  Indianapolis;  the  third,  that 
of  T.  H.  Brown  over  the  Bethlehem  Church,  and  the  fourth, 
that  of  Stephen  Bliss,  as  Evangelist,  at  Vincennes.  This 
year  he  published  three  sermons,  and  a  little  book  on  Infant 
Baptism.  The  same  year  he  organized  a  church  in  each  of 
the  three  counties.  Green,  Putnam  and  Johnson.  In  Sep- 
tember he  again  visited  Paris  and  New  Hope  churches,  and 
preached  the  funeral  sermon  of  John  Young.  This  sermon 
was  printed  at  Indianapolis  in  October. 


REV.  ISAAC    REED.  9,5 

Mr.  Reed  called  his  house  in  Owen  county  Cottage  of 
Peace.  He  was  a  decided  opponent  of  slavery.  In  one  of 
his  printed  sermons  he  exclaims  :  "  Slavery,  that  foul  stain 
upon  civilized  man  ;  that  libel  upon  republicanism  and  inde- 
pendent America;  that  stigma  upon  Christians!" 

The  third  annual  meeting  of  the  Indiana  Missionary  So- 
ciety was  held  in  connection  with  the  meeting  of  Presbytery, 
at  Vincennes,  August  5,  1825.  One  of  its  resolutions,  moved 
by  Rev.  Isaac  Reed  and  seconded  by  Mr.  John  Young,  Mis- 
sionary of  the  General  Assembly,  was  in  substance  this: 
"That  this  Society,  feeling  a  kindred  spirit  with  the  other 
Missionary  Societies  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  presents 
its  warmest  acknowledgments  to  the  Missionary  Society  of 
Connecticut,  and  of  New  York,  and  to  the  Domestic  Mis- 
sionary Society  for  its  aid  and  its  plans  of  /(?^«//«^  missionaries 
in  churches."  The  annual  report,  penned  by  Mr.  Reed,  was 
published.  At  the  next  meeting  of  Presbytery,  held  with 
Pisgah  Church,  in  Scott  county,  in  October  of  the  same  year, 
Mr.  Reed  requested  the  dissolution  of  his  pastoral  connec- 
tion with  Bethany  Church.  One  of  his  reasons  was  this  : 
"Entire  inadequacy  of  support.  From  my  congregation  I 
have  not  had  a  dollar  in  money  for  nearly  two  years."  His 
request  was  granted.  Mr.  R.  continued  for  some  time  to  give 
occasional  supply  to  Bethany  Church,  and  "  endeavored  to 
help  them  to  help  themselves!'  At  the  same  meeting  of  Pres- 
bytery it  was  agreed  to  ask  Synod  to  divide  Salem  Presby- 
tery into  two,  by  a  north  and  south  line,  the  eastern  to  be 
called  Madison,  the  western,  Wabash.  Synod  complied  with 
the  request.  Mr.  Reed's  location  in  Owen  county  placed 
him  in  Wabash.  In  November  of  this  year  Mr.  Reed  was 
again  at  Terre  Haute  and  New  Hope. 

April  5,  1826,  Mrs.  Ann  Young,  the  mother  of  Mr.  Reed's 
wife,  died  at  the  "  Cottage  of  Peace,"  Owen  county,  Ind., 
aged  sixty-three  years.  Her  funeral  services  were  conducted 
by  Rev.  George  Bush,  of  Indianapolis.  The  first  meeting  of 
Wabash  Presbytery  was  held  with  Bethany  Church,  and 
partly  in  Mr.  Reed's  house,  commencing  the  next  day  after 
Mrs.  Young's  death.  May  8,  1826,  while  on  a  missionary 
tour,  Mr.  Reed  again  visited  New  Hope,  and  preached  to 
about  forty  hearers.  In  the  summer  of  1826  Mr.  Reed,  with 
his  family,  consisting  of  his  wife  and  three  children,  trav- 
eled in  a  one-horse  vehicle  from  Owen  county,  Ind.,  to  his 
native  town,  Granville,  N.  Y.,  and  from  thence  to  Moriah,  in 


96  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Essex  county,  a  few  miles  west  of  Crown  Point.  Here  he 
received  a  call  to  settle,  and  was  installed  pastor  of  the 
church.  With  an  account  of  this  settlement  he  closes  a 
book  of  242  pages,  called  "The  Christian  Traveler,"  in  which 
he  details  the  travels  and  missionary  experiences  of  nine 
years.  He  estimates  the  travels  of  those  nine  years  at  18.000 
miles.  He  returned  to  Indiana  in  1828  and  located  at 
Bloomington,  where  his  brother-in-law.  Rev.  B.  R.  Hall,  resid- 
ed. In  1839  l"*^  was  residing  at  Paris,  111.,  and  was  Presi- 
dent of  Paris  Seminary.  He  ended  his  career  at  Olney, 
111.,  January  15,  1858. 

Mr.  Reed  was  "Something  of  an  author.  He  printed  sev- 
eral sermons  and  tracts,  and  two  books.  One  was  called 
"  The  Youth's  Book."  It  contains  two  hundred  and  thirty 
pages  and  consists  of  sermons,  addresses,  poetry,  memoirs 
and  letters  of  his  daughter,  Martha  D.  Reed,  with  extracts 
from  his  diary  and  letters.  The  other  is  "The  Christian 
Traveler."  His  sermons  are  plain,  sound,  common  sense 
discourses.  His  poetry  is  above  or  beneath  criticism.  His 
diaries  and  letters  concerning  Kentucky  and  Indiana  are 
extremely  valuable.  His  labors  in  Illinois  were  confined 
mostly  to  Edgar  county. 

John  Young  was  a  native  of  New  York.  He  graduated 
at  Union  College  in  1821,  and  studied  theology  at  Prince- 
ton. While  a  licentiate  he  came  as  a  Missionary,  under  the 
directions  of  the  Assembly,  to  Indiana,  in  1824,  and  spent 
two  months  at  Madison.  In  the  latter  part  of  April,  1825,  he 
came  to  Edgar  county,  111.,  and  labored  for  six  months  with 
Paris  and  New  Hope  churches  and  with  great  success. 
Early  in  August  he  started  on  his  return  to  the  East  by  way 
of  Viiicennes.  He  was  in  that  place  Aug.  5,  and  made  an 
address  before  the  Indiana  Missionary  Society,  and  the 
Presbytery  of  Salem.  Ten  days  afterwards  he  died  in  the 
same  place,  aged  twenty-eight  years.  He  was  very  active 
and  devoted,  and  his  brief  ministry  was  one  of  great  suc- 
cess. He  is  still  held  in  affectionate  remembrance  by  elderly- 
people  in  Paris  and  the  valley  of  Sugar  creek,  Edgar  county, 
111.     He  was  never  ordained. 

Elbridge  Gerry  Howe,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts. 
He  graduated  at  Brown  University,  R.  I.,  in  182 1,  and  at 
Andover  in  1824.  He  was  ordained  Oct.  6,  of  the  same 
year.  Oct.  31,  1874,  when  seventy-five  years  of  age,  he 
sent  a  very  interesting  communication  concerning  himself,. 


ELBRIDGE    GERRY    HOWE.  97 

to  be  read  at  the  Semi-Centennial  celebration  of  the  Paris 
Church,  Nov.  6,  1874.  From  it  I  make  a  few  extracts  :  "  At 
the  time  your  church  was  formed,  Nov.  6,  1824,  I  was  riding 
on  horseback  through  the  mud  in  northern  Ohio,  on  my 
way  to  lUinois.  I  left  Andover  Seminary  in  September,  and 
my  mother's,  in  Paxton,  near  Worcester,  Mass.,  on  the  3d  of 
Oct.,  and  reached  Vandalia,  the  then  Capital,  on  the  3d  of 
Dec,  a  two  months'  horseback  journey  of  1,342  miles. 
Some  members  of  the  legislature  then  in  session  [our  friend 
Stephen  Bliss,  was  doubtless  one  of  them]  asked  me  to  stay 
over  the  Sabbath  and  preach  ;  but  I  hastened  on  to  spend 
the  next  few  days  at  Greenville  and  other  settlements  on* 
Shoal  creek.  One  of  iny  hearers  was  young  R.  W.  Patter- 
son, now  D.D.,  and  Professor  in  the  Presbyterian  Seminary 
in  Chicago.  I  called  on  Mr.  Giddings  in  St.  Louis.  He 
was  unmarried  and  teaching  for  a  living.  His  church,  the 
First,  had  I  think,  only  one  male  member,  Stephen  Hemp- 
stead. I  then  officiated  four  weeks  in  Kaskaskia.  The 
people  showed  me  no  little  kindness.  The  collection  of 
eight  dollars  taken  for  me  had  this  curiosity,  that  much 
of  it  was  pieces  of  silver  dollars,  which  had  been  made  by 
a  chisel  cutting  the  dollars  into  quarters  and  eighths,  to  cir- 
culate as  change  in  the  lack  of  small  coin.  On  my  way 
North  I  delayed  to  preach  in  Collinsville,  Carrollton  and 
Apple  Creek.  At  Diamond  Grove,  which  became  Jackson- 
ville afterwards,  a  subscription  was  made  for  me,  and  some 
arrangements  to  form  a  church.  I  went  so  far  as  to  select 
the  place,  where  the  Illinois  College  now  stands,  for  a  cabin. 
But  the  law  did  not  then  allow  a  forty  acre  lot  to  be  bought, 
and  an  eighty  was  too  much  for  my  means.  I  was  near 
when  Jacksonville  was  laid  out.  More  than  once  I  had  to 
admire  the  beauty  of  the  site  and  its  surroundings,  and  rid- 
den over  its  untrodden  grass.  I  conducted  the  first  public 
worship  held  at  Naples,  on  the  Illinois  river,  the  place  then 
consisting  of  two  or  three  buildings.  I  held  worship  in 
Springfield  and  other  places  in  Sangamon  county ;  no  Pres- 
byterian church  being  yet  gathered.  In  1825,  there  was 
another  long  horseback  ride,  this  time  through  Kentucky, 
Virginia  and  Washington  City,  to  Rhode  Island,  for  my  wife. 
We  returned  in  autumn  by  public  conveyance  to  Louisville, 
where  I  preached  for  Dr.  Blackburn.  I  bought  a  horse  and 
wagon  for  the  rest  of  the  journey  to  Diamond  Grove.  In 
the  spring  of  1826,  it  seemed  expedient  to  make  Springfield 

6 


98  PRESBVTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

my  residence.  There,  and  in  one  or  two  other  places  in  San- 
gamon county,  were  materials  for  churches,  as  I  found  by 
my  labors  of  this  year.  Pecuniary  pledges  were  made  for 
me  in  Springfield  for  1827." 

Just  here  it  may  be  interesting,  and  perhaps  profitable,  to 
introduce  a  view  of  this  man  from  another  pen,  the  pen  of 
John  M.  Peck.  I  find  it  in  Dr.  Bergen's  scrap  book:  "  With 
Mr.  Howe,  I  became  acquainted  when  he  first  came  to  the 
country.  He  called  on  me  as  he  was  on  his  route  to  Green, 
Morgan  and  Sangamon  counties,  and  was  quite  as  destitute 
of  common  sense  ^  any  green  Yankee  from  New  England- 
^om  I  ever  saw.  His  wife  was  much  the  smartest  man  of 
the  two,  for  tradition  says  she  wrote  his  sermons  for  him. 
In  the  autumn  or  winter  of  1825-6,  I  met  him  on  his  field. 
He  had  become  a  circuit  preacher  on  quite  a  large  scale  for 
a  Presbyterian.  He  had  made  promises  to  supply  the  three 
large  counties  of  Green,  Morgan  and  Sangamon  in  a  three 
weeks'  circuit.  Green  had  two  preaching  places — Carrollton 
and  Apple  Creek.  Morgan  had  three  settlements.  San- 
gamon had  Springfield,  Sangamon  town  and  a  small  settle- 
ment on  Sugar  creek.  The  joke  was  he  engaged  to  preach 
in  each  of  these  settlements  on  the  Sabbath  he  spent  in  the 
county.  This  was  rather  a  hard  task,  when  he  had  to  preach 
three  times  the  same  Sabbath  and  travel  between  meetings 
from  ten  to  twenty  miles.  He  had  about  three  hundred  dol- 
lars on  a  subscription  paper  for  the  year.  This  he  showed 
me,  and  I  saw  the  names  of  lawyers,  doctors  and  trifling 
fellows,  who  never  paid  their  washing  and  board  bills,  yet 
put  down  for  twenty  and  twenty-five  dollars.  I  frankly  told 
him  of  two  objections  to  his  plan.  First,  he  could  not  fill  his 
appointments.  Second,  the  subscription  would  never  be 
paid,  not  even  one-third  of  it.  He  made  a  trial  for  two  or 
three  months ;  got  very  few  hearers  and  no  pay,  and  gave 
it  up  and  sold  his  horse  to  pay  for  him.  At  the  suggestion 
of  some  of  his  friends  in  Springfield,  he  opened  a  school. 
He  began  with  eight  and  in  a  few  weeks  got  down  to  three 
scholars.  He  could  neither  teach  nor  govern.  His  wife 
was  a  modest,  timid  person,  and  dared  not  tell  any  one 
her  distress,  destitution  and  delicate  condition.  They  had 
no  feather-bed  and  only  a  few  things  indispensable  to  a 
frontier  log  cabin.  The  women  had  to  be  called  in,  in  some 
haste,  and  the  old  Virginia  phrase,  '  My  wife  is  in  the  straw,' 
was  a  literal  fact  in  this  case.     Some  of  the  women  ran  home 


BETHEL    CHURCH,   BOXD    COUNTY.  99 

for  blankets,  and  a  supply  of — '  fixens.'  In  short  they  per- 
formed the  double  task  of  having  the  wife  and  mother  com- 
fortable, and  giving  the  husband  a  good  scolding  for  his 
indolence  and  shiftlessness." 

In  February  of  1827,  l\Ir.  Howe  visited  Paris  and  New 
Hope  churches  and  made  an  arrangement  with  them  for  a 
year's  service.  He  then  returned  to  his  family.  In  a  few 
days  Milton  Vance  and  his  father,  Elder  Samuel  Vance, 
came  to  Springfield  with  two  strong  horses  and  a  "  Prairie 
schooner,"  to  transport  the  minister  and  his  family  across  the 
country.  With  much  difficulty  this  task  was  achieved — six 
days  having  been  occupied  in  its  performance.  His  active 
ministry  here  continued  but  three  months.  Early  in  July 
he  was  stricken  down  with  a  fever  which  brought  him  to 
death's  door.  He  was  disabled  for  months.  In  Feb.,  1828, 
he  went  into  the  neighborhood  of  the  Ewings  to  recruit 
among  the  sugar  makers.  There  he  was  appointed  Post- 
master, and  the  office  was  given  his  first  name,  Elbridge, 
the  name  which  it  still  bears.  He  returned  to  New  Eng- 
land that  year,  and  for  ten  years  preached  at  different 
places  in  Massachusetts.  He  then  came  back  to  Illinois,  and 
was  a  Home  Missionary  in  Lake  and  McHenry  counties  until 
1848,  when  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Waukegan.  He  was 
then  in  secular  business  for  twenty  j'ears,  and  buried  in  the 
time  his  first  and  second  wife.  In  October,  1874,  he  was 
living  in  Paxton,  Mass.,  with  his  third  wife  and  two  young 
sons. 

Bethel  Church.  Bond  county.  111.  It  is  in  T.  6  N.,  R. 
4  W.,  Sec,  II,  N.  W.  quarter.  When  Robert  McCord,  his 
son-in-law,  Samuel  Dicicson,  and  x\lexander  Robinson  were 
exploring  this  region,  they  came  to  a  spot  near  where  Bethel 
Church  now  stands.  After  looking  round  they  stuck  down 
a  stake  and  said:  "This  shall  be  our  location."  Then  kneel- 
ing down  they  consecrated  the  place   to   God,  and  called  it 

September  15,  1825,  Revs.  Salmon  Giddings,  William  S. 
Lacey,  and  Elder  William  Collins,  a  Committee  of  Missouri 
Presbytery,  met  with  the  Shoal  Creek  Church,  and  divided 
it  into  three — Bethel  with  sixty-two  members,  Greenville 
with  twenty-nine,  and  the  original  church,  Shoal  Creek,  with 
the  remainder.  Of  the  sixt}'-two  members  assigned  to  Bethel, 
only  three  remained  at  the  semi-Centennial  anniversary, 
September  15,  1875,  vi?.. :  John  D.  Alexander,  James  Robin- 


lOO  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

son  and  Mrs.  Polly  Denny.  There  have  been  in  connection 
with  this  church,  in  all,  four  hundred  and  fifty-nine  members. 
Of  these,  at  the  date  named,  one  hundred  and  forty-two  had 
died,  two  hundred  and  thirty-one  had  been  dismissed  by  let- 
ter and  twenty-one  suspended.  The  following  are  the  Min- 
isters who  have  served  the  church :  Thomas  A.  Spilman, 
1828  to  1830;  Albert  Hale,  1832  to  1836;  E.  S.  Huntington, 
1837;  Thomas  Lippincott,  1838;  Lemuel  Foster,  1839  to 
1845;  Charles  S.  Adams,  1843;  Charles  Barton,  1847;  E. 
B.  Olmstead,  1848  to  185 1 ;  N.  A.  Hunt,  185 1  to  1855  ;  Rob- 
ert Stewart,  1858;  William  C.  Rankin,  1859;  William  H.Bird, 
1859  to  1868;  J.  Scott  Davis,  1869  to  1871;  Charles  Barton, 
second  time,  1872  to  1874;  James  H.  Spilman,  1875.  Mr. 
Spilman  is  still,  1 879,  in  charge.  He  is  a  son  of  the  first  min- 
ister, T,  A.  Spilman, 

Elders  :  Robert  McCord,  David  McCord,  Alexander 
Denny,  Samuel  Dickson,  Daniel  Douglas,  James  Davis, 
James  McClung,  John  A.  McClain,  J.  N.  Adams,  James  Rob- 
inson, James  Denny,  James  M.  Douglas,  Thomas  Cunning- 
ham, John  H.  McCord,  I.  B.  Davis,  J.  M.  Ross,  Francis  Dres- 
ser, J.  D.  Rosebrough  and  Hugh  B.  Douglas.  The  present 
Elders — 1879 — James  W.  Robinson,  Francis  Dresser,  J.  M. 
Ross,  J.  D.  Rosebrough,  Hugh  B.  Douglas.  Bethel  has  had  its 
academy,  which  was  flourishing  until  the  establishment  of 
better  endowed  institutions  and  the  extension  and  elevation 
of  the  common  school  system  rendered  it  unnecessary.  This 
church  was  ever  the  friend  of  freedom  and  the  succorer  of 
the  slave — a  regular  station  on  the  under-ground  railroad, 
when  fugitives  could  not  safely  travel  by  open  highway.  The 
Sabbath-school  of  Bethel  Church  has  ever  ranked  as  first- 
class,  mainly  because  parents  as  well  as  children  attended 
regularly  upon  its  instructions.  Their  first  house  of  worship 
was  a  log  building  twenty  by  twenty-five  feet — the  pulpit 
boxed  up  with  split  clapboards — an  open  space  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  room  where  charcoal  was  burned  to  warm  the 
house.  The  same  kind  of  primitive  heater  was  used  in  the 
Shoal  Creek,  the  Sharon  and  others  of  the  first  church  build- 
ings in  this  State.  Next  a  larger  frame  building  was  con- 
structed a  rod  or  two  in  front  of  the  log  structure.  The  pres- 
ent church  edifice  is  the  third.  Near  by  is  a  pleasant  two-story 
frame  parsonage,  surrounded  by  several  acres  of  glebe  land. 
Tliis  church  has  from  the  first  been  distinguished  for  its  re- 
vivals, several  of  which  were  of  great  power  and  permanent 


THOMAS    A.  SPILMAN.  lOI 

influence  for  good.  Several  of  the  original  families  were 
from  Tennessee,  and  remembered  the  wondrous  works  of 
God  in  that  State  in  the  beginning  of  the  present  century.  It 
has  been  greatly  blessed  in  its  Eldership.  Several  of  them 
were  remarkable  men.  Among  these  Robert  McCord  was 
easily  princeps.  His  person  tall,  well-formed,  commanding; 
his  voice  rich  and  melodious,  he  was  powerful  in  prayer  and 
exhortation.  With  such  elders  there  was  no  difficulty  in 
keeping  up  interesting  and  profitable  public  services  when, 
as  often  happened,  they  were  without  the  stated  ministry. 
This  church  observed  its  semi-Centennial  September  15, 
1875.  Rev.  Robert  Stewart  preached  the  historical  sermon. 
Thomas  A.  Spilman  was  born  in  Garrard  county,  Ky.,  Oc- 
tober, 1797.  He  made  a  profession  of  religion  early  in  life. 
His  younger  days  were  spent  upon  the  farm  with  his  father, 
and  developed  a  strong,  vigorous  constitution  which  emi- 
nently fitted  him  for  the  hardships  of  the  frontier  life  which 
he  was  afterward  called  to  endure.  He  taught  day  and  sing- 
ing schools,  and  was  employed  for  about  eighteen  months  as 
a  scribe  in  a  recorder's  office;  but  did  not  turn  his  attention 
to  the  ministry  until  late  in  life.  ^He  pursued  his  studies  for 
a  time  with  his  brother,  Benjamin  F.,  and  afterward  with 
Rev.  W.  K.  Stewart,  who  was  at  the  head  of  a  flourishing 
academy,  at  Elkton,  Ky.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Muhlen- 
burg  Presbytery,  and  preached  his  first  sermon,  September 
22,  1827,  at  Hopkinsville.  He  went  immediately  to  his 
brother,  Benjamin  F.,  who  was  preaching  in  Illinois.  They 
labored  together  many  months  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
State,  on  the  Ohio  and  Wabash  rivers.  He  was  ordained  at 
Washington,  Ind.,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Wabash,  with  which 
he  was  then  connected,  and  until  Center  Presbytery  was 
formed.  He  next  took  charge  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of 
Hillsborough,  111.  Here  he  labored  as  supply  pastor  for 
twelve  and  a  half  years.  Principally  by  his  assiduous  toil, 
and  the  influence  and  means  of  Elder  Tillson,  the  largest  and 
best  church  edifice,  then  in  the  State,  was  erected.  In  1831 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Clara  S.  Thomson,  of 
Massachusetts.  He  was  early  called  to  drink  the  cup  of 
affliction.  In  1834  he  buried  his  second  child,  and  in  1840 
his  wife.  Soon  after  this  he  closed  his  labors  in  Hillsbor- 
ough. In  1843  he  married  Miss  Susannah  Evans,  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, at  that  time  residing  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Web- 
.ster,  of  Carlyle,  111.     At  this  place  Mr.  Spilman  located  and 


I02  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

preached  for  a  few  months.  In  the  autumn  of  1843  he  re- 
moved to  Morgan  county,  and  took  charge  of  two  small 
churches  about  ten  miles  south  of  Jacksonville,  called  Union 
and  West  Union,  having  also  regular  appointments  at  the 
Sugar  Creek  Church  in  Sangamon  county.  While  living 
in  Morgan  county  he  buried  two  daughters,  one  an  infant, 
the  other  about  eleven  years  of  age.  Mr.  Spilman's  service 
upon  these  fields  continued  for  about  nine  years.  In  1852  a 
stroke  of  apoplexy  ended  his  public  ministry.  On  the  Sab- 
bath he  preached  as  usual.  On  Monday  he  went  with  his 
two  eldest  sons  to^the  timber,  about  four  miles  from  his  resi- 
dence, to  procure  fence  material.  While  using  the  maul  and 
wedge  he  observed  to  one  of  his  sons  that  this  kind  of  work 
bewildered  him.  His  son,  supposing  he  had  an  attack  of 
headache,  did  not  at  first  apprehend  anything  serious.  He 
soon,  however,  discovered  indications  of  mental  derange- 
ment, and  suggested  returning  home.  Mr.  Spilman  was  at 
first  unwilling,  but  after  a  time  consented,  climbed  into  the 
wagon  in  an  awkward  way  and  was  driven  home.  He  was  very 
fond  of  music,  and  on  the  way  sang,  very  much  after  his 
usual  manner,  the  tune  set  to  the  hymn,  "The  Star  of  Beth- 
lehem." A  physician  was  summoned,  but  four  or  five  hours 
elapsed  from  the  time  of  the  attack  before  medical  aid 
reached  him.  His  consciousness  was  nearly  gone.  For  a 
few  days  the  prospect  of  prolonging  his  life  was  very  small. 
He  revived,  however,  and  survived  for  more  than  five  years  of 
strange  mental  prostration  and  bodily  affliction — years  of  pa- 
tient suffering — an  object  of  Christian  sympathy  and  benef- 
icence. For  some  days  after  he  was  stricken  down  he 
seemed  to  possess  little  or  no  mind.  He  was  long  confined; 
to  his  bed.  His  mind  seemed  more  that  of  a  little  child  than 
a  man.  Almost  every  mental  and  bodily  faculty  was  crushed 
and  manacled  by  the  power  of  his  disease.  Either  through 
loss  of  memory,  or  power  of  utterance,  he  had  great  difficul- 
ty in  giving  expression  to  thought,  and  he  would  close  his 
effort  to  express  himself  by  saying,  "  Can't  tell  it."  This 
kind  of  life  was  prolonged  to  him  for  several  years.  A  part 
of  this  time  he  was  able  to  do  a  little  light  manual  labor,  and 
to  attend  public  worship.  He  even  undertook,  on  one  or 
two  occasions,  to  conduct  the  prayer-meeting.  If  there  was 
any  one  thing  in  which  he  was  more  like  his  former  self  than 
another,  it  was  in  leading  in  prayer.  In  that  exercise  his 
faculties  so  far  returned  to  him  that  he  could  express  himself 


GREENVILLE  CHURCH,  BOND  COUNTY.  IO3 

with  some  ease  and  entire  propriety.  What  comfort  he  had 
came  largely  through  reading  the  Bible  and  prayer.  His 
God,  his  duty  and  his  Bible  seemed  to  constitute  the  warp, 
and  the  woof  of  what  thought  he  was  able  to  command. 
Thirteen  days  before  his  death  he  went  to  bed  in  nearly  his 
usual  health;  but  the  next  morning  he  could  not  be  aroused 
to  consciousness.  He  lay  in  this  condition  with  little  change 
until  his  departure.  On  the  12th  of  February,  1858,  in  the 
sixty-first  year  of  his  age,  he  was  called  away.  His  widow 
still  survives,  and  five  of  his  eight  children.  In  all  the  rela- 
tions of  life  he  was  blest  and  made  a  blessing.  The  Rev. 
James  Stafford  pronounced  him  the  best  sermoniser  in.  Kas- 
kaskia  Presbytery. 

Grkexville  Church,  Bond  county,  was  organized  at  the 
the  same  time  and  by  the  same  men  as  Bethel,  and  with 
twenty-nine  members.  From  the  organization  until  near  the 
close  of  1827,  there  was  no  stated  supply.  But  at  the  last 
date  Rev.  Solomon  Hardy  commenced  laboring  with  Green- 
ville and  Shoal  Creek  churches.  He  was  installed  pas- 
tor of  the  two  churches,  Oct.  12,  1828,  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  Missouri.  He  remained  in  that  relation  until  Oct. 
12,  1830,  when  he  was  dismissed  by  the  Center  Presbytery 
of  Illinois.  He  continued,  however,  to  labor  with  those 
churches  until  the  spring  of  1831. 

The  ministers  who  followed  Air.  Hardy  in  the  service  of 
this  church  are  as  follows:  Wm.  J.  Fraser,  1832;  A.  Ewing, 
1833;  Wm.  K.  Stewart,  1835-6;  James  Stafford,  1837-8; 
James  Stafford,  second  time,  1840  to  1850,  except  the  first 
}'ear,  pastor;  Wm.  Gardner,  1850;  Wm.  Hamilton,  1851-2; 
T.  W.  Hynes,  1852  to  1867,  pastor;  Arthur  Rose,  1867; 
Prof.  Geo.  Fraser,  1869  to  1872;  N.  S.  Dickey,  1873-6,  pas- 
tor elect;  Albert  B.  Byram,  ordained  Nov.  7,  1877.  From 
1825  to  1875  there  have  been  enrolled  five  hundred  and 
thirty-four  names.  The  membership  now  in  1879  is  one 
hundred  and  forty-five. 

Elders.  The  original  ones  were  Wm.  Nelson,  Joseph 
Howell  and  i^obert  G.  White.  Since  then  in  the  order  of 
their  election:  John  Gilmore,  George  Donnell,  William 
White,  W.  H.  Draper,  John  Burchsted,  John  Denny  D  jn- 
nell,  James  Enloe,  John  Denny,  James  Bradford,  John  F. 
Templeton,  John  H.  Black.  A.  Shepherd  Denny,  Joseph  M. 
Donnell,  E.  Bigelow,  John  Smiley  Denny,  and  James  Hep- 
burn.    Nine  of  these  are  dead.     The  present  Elders  are  :  A. 


I04  PRESBYTEKIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

S.  Denny,  J.  M.  Donnell,  J.  S.  Denny  and  James  Hepburn.  In 
1875  the  church  adopted  the  term  plan  of  Eldership,  and  now 
.elects  two  Elders  each  year  to  serve  for  three  years.  April 
7,  1832,  Shoal  Creek  Church  was  dissolved,  and  its  members 
added  to  Greenville.  The  reunion  of  1871  added  eighteen 
members.  In  1832,  a  house  of  worship  was  erected  about 
one  mile  northwest  of  the  present  court  house^  in  the  N.  E. 
corner  of  the  S.  E.  quarter  of  Sec.  4,  T.  5,  R.  3.  After  it 
had  ceased  to  be  occupied  as  a  church,  it  was  moved  a  short 
distance  north  and  used  as  a  stable.  The  sills  still  remain 
and  are  thirty-six  by  twenty-four  feet.  In  1844-5,  ^  house 
was  erected  in  the^illage  on  the  site  of  the  present  church 
edifice.  This  was  used  until  1872,  when  it  was  made  over 
at  an  expense  of  ^2,000,  and  re-dedicated  July  13,  1873. 
During  the  pastorate  of  Prof.  Eraser,  a  commodious  parson- 
age was  erected.  This  church  has  enjoyed  many  revivals, 
sustained  the  Sabbath  school  efficiently,  and  done  some- 
thing in  the  cause  of  benevolence. 

Solomon  Hardy  was  born  in  Hollis,  N.  H.,  Sept.  7,  1796. 
His  parents,  Solomon  and  Mary  Hardy,  were  devoted  Chris- 
tians, and  consecrated  their  son  to  the  gospel  ministry.  He 
was  fitted  for  college  at  Phillips'  Academy,  Andover,  Mass., 
under  the  tuition  of  John  Adams.  He  graduated  at  Middle- 
bury  College,  Vt.,  in  1824,  and  at  Andover,  Sept.  25,  1827. 
He  was  licensed  and  probably  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Londonderry,  and  commissioned  as  a  Missionary  to  Illinois 
by  the  A.  H.  M.  Society.  He  commenced  his  labors  in  the 
State  at  Kaskaskia,  Nov.  19,  1827,  but  soon  made  his  way 
to  the  churches  of  Greenville  and  Shoal  Creek.  He  was 
installed  pastor  of  those  churches,  and  remained  with 
them  and  left  them  as  stated  above.  From  the  meeting 
of  the  Presbytery  which  installed  him,  Oct.  12,  1828, 
he  went  immediately  to  the  Synod  at  Vincennes,  where 
action  was  taken  for  the  establishment  of  Center  Presbytery. 
From  Vincennes  he  rode  to  St.  Louis,  and  assisted  in  the 
ordination  of  W.  S.  Potts.  From  thence  he  went  north 
through  Greene  and  Morgan  counties,  preaching  at  Carroll- 
ton  and  Jacksonville,  and  visited  the  little  church  in  Fulton 
county.  He  was  married  in  Jacksonville,  111., Sept.  25,  1829, 
to  Miss  Mary  B.  Barton,  daughter  of  Rev.  T.  T.  Barton, 
formerly  pastor  of  the  First  Church,  Fitchburg,  Mass.  In 
Oct.,  1829,  the  Synod  of  Indiana,  embracing  the  Presbytery 
of  Madison,  Salem,  Wabash,  Missouri  and  Center  of  Illinois, 


SOLOMON    HARDY.  IO5 

met  with  the  Shoal  Creek  Church.  In  his  house,  consisting 
of  one  large  room,  which  answered  the  purposes  of  kitchen, 
parlor  and  bed-room,  he  and  his  wife  entertained  Rev.  J. 
G.  Bergen,  of  Springfield,  and  Rev.  Calvin  Butler,  of  Indi- 
ana, with  Mr.  B.'s  wife  and  infant  son.  In  the  Shoal  Creek 
Church  there  were  dissensions  and  alienations  of  several 
years'  standing,  which  resulted,  in  1832,  in  the  dissolution  of 
the  church  as  such,  and  its  union  with  Greenville.  Mr. 
Hardy's  pastoral  relation  with  these  churches  was  dissolved 
by  Presbytery,  Oct.  12,  1830.  He,  however,  continued  his 
labors  with  them  until  the  spring  of  1831,  when  he  removed 
to  Jacksonville,  and  took  an  agency  for  three  months  for 
the  A.  B.  S.  After  that,  for  about  one  year,  he  was  without 
any  stated  charge.  In  the  summer  and  fall  of  1832,  he  sup- 
plied the  pulpit  of  Rev.  Asa  Turner,  of  Quincy.  He  then 
removed  to  Mendon,  fifteen  miles  from  Quincy,  and  there,  in 
February,  1833,  organized  a  Congregational  church,  with 
seventeen  members.  After  laboring  there  one  year  and  six 
months,  his  health  failed  and  he  gave  up  his  charge.  In 
May,  1835,  he  was  sent  as  Commissioner  to  the  Assemblj- 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Schuyler.  The  meeting  was  at  Pitts- 
burg. From  thence  he  went  to  his  home  in  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  never  returned  to  Illinois.  For  three  years,  from 
Sept.,  1837,  he  labored  at  South  Wellfleet,  Barnstable  county. 
Mass.  Then  at  the  adjoining  town  of  Eastham  for  two 
years.  His  ministry  in  both  these  places  was  greatly  blessed. 
While  maturing  plans  for  returning  to  Illinois,  he  was  taken 
ill,  and  entered  into  rest  Oct.  2,  1842.  He  was  the  father  of 
seven  sons,  five  of  whom  entered  the  spirit  land  before  him, 
and  one  soon  after.  One  only  remains,  who  is  an  Elder  in 
the  Central  Presbyterian  Church,  Denver,  and  with  whom 
his  widowed  mother  resides.  Mr.  Hardy  died  at  the  age  of 
forty-six  years  and  twenty-five  days. 

Jesse  Townsend,  according  to  A.  H.  H.  Roundtree,  of 
Hillsboro,  111.,  "came  to  Illinois  in  1820,  and  settled  be- 
low John  Street's,  west  of  the  west  fork  of  Shoal  creek,  a 
few  miles  south  of  southwest  of  Hillsboro.  He  estab- 
lished a  Sabbath  school  at  Rev.  James  Street's  house,  be- 
fore the  erection  of  the  Street  church,  which  enterprise  he 
largely  aided.  He  preached  occasionally  at  the  Street 
house.  When  about  returning  East  he  delivered  his  fare- 
well s»^rmon  in  the  Clear  Spring  Church.  He  was  a  man  of 
■dark  complexion,  well-knit  frame,  pleasant  manners,  and  a 
good  speaker." 


I06  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Thomas  Lippincott  speaks  of  him  as  preaching  to  the 
churches  and  settlements  on  Shoal  creek,  and  for  some 
months  at  Edwardsville.  He  also  labored  in  Missouri,  His 
home,  on  Shoal  creek,  was  a  center  of  hospitable  attractions. 
He  was  the  only  minister  who,  up  to  1825,  tarried  long 
enough  in  Illinois  to  make  it  worth  while  to  connect  with 
Presbytery.  He  did  this — joining  Missouri  Presbytery  ia 
1824.  On  Sabbath,  March  21,  1824,  Presbytery  met  in  the 
Baptist  meeting  house  in  St.  Louis.  It  was  sacrament  day 
and  Mr.  Townsend  preached.  He  preached  the  funeral  ser- 
mon of  Brittania  S.  Brown,  in  Alton,  September  15,  1822. 
In  1825  he  returned  to  the  State  of  New  York,  the  scene 
of  his  former  labors. 

Shawneetown  derives  its  name  from  a  band  of  the  Shaw- 
nee tribe  of  Indians,  located  there  from  1735  to  1760.  It 
contained  a  i&w  straggling  houses  from  1805.  It  was  the 
nearest  point  on  the  Ohio  to"  the  salt  wells,  twelve  miles  west. 
It  was  laid  out  by  direction  of  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment in  1813-14,  that  point  being  chosen  on  account  of  its 
contiguity  to  the  United  States  salines.  But  the  place  was 
subject  to  inundations.  In  18 1 3  a  flood  arose  to  the  ridge 
poles  of  many  of  the  log  houses  and  swept  forty  of  them 
away.  Tradition  says  that  when,  in  18 13,  the  inhabitants  of 
Shawneetown  heard  of  Gen.  Jackson's  victory  at  New  Or- 
leans, they  burned  their  log  school-house  for  a  bonfire,  such 
was  the  exuberance  of  their  patriotic  joy. 

Most  of  the  early  missionaries  to  Illinois  and  Missouri  Ter- 
ritories came  first  to  Shawneetown,  landing  there  from  the 
river,  or,  if  they  had  traveled  from  the  East  by  land,  either 
crossed  the  river  at  that  point,  after  traveling  through  Ken- 
tucky, or  came  down  to  the  place  from  Vincennes.  From 
Shawneetown  their  almost  uniform  route  was  across  to  Kas- 
kaskia,  via  Coleman  Brown's — twenty-four  miles;  Mrs.  De- 
ment's,  thirty-one  miles;  Flack's,  twenty-eight  miles,  and 
then  Kaskaskia,  thirty-three  miles — in  all  one  hundred  and 
sixteen  miles.  This  was  the  route  pursued  by  Backus  Wil- 
bur, in  1816;  by  John  F.  Crowe  ancl  Eliphalet  VV.  Gilbert,  in 
1 8 17;  by  Mr.  Thomas  Lippincott  and  his  family,  in  Febru- 
ary, 18 1 8  (he  was  six  days  and  a  half  making  the  distance;) 
by  Edward  Hollister  and  Daniel  Gould  in  December,  1820. 
John  Tillson  and  his  wife,  in  the  fall  of  1822,  pursued  a  route 
to  the  right  of  this,  which  brought  them  to  the  Kaskaskia 
river  near  Carlyle.     Some  of  these  travelers  have  left  on  rec- 


SHAWXEETOWX    CHURCH.  10/ 

ord  their  impressions  of  Shawneetown.  Mr.  Low,  in  i8i6, 
says:  "Among  its  two  or  three  hundred  inhabitants  there 
was  not  a  single  soul  that  made  any  pretensions  to  rehgion. 
Their  shocking  profaneness  was  enougli  to  make  one  atraid 
to  walk  the  street ;  and  those  who  on  the  Sabbath  were  not 
fighting  and  drinking  at  the  taverns  and  grog-shops,  were 
either  hunting  in  the  woods  or  trading  behind  their  counters. 
A  small  audience  gathered  to  hear  the  missionary  preach  ; 
but  even  a  laborer  who  could  devote  his  whole  time  to  the 
field  might  almost  as  soon  expect  to  hear  the  stones  cry  out 
as  to  effect  a  revolution  in  the  morals  of  the  place."  Mr. 
Lippincott  says:  "We  found  a  village  not  very  prepossess- 
ing; the  houses,  with  one  exception,  being  set  up  on  posts 
several  feet  from  the  earth.  The  periodical  overflow  of  the 
river  accounts  for  this."  Mr.  L.  was  here  during  the  whole 
of  January,  i8i8. 

Mrs.  Tillson  was  there  in  November,  1822.  She  says: 
"Our  hotel,  the  only  brick  house  in  the  place,  made  quite  a 
commanding  appearance  from  the  river,  towering,  as  it  did. 
among  the  twenty — more  or  less — log  cabins  and  the  three 
or  four  box-looking  frames.  One  or  two  of  these  were  oc- 
cupied as  stores  ;  one  was  a  doctor's  office  ;  a  lawyer's  shin- 
gle graced  the  corner  of  one,  cakes  and  beer  another.  The 
hotel  lost  its  significance,  however,  on  entering  its  doors. 
The  finish  was  of  the  cheapest  kind,  the  plastering  hanging 
loose  from  the  walls,  the  floors  carpetless,  except  with  na- 
ture's carpeting — with  that  they  were  richly  carpeted.  The 
landlord  was  a  whisky  keg  in  the  morning,  and  keg  of  whisky 
at  night;  stupid  and  gruff  in  the  morning,  by  noon  could 
talk  politics  and  abuse  the  Yankees,  and  by  sundown  was- 
brave  for  a  fight.  His  wife  kept  herself  in  the  kitchen  ;  his 
daughters,  one  married  and  two  single,  performed  the  agree- 
able to  strangers;  the  son-in-law,  putting  on  the  airs  of  a 
gentleman,  presided  at  the  table,  carving  the  pork,  dishing 
out  the  cabbage,  and  talking  big  about  his  political  friends. 
His  wife,  being  Jiis  wife,  he  seemed  to  regard  a  notch  above 
the  other  branches  of  the  family,  and  had  her  at  his  right 
hand  at  the  table,  where  she  sat  with  her  long  curls,  and  with 
her  baby  in  her  lap.  Baby  always  seemed  to  be  hungry 
while  mammy  was  eating  her  dinner,  and  so  little  honey  took 
dinner  at  the  same  time.  Baby  didn't  have  any  table-cloth 
— new  manners  to  me." 

The    history    of    Shawneetown    Church,  during    the    first 


I08  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

thirty-tlirec  years  of  its  existence,  is  intimately  connected 
with  that  of  Rev.  B.  F.  Spilnian,  which  I  have  already  given 
and  need  not  repeat.  He  began  in  December,  1823,  and 
labored  here  a  part  of  the  time  for  thirty  years.  The  next 
minister  after  Mr.  Spilman's  temporary  retirement  from  the 
field  in  1845,  was  Rev.  Wm.  G.  Allen,  from  1846  to  1848 
He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  J.  M.  McCord.  Mr.  Spilman 
returned  to  the  church  Nov.  23,  185 1,  was  installed  the  sec- 
ond time  in  June,  1853,  and  retained  his  pastoral  relation 
until  his  death,  May  3,  1859.  The  next  minister  was  N. 
F.  Tuck,  a  licentiate  of  Ebenezer  Presbytery.  He  was 
ordained  by  the"  Presbytery  of  Saline,  at  Carmi,  May  23, 
i860,  and  remained  with  the  Shawneetown  Church  until  the 
next  August.  His  salary  was  nine  hundred  dollars  per 
annum.  Rev.  Benj.  C.  Swan  commenced  his  labors  as  sup- 
ply pastor  the  first  week  in  Oct.,  i860.  In  the  fall  of  1862, 
he  was  appointed  Chaplian  of  the  Thirteenth  Regiment  of 
Illinois  Volunteers.  He  resigned  his  commission  and  was 
re-employed  at  Shawneetown  as  supply  pastor,  Nov.  16, 
1863.  November  20,  1864,  he  was  installed  pastor,  and  so 
continued  until  Aug.  i,  1868.  Rev.  Charles  C.  Hart,  of 
Logan,  Ohio,  was  called  to  the  pastorate  Aug.  ii,  1868,  and 
entered  upon  his  work  the  next  October.  He  was  installed 
Nov.  1 2, 1 868,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Saline,  and  dismissed  Oct. 
9,  1 87 1.  Rev.  A.  R.  Mathes  was  installed  pastor  by  a  com- 
mittee of  Cairo  Presbyterj^,  Dec.  6,  1872,  and  dismissed  in 
April,  1875.  Rev.  J.  M.  Green  labored  as  supply  pastor  for 
two  years  from  the  beginning  of  1 876.  The  present  pastor. 
Rev.  John  McCurdy  Robinson,  was  installed  Nov.  14,  1878. 
According  to  Mr.  Spilman,  Shawneetown  Church  was  organ- 
ized May,  1826.  Tradition  says  the  first  members  were  si.x 
females.     The  first  entry  in  the  Sessional  Records  is  this  : 

Shawneetown,  Nov.,  1827. 
The  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  was  administered  to  the  church  for  the 
first  time  by  Rev.  Benj.  F.  Spilman,  and  the  following  persons  were  recognized 
as  members:  James  De  Wolf,  Amira  Marshall,  Achsah  Caldwell,  Hannah  Gold, 
Mary  Oldenburg,  Lydia  Dutton,  Sr.,  Lydia  Dutton,  Jr.,  Ann  B.  Spilman,  Mary 
Campbell,  Judith  Castles.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson,  were  considered  as  mem- 
bers, but  did  not  commune.  Of  the  above  named,  Anna  Marshall,  Hannah 
Gold,  Mary  Oldenburg,  Judith  Castles  and  Lydia  Dutton,  Jr.,  were  received 
into  communion  for  the  first  time. 

B.  F.  Spilman,  Clerk. 

Elders.  Washington  A.  G.  Posey,  Sept.  27,  1829,  died 
May  20,  1843  ;  John  Siddall,  Nov.  1 1,  1837  ;  Geo.  W.  Cay  ton, 
Nov.  25,  1843;  Alex.  Kirkpatrick,  Nov.  25,  1843,  <Jied  July 


SHAWNEETOWN    CHURCH.  IO9 

I,  1863;  John  Kirkpatrick,  July  14,  1847;  William  H  Stick- 
ney,  Aug.,  1847;  John  L.  Campbell,  Aug.,  1847;  Allen  Red- 
man, Sept.,  1847;  Matthew  Hunter,  April  3,  1859;  Thomas 
S.  Ridgway,  April  24,  1859;  John  AIcKee  Peeples,  March  30, 
1863;  Robert  Reid,  June  22,  1867;  Geo.  A.  Ridgway,  Nov, 
24,  1872;  Joseph  W.  Redden,  Nov.  24,  1872;  Benj.  F. 
Brockett,  Nov.  24,  1872;  Henderson  B.  Powell,  May  7, 
1876;  Carl  Roedel,  May  7,  1876.  Seventeen  persons  have 
served  the  church  as  Elders. 

Places  of  worship.  The  first  was  a  one-story  frame  house 
known  as  the  Seabolt  property.  It  stood  on  the  spot  now 
occupied  by  "  Docker's  Riverside  Hotel."  Other  private 
houses  and  ware-houses  were  used.  The  first  house  of  wor- 
ship was  erected  about  1832.  It  was  twenty  by  thirty  feet  in 
size,  and  was  of  hewn  logs.  On  the  inside  it  had  a  gallery 
running  across  one  end  and  part  of  the  two  sides.  Its  cost 
was  about  eight  hundred  dollars.  The  site  is  now  occupied 
by  the  public  school-house.  The  present  church  building  is 
of  brick,  was  completed  in  May,  1842,  and  cost  about  ^5,000. 
It  was  thoroughly  repaired  and  Sabbath  school  room  added 
in  1875,  at  a  cost  of  ^1,917. 

The  Parsonage  is  a  commodious  building,  pleasantly 
situated,  with  a  fine  view  of  the  river.  It  was  bought  of  E. 
J.  Nicholson  for  ^2,062.  Of  this  sum  Peeples  and  Ridgway 
paid  ^1,262,  Mrs.  Rebecca  Bowls,  six  hundred  dollars,  and 
Mrs.  Eliza  J.  Kirkpatrick  two  hundred  dollars.  The  first  and 
second  wives  of  Rev,  B.  F.  Spilman  were  connected  with  this 
church.  Mrs.  Ann  B.  (Cannon)  Spilman  was  one  of  the 
original  members.  She  died  Feb.  14,  1835.  Mrs.  Mary 
(Potter)  Spilman  united  with  this  church  Nov.  8,  1 840.  She 
was  dismissed  to  unite  with  a  Presbyterian  church  in  Boston, 
Mass.,  Feb.  21,  1870.  Shawneetown  Church  has  been  per- 
mitted to  reap  several  spiritual  harvests,  though  not  until 
after  a  long,  patient  and  painful  sowing  of  the  seed.  In  May, 
1858,  there  was  a  season  of  refreshing  during  which  thirty- 
five  united  with  the  church.  In  the  January  next  following,, 
forty-two  united,  making  an  accession  of  seventy-seven  in 
eight  months.  This  was  the  last  year  of  Mr.  Spilman's 
labors  and  life — a  glorious  harvest  from  a  sowing  continued, 
with  some  interruptions,  for  thirty-six  years.  In  the  latter 
part  of  the  summer  and  in  the  fall  of  1869,  there  was  great 
religious  interest,  and  thirty-seven  persons  united  with  the 
church.     In  April,  1870,  the  church  reported  a  membership 


T  lO  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

of  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven,  the  largest  number  ever 
connected  at  any  one  time.  The  number  reported  in  1878, 
was  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight.  Whole  number  con- 
nected with  the  church  from  the  beginning,  four  hundred 
and  thirty-three.  The  influence  of  this  church  through  the 
whole  of  southern  and  southeastern  Illinois  has  been,  and 
is,  great  and  highly  salutary.  Numbers  have  gone  forth 
from  its  connection  in  various  directions,  and  formed  the 
nuclei  of  other  churches.  Among  its  members  has  ever 
been  seen  that  rare,  charming  and  most  potential  combina- 
tion, wealth  and  devoted  piety.  Hence  its  ministry  has  ever 
been  well  sustaiiffed ;  the  benevolent  objects  of  the  Church 
liberally  supported,  and  large  sums  contributed  for  general 
educational  and  other  charitable  purposes.  Their  position 
upon  the  much-discussed  morality  of  the  amusement  of 
dancing  is  this :  "  That  dancing,  even  in  moderation  and  in 
private  society,  is  not  innocent." 

Jacksonville,  the  First  Presbyterian  Church.  *  It 
was  Rev  John  Brich  who,  on  Saturday,  June  30,  1827,  in 
Judge  John  Leeper's  barn,  a  mile  southeast  of  town,  or- 
ganized this  church.  On  that  heated  Saturday  morning, 
without  the  sound  of  "church-going  bell,"  the  people  left 
their  scattered  homes  and  went  to  that  spot  to  worship,  and 
to  make  a  covenant  of  peace,  one  with  another  and  with 
God.  They  who  entered  into  the  sacred  compact  were  all 
professors  of  religion,  and  brought  certificates  of  good  stand- 
ing in  the  churches  from  which  they  came.  Their  names  are 
as  follows :  "John  Leeper  and  Fidelia,  his  wife;  Edwin  A. 
Mears  and  Sarah,  his  wife;  James  Mears  and  Polly,  his  wife, 
and  Harvey  McClung;  James  Kerr  and  Janett,  his  wife; 
William  C.  Posey  and  Sarah,  his  wife,  and  Hector  G.  Tay- 
lor." All  these  were  persons  of  excellent  character,  earnest 
Christians,  constituting  such  a  nucleus  as  could  not  fail  to 
attract  and  attach  to  itself  the  best  elements  of  society. 
Leeper  and  Posey,  the  first  elders,  and  Kerr  and  Taylor,  who 
were  soon  added  to  the  Session,  were  men  of  unusual  intel- 
ligence and  worth.  The  society  thus  formed  was  the  first, 
and  for  some  years  the  only  one  of  its  order  in  Morgan 
county,  then  embracing  the  territory  now  included  in  the 
counties  of  Morgan,  Cass  and   Scott,     The  population  was 

*The  account  of  this  church,  in  a  condensed  form,  is  taken  from  the  semi-Cen- 
tennial  sermon  of  its  pastor.  Rev.  L,  M.  Glover,  D.  D.,  preached  to  his  own 
congregation,  June  30,  1877,  The  sermon  is  entitled,  "  Much  from  Little."  Te.xt, 
Ps.  72:16. 


JACKSONVILLE    CHURCH.  Ill 

sparse,  but  there  were  many  Presbyterian  families  within 
those  extensive  bounds.  And  how  deeply  the  session  of 
the  church  felt  their  responsibility  in  regard  to  the  scattered 
sheep  of  that  wide  region,  appears  from  their  record  of  Nov. 
3,  1828,  when  they  divided  the  county  into  four  nearly  equal 
parts,  and  assigned  an  elder  to  each  part.  For  awhile  the 
services  of  this  church  were  only  occasional  and  irregular. 
Father  Brich  now  and  then  came  around  on  his  circuits  and 
broke  the  bread  of  life  to  the  little  flock,  and  then  was  off 
again.  Besides,  for  several  years,  there  was  no  sanctuary 
proper,  but  worship  was  conducted  in  private  dwellings, 
barns  and  school-houses,  as  was  found  convenient  or  nec- 
essary. Only  a  few  years  since,  the  old  log  building 
erected  at  an  early  day  for  school  purposes,  and  used  by  the 
various  denominations  in  common  for  religious  services,  gave 
way  before  the  march  of  improvement.  It  stood  near  the 
building  until  lately  known  as  the  Third  Ward  School-house. 
It  was  a  rude  structure  with  puncheon  floor  and  benches, 
and  ever\-thing  to  match. 

In  studying  the  records  of  this  period,  I  discover  those 
constructive  tendencies  which  have  ever  characterized  an 
evangelical  and  orthodox  faith.  This  movement,  from  the 
first,  was  vigorous,  and  its  aims  were  decidedly  towards  up- 
building on  permanent  foundations.  Hence,  in  about  one 
year  after  organization,  when  the  members  did  not  exceed 
fourteen,  and  before  any  effort  had  been  made  to  build  a 
house  of  worship,  a  pastor  was  settled  in  due  form.  It  was 
the  Rev.  John  M.  Ellis,  a  native  of  New  England.  He  was  a 
man  of  good  abilities,  an  earnest  and  faithful  minister  of  the 
Gospel,  a  pioneer  in  the  cause  of  education  as  well  as  of  re- 
ligion. His  pastorate  continued  until  1831,  about  three 
years,  during  which  time  the  church  was  largely  increased, 
and  quite  directly  through  his  instrumentality  the  foundations 
of  two  important  institutions  of  learning  were  here  laid.  The 
second  pastor,  Rev.  A.  H.  Dashiell,  was  installed  Decem- 
ber, 1835,  but  the  relation  lasted  only  to  October  12,  1836. 
Rev.  Ralph  W.  Gridley  was  installed  April  25,  1838.  His 
labors  continued  for  a  little  over  two  years.  He  died  on  the 
2d  of  February,  1840.  The  fourth  pastor  was  Rev.  W.  H. 
Williams,  who  was  installed  May  8,  1842.  His  ministry 
was  useful,  but  of  short  duration,  for  in  September  of  next 
year  he  resigned,  in  order  to  take  charge  of  the  Female 
Academy.     Rev.  Chauncev  Eddy  was  the  fifth  pastor,  and 


113  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

was  installed   June   30,  1844.     This  relation  continued   four 
years,  or  until  the  spring  of  1848. 

Thus  in  the  space  of  twenty-one  years  there  were  five 
regular  pastorates,  all  of  them  short,  while,  in  the  intervals,  a 
considerable  number  of  stated  supplies  also  ministered  to  the 
church  for  limited  terms. 

The  sixth  pastor  was  Rev.  L.  M.  Glover,  installed  Novem- 
ber 19,  1848,  and  still  in  office. 

The  first  church  building  was  a  parsonage.  That  erected^ 
and  the  pastor's  family  in  it,  it  became  at  once,  not  only  a 
home,  but  a  boarding-school  for  young  ladies,  the  pastor's 
wife,  Mrs.  Ellis,  befng  the  preceptress  ;  and  this  was  the  germ 
of  "  Jacksonville  Female  Academy,"  that  pioneer  institu- 
tion for  the  education  of  women  in  the  West.  The  building 
of  the  house  of  worship  followed  in  1831.  It  was  a  frame 
structure,  thirty  by  forty  feet  in  size,  and  erected  at  an  ex- 
pense of  about  twelve  hundred  dollars.  To  this  the  church 
contributed  liberally  of  its  limited  means,  and  what  else  was 
necessary  Mr.  Ellis  begged  from  Christian  friends  at  the 
East.  The  ground,  not  only  for  the  parsonage  and  church, 
but  also  for  the  Female  Academy,  was  donated  by  Dr.  Ero 
Chandler,  an  early  citizen  of  Jacksonville,  and  the  first  per- 
son who  united  with  the  church  after  the  organization  dur- 
ing the  year  1827. 

In  that  little  church  building,  now  remembered  as  "old 
Jerusalem,"  the  people  were  happy ;  President  Beecher's 
great  lectures  on  the  Apocalypse  are  associated  with  it;  and 
many  precious  seasons  of  revival  were  enjoyed  there.  The 
congregation  grew  and  the  house  was  enlarged.  There  the 
church  continued  to  worship  for  sixteen  years,  or  until  1847, 
when  another  building  was  erected.  At  that  time  the  "  old 
Jerusalem"  property  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  contrac- 
tor for  the  new  edifice,  and  by  him  it  was  sold  to  a  little 
company  of  Universalists,  who  for  awhile  held  service  there, 
but  in  a  few  years  became  extinct.  At  length  the  property 
came  into  possession  of  the  old  school.  The  new  edifice  was 
brick,  forty-five  by  seventy  feet,  with  basement,  and  occupied 
the  spot  where  this  house  stands.  The  building  was  neat,  com- 
fortable and  cost  some  eight  thousand  dollars.  Having  been 
used  about  fourteen  years,  it  was  burned  on  the  morning  of 
Sabbath,  December  i,  1861.  The  house  had  been  he^ited 
the  evening  previous  for  a  choir  meeting,  and  the  burning 
flue  was  the  occasion  of  the  casualty.     That  was  a  sad  morn- 


JACKSONVILLE    CHURCH.  II3 

ing  to  this  people  ;  their  holy  and  beautiful  house  was  burned 
with  fire;  a  new  instrument  of  music  and  new  furnishings 
throughout  were  in  ruins.  The  aged  were  downcast  and  the 
children  were  in  tears.  Yet  that  evening  the  congregation 
assembled  in  the  chapel  of  the  Female  Academy,  and  the 
pastor  preached  on  the  subject  of  providence,  the  very  dis- 
course intended  for  the  morning  service  in  the  church,  but 
now  renderedsingularly  impressive  by  the  event  which  illus- 
trated it.  From  that  time  onward,  for  more  than  five  years. 
Sabbath  services  were  held  in  Strawn's  Hall,  then  recently 
completed,  and  remarkably  adapted  to  the  purposes  of  relig- 
ious worship.  There  the  congregation  not  only  held  its 
own,  but  increased. 

On  the  4th  of  August,  1864,  the  corner  stone  of  this  edi- 
fice was  laid  with  appropriate  ceremonies.  It  was  dedicated 
on  the  6th  of  January,  1867.  Its  cost  was  about  sixty  thou- 
sand dollars. 

During  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Ellis,  the  "handful"  of  twelve 
became  about  one  hundred.  The  pastorate  of  INIr.  Gridley 
was  marked  by  large  ingatherings.  Numerous  seasons  of  re- 
vival have  occurred,  by  which  the  congregation  has  been 
increased  in  all  stages  of  its  history.  The  membership  at 
present  is  about  three  hundred.  About  eleven  hundred 
members  have  been  enrolled  from  the  beginning.  How 
many  churches  may  be  traced  directly  or  indirectly  to  that 
organization,  fifty  years  ago,  in  Judge  Leeper's  barn,  we 
cannot  tell,  but  of  a  considerable  number  here  and  here- 
about, we  have  certain  historical  knowledge  that  they  sprang 
from  that  handful.  In  the  year  1830,  only  three  years  after 
the  original  organization,  six  members  were  dismissed  to 
unite  in  the  formation  of  Providence  Church,  in  Jersey  prai- 
rie, then  in  Morgan,  but  now  within  the  limits  of  Cass  county. 
During  the  year  1831,  twenty-seven  persons  were  set  off  by 
order  of  the  Presbytery  to  constitute  the  Union  Church, 
some  ten  miles  south  of  town.  In  1833,  twenty-two  received 
letters  to  enter  into  the  organization  of  the  Congregational 
Church  of  Jacksonville.  In  1838,  signalized  by  a  general 
disruption  of  the  Presbyterian  body  in  the  United  States, 
about  thirty  persons  left  and  became  an  Old  School  Church, 
now  the  "Central  Presbyterian  Church"  of  Jacksonville.  In 
i860,  thirty-four  persons  withdrew  and  formed  the  Westmin- 
ster Presbyterian  Church  of  this  city.  The  records  also 
show  that  other  churches  in  the  neighborhood,  as  the  Pisgah 

7 


114  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Presbyterian  and  the  Concord  Congregational,  received  con- 
tributions of  members  from  us  at  the  time  they  were  founded, 
or  very  soon  after.  In  the  large  region  over  which  this 
church  at  the  first  extended  its  jurisdiction  may  now  be  found 
fourteen  Presbyterian  congregations,  containing  an  aggre- 
gate membership  of  about  fifteen  hundred,  while  the  people 
they  touch,  influence  and  embrace  in  their  assemblies,  num- 
ber many  thousands. 

But  there  are  other  results  direct  and  indirect,  more  than 
can  be  gathered  up,  moral  and  educational  as  well  as  relig- 
ious. Who  couM  have  foretold  that  within  three  years 
from  the  founding  of  the  church,  a  college  and  a  female 
seminary  would  spring  up  near  it,  as  it  were  from  the  same 
planting,  the  same  identical  root?  Yet  this  took  place,  and 
just  in  that  line  of  connection  and  dependence.  In  the 
teeming  brain  of  Mr.  Ellis,  the  first  pastor,  those  enterprises 
originated,  and  they  sustained  a  vital  relation  to  the  efforts 
put  forth  at  that  early  day  to  establish  and  extend  all  right 
principles  and  influences  in  this  great  valley  of  the  West. 
Of  the  original  twelve,  the  grave  has  taken  all  but  one,  iVIrs. 
Sarah  Mears,  who  still  lives  to  see  and  rejoice  in  what  God 
has  wrought,  long  after  most  of  her  associates  have  fallen 
asleep. 

The  list  of  the  Elders  of  this  church  is  as  follows :  John 
Leeper,  Wm.  C.  Posey,  James  Kerr,  Hector  G.  Taylor,  James 
G.  Edwards,  David  B.  Ayers,  M.  M.  L.  Reed,  James  Mears, 
James  Craig,  Daniel  C.  Pierson,  John  Adams,  Edward  Hale, 
Henry  Jones,  John  B.  Fairbank,  David  A.  Smith,  Joel  Catlin, 
Fleming  Stevenson,  Hart  Massey,  John  Hughes,  Timothy 
D.  Fames,  Wm.  Dod,  Felix  G.  Farrell,  S.  Barton  Hardy, 
Clinton  Fisher,  John  H.  Woods,  Charles  A.  Barker. 

John  Brich  was  an  Englishman  by  birth  and  peculiarities. 
In  the  school  of  the  Countess  of  Huntingdon  he  received 
his  education  for  the  ministry.  When  he  came  to  this 
country  is  not  known,  and  nearly  all  the  history  of  him  to 
which  we  have  access  is  found  in  floating  traditions,  and  in 
the  vanishing  memories  of  the  few  still  living  who,  fifty  years 
ago,  were  familiar  with  his  features,  voice  and  work.  Physi- 
cally he  was  large  and  capable  of  much  endurance.  His 
talents  were  respectable,  but  his  learning  and  culture  were 
limited,  as  appears  from  some  remnants  of  his  papers.  But 
he  had  sound  sense,  a  warm  heart,  and  an  earnest  zeal  in  the 
Master's   cause,  which    he  pursued    self-denyingly,  traveling 


CARMI    CHURCH.  II5 

•extensively  at  his  own  charges,  visiting  the  people  in  their 
widely  scattered  homes  and  settlements,  everywhere  preach- 
ing the  word  and  gathering  churches  as  he  was  able.  He 
perished  in  March,  1837,  a  victim  to  his  zeal,  when  attempt- 
ing to  cross  a  great  prairie  in  one  of  the  northern  counties 
•of  this  State.  He  lost  his  way.  Night  overtook  him.  He 
was  found  sitting  at  the  root  of  a  tree.  He  lived  a  bachelor 
and  was  over  sixty  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
He  located  near  the  present  site  of  Jacksonville,  in  1825  or 
1826.  He  always  preached  holding  his  little  Bible  in  his  hand. 
As  stated  above,  he  organized  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
in    Jacksonville. 

The  church  at  Cari?ii,  White  county,  Illinois,  was  organ- 
ized Nov.  25,  1827,  by  Rev.  B.  F.  Spilman,  under  the  name 
of  "  Christ's  Church,  under  the  care  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  the  Presbyterian  Church,"  at  the  house  of  Richard 
Graham,  with  these  members,  viz.:  Benjamin  Spilman,  Rich- 
ard Graham,  Josiah  Stewart,  Nancy  Stewart,  Nancy  Blue, 
Sarah  Graham,  Robert  H.  Morris,  Phoebe  Morris,  Elenor  Pom- 
roy,  Joseph  Pomroy,  Mary  Wilson,  Margaret  Wilson,  Samuel 
T.  Boyd,  Eliza  Ann  Boyd  and  Abner  Planders.  Benja- 
min Spilman  and  Richard  Graham  were  made  Elders.  Sep- 
tember 18,  1869,  the  name  was  changed  to  that  of  The  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Carmi.  During  the  first  twelve 
years  there  were  added  twenty-eight  members.  In  the  same 
period  Rev.  B.  F,  Spilman  often  supplied  the  church.  To  fill 
an  appointment  on  one  occasion  he  walked  from  Shawneetown 
to  Carmi,  thirty  miles,  when  the  roads  were  not  passable 
for  a  horse.  Arriving  late,  on  another  occasion,  a  dance  had 
commenced.  But  the  company  presently  seated  themselves 
and  Mr.  Spilman  preached.  Rev.  Isaac  Bennet  labored  here 
to  some  extent  in  1829,  and  also  in  1833-4,  Rev.  William 
Hamilton  was  here  in  1832.  Rev.  Andrew  M.  Hershy  was 
supply  pastor  in  1840,  and  continued  for  about  two  years. 
Rev.  R.  H.  Lilly  was  supply  pastor  in  1842-3.  Rev.  John  L. 
Hawkins  commenced  labor  here  in  1845,  ^^d  continued  till 
1849.  Of  his  work  here  he  says.  "When  I  commenced 
my  ministerial  labor  in  White  county,  the  church  at  Carmi 
-was  entirely  disorganized,  with  few  members  remaining, 
although  the  name  of  the  church  was  retained  on  the  roll  of 
the  Presbytery.  After  some  time,  a  Mr.  Thompson  was 
chosen  Elder.  The  choice  proved  unfortunate,  and  in  a 
short  time  the  church  was  again  without  an  officer."     Rev. 


Il6  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Hillery  Patrick  preached  here  occasionally,  between  1849' 
and  1855.  Rev.  John  S.  Howell  labored  here  a  portion  of 
his  time  for  eight  years,  or  from  1854  to  1862.  Rev.  R, 
Lewis  McCune  was  supply"  from  June,  1862,  to  March 
I,  1865.  During  this  time  twelve  persons  were  added  to 
the  church.  Rev.  John  Huston  served  this  church  from 
Nov..  1865,  to  May,  1868.  Rev.  Benj.  C.  Swan  commenced 
his  labors  here,  Aug.  i,  1868.  The  churches  of  Enfield  and 
Sharon  were  united  with  it  in  one  charge  until  March,  1871. 
From  that  time  until  the  close  of  his  pastorate,  Oct.,  1877,. 
he  gave  hisentire»time  to  Carmi,  The  present  (1879,)  minis- 
ter, is  Rev.  William  S.  Wilson.  The  place  of  public  wor- 
ship, to  about  185 1,  was  the  court  house,  which  is  somewhat 
better  than  no  place  at  all.  Sometimes,  however,  preaching 
was  held  at  private  houses.  About  185 1  a  house  of  worship 
was  erected  by  the  Methodists.  It  is  the  building  at  present 
occupied  as  a  store-room  by  Mr.  George  Williams.  In  this 
they  were  assisted  by  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  here  the 
congregations  met  on  alternate  Sabbaths.  The  present  house 
of  worship  was  erected  in  1866. 

Elders:  Benjamin  Spilman,  Richard  Graham,  James  E. 
Willis,  William  B.  Thompson,  Josiah  Stewart,  William  A. 
St.  John,  John  G.  Powell,  Chauncey  S.  Conger,  Everton  J, 
Conger.  During  Mr.  Swan's  ministry  fifty-five  persons  were 
added  to  the  church,  and  there  was  a  steady  increase  in  the 
attendance  upon  public  worship.  From  January  to  March,. 
1870,  the  church  enjoyed  an  interesting  revival.  The  benev- 
olent enterprises  were  systematized  and  the  amounts  given 
steadily  increased.  The  church  edifice  was  renovated  within 
and  without.  The  Sabbath  school  has  been  steadily  main- 
tained since  about  1834,  and  has  now  great  efficiency.  This 
congregation  is  favored  with  several  families  of  much  intelli- 
gence, refinement,  wealth,  and  Christian  activity. 

Sangamon,  afterwards  The  First  Presbyterian  Church 
OF  Springfield,  III.  It  was  organized  on  the  30th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1828,  by  Rev.  John  M.  Ellis,  under  the  name  of  San- 
gamon, with  the  following  members,  viz. :  Mrs.  Elizabeth  H. 
Smith — in  whose  room  the  church  was  organized — John 
Moore,  James  White,  Elijah  Scott,  John  N.  Moore,  Samuel 
Reid,  William  Proctor,  Andrew  Moore,  Josiah  Stillman,  Eliz- 
abeth Moore,  Mary  Moore,  Margaret  Moore,  Catharine 
Moore,  Jane  Reid,  Phcebe  Moore,  Jane  Scott,  Nancy 
R.    Humphries,    Ann    lies    and    Olive    Slaytor.      Elders: 


FIRST    CHURCH    OF    SPRINGFIELD.  11/ 

John  Moore,  Samuel  Reid,  Isaiah  StiHrnan  and  John  N. 
Moore.  The  church,  thus  organized,  was  without  a  pastor 
or  house  of  worship.  The  first  effort  was  to  secure  a  minis- 
ter, and  appHcation  was  made  immediately  to  the  Home  Mis- 
s'ionary  Society  for  assistance  in  this  direction.  The  Society 
sent  to  the  infant  church  Rev.  John  G.  Bergen,  of  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Elizabethtown,  N.  J.  Mr.  Bergen  arrived  about 
the  middle  of  December,  1828.  The  church  then  had  twenty- 
eight  names  on  the  roll  of  communicants.  Services  were 
held  in  the  school-house,  and  alternated  between  Spring- 
field and  Indian  Point.  The  bounds  of  the  congregatron  in- 
cluded all  the  territory  within  a  radius  of  twenty  miles,  some 
members  attending  from  Irish  Grove,  After  arriving  in 
Springfield  and  making  the  acquaintance  of  the  community, 
Mr.  Bergen  announced  his  intention  to  stay,  to  labor  and  die 
with  this  people;  and  his  first  exhortation  was,  "Let  us  arise 
and  build."  The  church  responded  to  the  call,  and  resolved 
at  once  to  undertake  the  building  of  a  Presbyterian  meet- 
ing-house. Dr.  John  Todd,  Dr.  Gershom  Jayne,  Elijah  Sla- 
ter, Washington  lies,  David  S.  Taylor,  John  B.  Mofifit  and 
Samuel  Reid  were  appointed  Trustees.  Mr.  Bergen  and  Dr. 
Jayne  canvassed  the  community.  The  result  was  a  sub- 
scription of  twelve  hundred  dollars.  Several  hundreds  were 
added  from  abroad.  It  was  determined  to  build  of  brick.  A 
mason,  who  was  also  a  brickmaker,  was  imported  from  Belle- 
ville. The  house  was  finished  and  dedicated  on  the  third 
Sabbath  of  February,  1831.  It  was  the  first  brick  church 
erected  in  Illinois.  From  this  time  the  church  rapic^}' 
increased.  In  1834  an  interesting  revival  occurred  and 
over  thirty  were  added.  Owing  to  the  great  distance 
from  Springfield  of  those  members  living  on  Indian  Creek 
and  at  Irish  Grove  settlement,  a  colony  of  thirty-two  persons 
was  dismissed  in  May,  1832,  and  organized  by  Mr.  Bergen 
into  tlie  church  of  "  North  Sangamon."  In  1833  another 
church  was  formed  at  Sugar  Creek,  and  still  another  at  Lick 
Creek.  In  1834  Farmington  Qiurch  was  formed.  In  May, 
1835,  thirty  members  were  dismissed  to  form  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Springfield.  In  the  same  year  a 
church  was  organized  at  Irish  Grove.  Thus,  during  the  first 
six  years  of  his  ministry,  Mr.  Bergen  organized  six  churches 
in  territory  originally  occupied  by  the  mother  church.  No- 
vember 25,  1835,  Mr.  Bergen  was  installed  pastor  on  a  salary 
of  four  hundred  dollars,  v.'hich  was  increased  in    1837  to  si.x 


Il8  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

hundred.  By  1840  the  necessity  of  a  larger  church  edifice 
became  apparent.  The  ladies  first  moved  and  raised  one 
thousand  dollars,  which  the  gentlemen  of  the  congregation 
increased  to  fifteen  thousand.  The  cornerstone  was  laid  on 
the  corner  of  Third  and  Washington  streets,  May  23,  1842, 
and  the  building  dedicated  November  9,  1843.  In  1848  an- 
other revival  of  considerable  interest  ensued.  In  January, 
1849,  forty  persons  were  dismissed  and  organized  into  the 
"Third  Presbyterian  Church  of  Springfield."  After  labor- 
ing for  twenty  years  and  spending  much  time  in  missionary 
work  Mr.  Bergen  resigned  the  pastorate.  His  successor  was 
Rev.  James  Smith-,  D.D.,  of  Shelbyville,  Ky.,  who  was  in- 
stalled April  II,  1849,  and  remained  until  December  17,  1856. 
His  successor  was  Rev.  John  H.  Brown,  who  was  installed 
in  January,  1857.  His  labors  here  were  abundant  and  suc- 
cessful. There  was  no  marked  revival  during  his  pastorate, 
but  a  steady,  healthful  growth.  He  remained  until  June, 
1864.  The  next  pastor  was  Rev.  Frederick  H.  Wines.  He 
was  installed  in  September,  1865,  and  resigned  in  June,  1869. 
The  largest  revival  which  the  church  has  experienced  was 
under  his  ministry,  in  connection  with  the  labors  of  Mr.  Ham- 
mond, in  1866.  Seventy  persons  were  admitted  at  one  com- 
munion on  profession.  He  resigned  in  1869.  The  present  pas- 
tor. Rev.  James  A.  Reed,  D.D.,  was  installed  in  February,, 
1870,  and  has  now  served  the  church  more  than  nine  years. 
Two  years  ago,  under  his  pastorate,  two  hundred  and  fifty- 
five  members  had  been  received,  one  hundred  and  fifty  of 
thf  m  by  profession,  and  one  hundred  by  certificate.  Steps 
were  about  to  be  taken  for  the  erection  of  a  new  edifice, 
when  the  Third  Church  offered  to  dispose  of  their  building, 
which  was  heavily  encumbered  with  debt.  The  offer  was  ac- 
cepted, and  the  Third  Church  transferred  their  edifice  to  the 
First.  The  organization,  however,  of  the  Third  Church  still 
continues.  Three  years  ago  at  least  sixteen  hundred  persons 
had  been  in  the  communion  of  this  church.  Of  the  original 
nineteen  members,  three  years  ago  three  were  still  living, 
viz.:  William  Procter,  of  Lewistown,  111.;  Margaret  Moore 
(now  Mrs.  Waters,)  Clinton,  Ue  Witt  county,  111.,  and  Elijah 
Scott,  of  Virginia,  Cass  county.  The  oldest  man  in  the  con- 
gregation is  Maj.  lies.  In  this  connection  I  will  introduce  a 
notice,  mainly  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Bergen,  of  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth H.  Smith,  whose  name  stands  first  on  the  register  of 
this  church.     She  was  a  daughter  of  Col.  John    Nash,   of 


FIRST    CHURCH    OF    SPRINGFIELD.  II9 

Prince  Edward  county,  Va.,  who  was  a  devoted  patriot  with 
Washington.  She  was  a  child  of  prayer.  Her  father  was  a 
man  of  God,  descended  from  a  pious  race  of  ancestors  from 
Wales.  She  was  married,  in  the  time  of  the  revolution,  to 
Rev.  John  Blair  Smith.  He  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Robert 
Smith,  of  Pequa,  Lancaster  county.  Pa.,  which  was  early  a 
Presbyterian  settlement  of  emigrants  from  Wales,  Scotland 
and  Ireland.  Rev.  John  Blair  Smith  was  one  of  three  broth- 
ers, all  of  whom  became  eminently  useful  in  the  ministry, 
and  were  only  part  of  the  streams  which  have  flowed  from 
Conestoga  valley  to  bless  the  church.  He  was  made  Pres- 
ident of  Hampden  Sidney  College  on  the  resignation  of  his 
brother,  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith,  L.L.  D.,  who  succeeded 
Dr.  Witherspoon  in  the  Presidency  of  Princeton  College. 
Under  the  ministry  of  Mrs.  Smith's  husband,  in  Virginia,  a 
powerful  and  extensive  revival  of  religion  occurred,  the  influ- 
ence of  which  extended  through  that  State,  and  also  to  North 
Carolina  and  Kentucky.  He  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of 
the  Third  Presbyterian  Church  of  Philadelphia.  Thence  he 
became  the  first  President  of  Union  College,  Schenectady. 
From  thence  he  returned  to  Philadelphia,  and  was  called  to 
rest  from  his  labors  in  1799. 

After  the  death  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Smith  returned  to 
the  home  of  her  childhood,  where  she  remained  until  the 
death  of  her  father.  She  then  removed  to  Princeton,  to 
educate  her  sons.  Thence  to  Philadelphia  to  complete  the 
education  of  her  daughter.  There  Dr.  Todd,  then  a  stu- 
dent of  medicine,  became  acquainted  with  the  family,  and 
afterwards  married  the  daughter.  After  that  event,  mother 
Smith  made  her  home  with  Dr.  Todd.  That  home  was  five 
years  in  Lexington,  Ky.  In  18 17,  she  removed  with  his 
family  to  Illinois,  and  settled  in  Edwardsville.  It  was  in  the 
month  of  December.  She  has  often  been  heard  to  tell  of 
the  driving  snow  that  fell  on  their  floor  and  beds  through 
the  open  roof  and  chinks  of  logs  in  that  first  night  in  their 
log  cabin.  One  of  the  greatest  privations  she  felt  in  the 
Far  West,  was  the  want  of  the  Christian  ministry  and  church 
companionship.  She  wrote  a  letter  which  was  laid  before 
the  General  Assembly,  and  in  consequence,  two  ministers 
were  sent  in  18 18.  The  church  at  Edwardsville  was  formed 
in  her  room,  March  15,  18 19.  Doubtless  her  name  was  the 
first  on  the  now  lost  register  of  that  church.  In  1822,  Rev. 
Abraham  Williamson,  another  missionary  from  New  Jersey, 


I20  PRESBYTERIAXISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

arrived  on  the  field.  He  labored  at  Edwardsville  and 
Shoal  Creek.  In  the  latter  place  he  met  the  "Sons  Anak  " 
as  he  called  them;  but  in  Edwardsville  he  found  consolation 
and  support  in  the  prayers  and  cheerful  spirit  of  Mrs.  Smith 
and  the  family  of  Dr.  Todd.  Mrs.  Smith  removed  to 
Springfield  with  the  family  of  Dr.  Todd,  in  1827.  Here 
again  she  met  with  the  same  trial  of  Christian  privation  she 
had  borne  in  Edwardsville.  Here  again  in  her  room  a 
band  of  kindred  spirits  were  organized  into  a  church,  hold- 
ing the  faith  of  her  fathers.    She  died  at  Springfield  in  1843. 

John  G.  Bergen,  D.D. 

This  sketch  of  this  honored  fatlier  is  from  the  biographical  sermon  preached 
at  his  funeral  by  Rev.  Frederick  H.  Wines.  The  material  of  it  is  gathered 
almost  exclusively  from  Dr.  Bergen's  own  papers,  and  is  therefore  entirely  relia- 
ble.    The  text  uf  his  sermon  was  Rev.  14:13. 

He  was  born  on  the  27th  of  Nov.,  1790,  at  Hights- 
town,  Middlesex  county,  ten  miles  southeast  of  Prince- 
ton, New  Jersey.  His  parents'  names  were  George  I. 
Bergen  and  Rebecca  Combs.  George  I.  Bergen  was  a 
descendant  of  the  Bergen  family  of  Norway,  and  Rebecca 
Combs  of  the  Combs  family  of  Scotland.  The  Bergen  who 
first  emigrated  to  this  country  was  a  single  man,  a  ship 
builder  by  trade.  He  came  over  the  seas  in  one  of  Commo- 
dore Hudson's  ships,  in  the  year  1621.  In  the  year  1635,  he 
married  the  first  white  woman  that  was  ever  born  in  the  prov- 
ince of  New  Netherlands.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Huguenot 
parents,  who  had  fled  from  the  bloody  Papal  persecutions 
in  France.  Dr.  Bergen's  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Jonathan 
Combs,  an  Elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Cranberry, 
New  Jersey.  His  ancestors  came  from  Scotland  in  the  old 
ship  Caledonia,  which  brought  the  first  emigrants  fleeing 
from  the  persecution  under  Archbishop  Sharp  and  the 
dragoon  Claverhouse,  to  this  new  world. 

Dr.  Bergen's  education  began  at  Cranberry,  in  the  paro- 
chial academy.  A  few  years  later,  when  his  father,  under 
the  pressure  of  business  perplexities,  removed  to  Somerset 
county,  he  attended  the  academy  at  Basking  Ridge,  presided 
over  by  Dr.  Finley.  Dr.  Finley  was  the  father  of  the  colo- 
nization movement,  a  scheme  kindly  meant,  but  impossible 
of  execution,  as  the  event  has  shown,  to  which,  nevertheless, 
Dr.  Bergen  gave  his  life-long  adherence;  so  deep  were  the 
impressions  made  upon   his  mind  in  his  youth. 

In  1806  he  entered   the  junior  class  at  Princeton  College. 


"■ffmcThTfr^r  ^'^^ 


^''^-^i=^ 


DR.  JOHN    G.  BERGEN.  121 

In  March,  i8iO,  Mr.  Bergen  was  appointed  tutor  in  Princeton 
College,  an  honor  which  he  declined  at  first,  but  was  subse- 
quently induced  to  accept.  In  the  discharge  of  the  duties 
of  the  position  he  derived  much  assistance  from  a  wise  coun- 
sel of  Dr.  WoodhuU — "  let  your  commands  be  reasonable  ; 
and  when  given,  inflexible !  "  While  tutor,  he  sat  in  the  gal- 
lery of  the  Princeton  church  and  heard  the  Rev.  Dr.  Archi- 
bald Alexander,  in  i8ii,  deliver  the  address  at  his  installa- 
tion as  first  professor  in  Princeton  Theological  Seminary. 

In  i8ii  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Presbytery  of 
New  Brunswick.  In  September,  1812,  he  resigned  his  tutor- 
ship, to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  the  sacred  calling.  On  the 
following  Saturday,  with  a  letter  of  introduction  in  his 
pocket,  he  set  out  for  Madison,  New  Jersey,  then  called  Bot- 
tle Hill,  forty  milei  from  Princeton,  and  twenty  miles  west 
of  New  York  City.  The  deacon  to  whom  his  letter  was 
addressed  made  his  appearance  unshaved,  in  shirt  sleeves 
and  bare  feet,  but  treated  him  kindly.  He  found  four  vil- 
lages in  the  congregation,  which  embraced  fifteen  hundred 
souls  and  two  hundred  communicants.  It  was  a  very  com- 
pact settlement,  covering  about  four  miles  square,  and  was 
one  of  the  oldest  and  largest  congregations  in  the  Presbytery. 
Mr.  Bergen  preached  on  Sunday;  a  congregational  meeting 
was  called  for  Monday ;  on  Tuesday,  one  of  the  Elders 
came  to  Princeton,  and  after  making  such  inquiries  as  he 
saw  fit,  an  official  letter  was  placed  in  Mr.  Bergen's  hands 
on  Wednesday,  informing  him  that  it  was  the  unanimous 
desire  of  the  congregation  that  he  should  consider  himself 
a  candidate  for  settlement.  He  returned  to  Madison,  spent 
two  Sabbaths  and  the  inte«*vening  week  there,  was  called  to 
the  pastorate,  and  was  ordained  Feb.  17,  181 3.  From  the 
commencement  of  his  ministry  at  Madison,  he  greatly 
desired  a  revival  of  religion  in  the  church. 

He  asked  counsel  of  his  older  brethren  in  the  ministry, 
who  advised  him  to  preach  Christ  crucified,  repentance  to- 
ward God,  and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He  com- 
menced a  round  of  earnest  labor.  He  spent  one  day  every 
week  in  pastoral  visitation,  accompanied  by  an  elder.  Once 
a  month  he  catechised  the  children  of  the  church.  On  the 
first  Sabbath  of  December,  18 14,  at  the  close  of  the  first 
year  of  his  ministry,  a  revival  commenced  which  lasted  for 
five  months,  and  resulted  in  the  addition  of  sixty-nine  mem- 
bers to  the  church,  on  profession  of  their  faith.     In  the  year 


122  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

1 8 19  a  second  revival  of  religion  visited  the  church;  and  a 
third  in  1821-22 — a  work  of  grace  of  surprising  magnitude 
and  interest. 

The  causes  which  led  him  to  turn  his  footsteps  to  the 
West  were  two.  First,  trouble  in  the  church  at  Madison, 
occasioned  by  an  unruly  spirit,  a  man  full  of  zeal  and  of 
spiritual  self-conceit.  The  other  cause,  which  turned  his 
thoughts  Westward,  was  the  removal  of  his  relatives  to  Ken- 
tucky and  Illinois.  His  uncle,  old  Major  Conover,  left  the 
State  in  1790,  and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Woodford 
county,  Ky.  From  there  he  removed,  in  1821,  with  his  con- 
nexion, to  Jersey  Prairie,  in  Morgan  county.  111.,  where  he  is 
believed  to  have  cut  the  first  sapling.  This  family  were  all 
Baptists.  In  May,  18 18,  after  the  close  of  our  second  war 
with  England,  financial  reverses  consequent  upon  the  inun- 
dation of  British  goods,  led  Dr.  Bergen's  father  to  remove  to 
Kentucky,  with  nine  sons  and  daughters  and  their  families, 
whence  they  accompanied  Major  Conover  to  Jersey  Prairie. 
There,  after  the  death  of  his  father,  his  mother  became  the 
wife  of  the  Rev.  W.  Kenner,  a  Baptist  preacher  from  Vir- 
ginia, who  was  an  agent  under  Dr.  Peck  for  raising  funds 
and  building  the  Rock  Spring  Seminary,  out  of  which  Shurt- 
leff  College  grew,  at  Alton.  On  the  removal  of  the  family 
from  New  Jersey,  Dr.  Bergen  accompanied  them  two  days' 
journey,  and  parted  from  them  at  a  place  called  Nexv  Hope, 
saying  to  his  mother,  "  Let  us  part  in  hope — Nezv  Hope — - 
that  it  may  please  God  some  day  to  direct  my  steps  to  follow 
you  thither."  This  day  came  in  1828.  Having  been  released 
from  his  pastorate  he  started  with  his  family  for  Illinois,. 
September  22,  1828.  The  journey  occupied  forty  days' 
actual  travel,  not  counting  stoppages.  They  passed 
through  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  to  Maysville,  Lexington  and  Frank- 
fort, Ky.  They  visited  Ashland,  the  home  of  Clay,  with 
patriotic  delight.  Dr.  Bergen  preached  at  Frankfort,  by  re- 
quest of  Mr.  Edgar,  then  pastor  of  that  church.  In  Indiana, 
an  effort  was  made  to  induce  them  to  tarry,  and  seek  no  far- 
ther, but  without  avail.  They  crossed  the  Wabash,  and  en- 
tered Ellison  Prairie,  which  was  their  first  view  of  a  prairie. 
The  houses  upon  the  prairie  were  then  sometimes  more  than 
twenty  miles  apart.  On  Saturday  they  reached  Rock  Spring, 
in  St.  Clair  county,  eighteen  miles  east  of  St.  Louis.  The 
seminary  building,  as  Mr.  Bergen  saw  it,  was  a  small  frame 
building,  covered  with  clapboards,   unfurnished,  and  served 


DR.  JOHN    G.  BERGEN.  1 25 

for  a  school,  a  church  and  a  seminary,  whence  preachers  of 
the  gospel  were  to  emanate.  In  this  house  he  preached 
twice,  the  Sabbath  after  his  arrival,  using  notes,  which  led 
to  a  long  and  friendly  discussion,  in  which  Mr.  Peck  told  him 
that  "everybody  in  the  West  shoots  flying."  At  Rock 
Spring  he  found  a  letter  from  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ellis,  urging  him 
not  to  delay  around  St.  Louis,  but  to  come  immediately 
north  to  Sangamon.  On  Monday  Mr.  Bergen  and  his  fam- 
ily called  on  Gov.  Edwards,  at  Belleville.  On  Tuesday  he 
drove  into  St,  Louis,  a  dirty,  dilapidated  old  French  town,  of 
bad  repute,  with  a  population  of  seventeen  hundred  inhab- 
itants. By  Saturday  night  he  reached  Jacksonville,  where 
half  a  dozen  log  houses  and  a  log  school-house  constituted 
the  entire  village.  There  he  found  Mr.  Ellis  exp.^cting  him, 
and  received  a  hearty  welcome.  "  When  I  received  your  let- 
ter," he  said,  "it  was  the  first  ray  of  light  which  had  dawned 
on  me  for  the  two  years  I  have  been  laboring  almost  alone 
in  this  region  of  moral  desolation.  Come  in,  my  brother, 
you  and  yours,  and  God  bless  you,  and  make  you  a  blessing." 

On  Monday  Mr.  Bergen  parted  with  his  family,  they  to  go 
twelve  miles  north  of  Jersey  Prairie ;  he  to  Springfield, 
where  he  was  hospitably  received  by  Major  lies.  The  town, 
when  Mr.  Bergen  came  to  it,  numbered  about  two  hundred 
inhabitants,  and  thirty-five  log-houses,  with  a  few  frame 
dwellings,  not  more  than  four  or  five,  painted  in  front  only. 
The  school-house  was  a  small  frame  building,  with  broken 
door,  broken  windows,  broken  benches — a  high  seat  in  one 
end — a  floor  almost  as  dirty  as  a  pig-stye — the  whole  ele- 
vated on  blocks,  as  if  to  give  free  room  for  the  hogs  to  root 
under  the  floor — standing  on  the  east  side  of  the  public 
square.  A  Presbyterian  Church  had  been  organized  in 
Springfield,  January  30,  1828,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ellis,  of  nine- 
teen members,  who  were  all  the  Presbyterians  known  to  live 
within  a  circle  of  twenty  miles  around  the  town.  Five  of 
them,  all  women,  lived  in  the  town — Mrs.  E.  H.  Smith,  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Moore,  Mrs.  Nancy  R.  Humphries,  Mrs.  Ann  lies 
and  Mrs.  Olive  Slater.  When  Mr.  Bergen  arrived  he  at  once 
visited  these  five  female  members.  The  last  place  where  he 
called  was  at  Mrs.  Slater's,  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Jayne.  It 
was  Dr.  Jayne  who  helped  him  the  next  morning  to  get  one 
of  the  six  frame  houses  of  the  town  raised  up  from  the 
ground  on  posts. 

Two  weeks  later  he  took  up   his  abode  in  his  new  home-. 


124  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

His  cousin  visited  him  in  December,  and  on  opening  the 
door,  Ufted  up  both  hands,  exclaiming,  "  Why,  my  cousin ! " 
as  he  saw  boxes  in  the  room  where  the  family  lived  and 
slept  and  cooked  filled  up  with  harness,  and  two  great 
dressed  hogs  which  had  been  brought  and  given  them,  lying 
on  another  box,  with  their  mouths  wide  open,  with  a  great 
cob  in  them.  Said  Mr.  Bergen,  in  his  cheerful  way,  "  Come 
in,  come  in,  cousin  !     Never  mind  it !  " 

Mr.  Bergen  called  on  every  family  in  the  town,  whether 
members  of  any  church  or  not.  On  the  second  Sabbath  in 
December,  notice  having  previously  been  given  through  the 
county,  he  administered  the  communion;  and  at  the  close  of 
the  service,  announced  that  he  had  come  with  his  family  to 
seek  a  home  here — not  to  make  an  experiment,  but  to  plant 
with  their  planting  and  grow  with  their  growth. 

During  the  summer  of  1829,  Dr.  Jayne  placed  in  Mr.  Ber- 
gen's hands  a  copy  of  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher's  six  sermons  on 
intemperance,  which  he  read  one  by  one  to  the  people  on 
six  successive  Sabbath  afternoons.  Curiosity  brought  the 
people  out.  Mr.  Bergen  prepared  the  constitution  of  a  tem- 
perance society,  and  after  reading  that  well-known  tract, 
Putnam  and  the  Wolf,  invited  the  congregation  to  sign  the 
pledge.  Eleven  persons  put  down  their  names.  In  a  short 
time  there  were  more  than  fifteen  hundred  signers  in  the 
county.  This  was  the  first  temperance  association  in  central 
Illinois,  and  probably  the  first  in  the  State. 

During  the  summer  preparations  were  made  for  build- 
ing, by  the  burning  of  brick  and  the  accumulation  of  mate- 
rial. The  corner  stone  was  laid  August  15,  1829,  and  it  was 
dedicated  to  the  worship  of  God  on  the  third  Sabbath  of 
November,  1830.  Upon  its  completion,  Mr.  Bergen  deliv- 
ered in  it  during  the  winter  a  course  of  lectures  upon  Church 
history,  in  which  he  aimed  to  refute  a  popular  prejudice  of 
the  day,  which  attributed  to  the  Presbyterian  Church  a  pur- 
pose to  unite  Church  and  State. 

This  was  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow,  which  began  to  fall 
on  Christmas  eve,  and  continued  to  deepen  for  nine  weeks, 
until  it  averaged  four  or  five  feet  in  depth,  bringing  with  it 
great  merriment  and  great  suffering.  The  year  1834  was 
marked  by  a  revival — the  first  in  Springfield.  More  than 
half  the  members  and  elders  of  the  church  had  been  organ- 
ized into  new  churches.  But  two  elders  were  left,  of  whom 
Mr.  Elijah  Slater  was  one.     A  weekly  prayer-meeting  for  the 


DR.  JOHN    G.  BERGEN.  12$ 

descent  of  the  spirit  of  God  had  been  maintained  all  winter, 
but  it  was  not  until  May  that  these  prayers  were  visibly  an- 
swered. The  Rev.  Messrs.  Hale  and  Baldwin  had  started 
across  the  Illinois  river  on  a  preaching  tour,  but  were  de- 
tained by  high  water,  and  turned  back.  They  called  at  Mr. 
Bergen's  house  one  afternoon  and  asked  him,  "  Brother,  is 
there  any  work  for  us  to  do  here?"  He  sent  out  notice 
through  the  town,  and  a  protracted  meeting  commenced  that 
afternoon,  at  five  o'clock.  On  the  third  night,  there  were 
more  than  fifty  who  remained  as  inquirers  after  the  benedic- 
tion. At  the  close  of  two  weeks,  some  thirty  had  professed 
conversion,  and  the  church  was  greatly  revived. 

In  June  after  the  revival,  a  copy  of  certain  resolutions  was 
handed  to  him,  thanking  him  for  his  past  services,  and  request- 
ing him  to  settle  over  the  church  as  pastor.  This  he  was 
unwilling  to  do  just  yet,  on  account  of  his  interest  in  his  mis- 
sionary work.  He  promised  to  take  it  into  consideration. 
Meanwhile  some  dissatisfaction  on  the  part  of  a  few  of  the 
members  led  to  a  small  meeting  of  men  only,  one  Wednesday 
night,  the  February  following,  at  which  it  was  decided  to  in- 
form him  that  they  thought  they  had  better  have  another  min- 
ister. He  asked  that  a  meeting  of  the  congregation  might  be 
called,  on  Saturday  night,  to  ascertain  their  mind,  and  wrote 
out  his  resignation,  but  the  congregation  with  only  nine  dis- 
senting votes  solicited  a  continuance  of  his  ministerial  servi- 
ces.    In  this  movement  the  Second  church  originated. 

The  period  between  the  organization  of  the  second  church 
and  the  division  in  1837-8  was  marked  by  the  acceptance 
on  the  part  of  Mr.  Bergen  to  a  call  to  the  pastoral  office,  at 
a  salary  of  four  hundred  dollars,  increased,  in  1837,  to  six 
hundred  dollars.      He  was  installed  Nov.  25th,  1835. 

The  division  of  1837-8,  combined  with  the  influence  of 
hard  times,  which  now  set  in  for  several  years,  exerted  a 
most  disastrous  effect  upon  Old  School  Presbyterianism  in 
this  State.  The  New  School  had  the  American  Home 
Society  to  back  its  missionaries,  and  guarantee  them  four 
hundred  dollars  a  year.  The  Old  School  Board  of  Domes- 
tic Missions  had  so  many  feeble  churches  on  its  hands,  that 
it  could  not  give  more  than  one  hundred  dollars,  or  at  the 
outside,  two  hundred  dollars  a  year  to  sustain  one  mission- 
ary. In  1840  the  church  entered  upon  the  work  of  building 
a  new  house.  At  the  dedication,  Nov.  9th,  1843,  Mr.  Ber- 
gen preached  his  famous  "  banner  sermon."     Unfortunately, 


126  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

the  church  was  not  out  of  debt  at  the  time  of  its  dedication, 
and  he  afterwards  put  it  upon  record  that  he  would  not 
officiate  again  under  hke  circumstances. 

In  the  new  house,  on  Sabbath  evenings,  he    dehvered  a 
series  of  discourses    upon  prophecy,    in   opposition    to   the 
prevalent  expectation,  among  many,  of  the  instant  bodily 
.appearance  of  the  Son  of  God  to  reign  on  earth.     Some  pre- 
pared their  ascension  robes,  some  were  excited  to  the  point 
of  insanity.     The   argument  in   these  sermons  was,  that  as 
many  of  the  prophecies  are   unfulfilled   the  end   is  not  yet. 
The  house  was  greatly  crowded  during  their  delivery.     On 
the    fourth   of  July;   1847,   Mr.  Bergen    preached  a  sermon 
upon  the   Mexican  war,  which  excited   some   opposition  to 
him.     In  the  winter,  however,  after  a  visit  from  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Calhoun,  of  the  Beyroot  Mission,  there  ensued  a  revival   of 
religion,  which  was  deepened  and  intensified  by  the  preach- 
ing of  Rev.  R.  V.  Dodge,  in  March.      Mr.  Bergen  was  now 
nearly  sixty  years  of  age.   He  had  been  preaching  to  this  peo- 
ple for  twenty  years.    Mr.  Dodge's  preaching  had  given  great 
acceptance,  and  it  was  felt  by  many  that  it  would  be  well  to 
call  Mr.  Dodge  to  be  co-pastor  with  Mr.  Bergen.     This  prop- 
osition so   wrought  upon  his  mind  as  to  lead   him  to  resign 
his    pastoral    charge.       Without    entering    into    the    painful 
memories   of  that  time,  I  may  say  that   Mr.   Bergen's  diary 
through  all   this   troubled  season  evinces  no  other  spirit    or 
purpose  than   that  of  a   man  perplexed,   overwhelmed,  but 
anxious  only  to   know  the  will   of  God  and  to   do   it.     The 
majority  of  the  church  sustained  him.     After  the  resignation, 
twice  refused  by  the  Presbytery,  had  been  renewed  for  the 
third   time,  it  was  accepted   and   the   pastoral    relation    dis- 
solved, on  the  27th  of  September,  1848.     The  Presbytery  at 
the  same  time  entered   upon  its  minutes  a  resolution  declar- 
ing that  they  considered  Brother  Bergen,  during  the   long 
period  which  that  relation  had  existed,  to  have  held  a  repu- 
tation and   then  to  hold  a  reputation  for  piety,  ability,  and 
excellence  of  character,  which  seldom  attaches  to  any  pastor. 

The  dissensions  in  the  church  consequent  upon  this  event 
led  to  the  organization  of  the  Third  Church,  in  Feb.,  1849, 
and  the  installation  of  Mr.  Dodge  as  their  pastor,  on  the  2d 
day  of  August. 

With  Mr.  Bergen's  resignation,  his  active  life  ceased. 
From  this  time  he  devoted  himself  to  writing  for  the  press 
and  to  missionary  effort   among  feeble  churches,  here  and 


DR.  JOHN    G.  BERGEN.  12/ 

there.  During  the  twenty  years  of  his  Hfe  in  IlHnois,  about 
five  hundred  members  had  been  received  into  the  church  in 
Springfield,  and  six  churches  organized  in  the  county.  He 
had  expended  during  his  ministry  here  more  than  four  thou- 
sand dollars  of  his  private  property. 

During  the  closing  years  of  his  life,  he  organized  a  num- 
ber of  additional  churches.  Several  times  he  was  chosen 
commissioner  to  the  General  Assembly,  where,  in  i86i,  the 
first  year  of  the  war,  he  voted  for  what  are  known  as  the 
Spring  resolutions. 

His  wife  died  in  October,  1853.  In  November,  1857,  he 
-married  again.  In  1854  the  degree  of  doctor  of  divinity 
was  conferred  upon  him  by  Center  College,  Danville,  Ken- 
tucky. He  was  for  many  years  a  director  of  the  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  at  Chicago.  He  took  an 
active  part  in  the  reunion  movement  in  the  Church  and 
attended  the  first  preliminary  meeting  of  the  two  branches 
held  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  at  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church,  Bloomington,  Illinois,  in  April,  1865.  He  was  again 
made  Moderator  of  the  reunited  Synod  of  Central  Illinois, 
in  July,  1870,  at  its  first  meeting  in  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  Bloomington. 

He  received  the  first  serious  warning  of  his  end  in  May, 
1870,  at  Auburn,  where  he  preached  from  the  text,  "  In  my 
father's  house  are  many  mansions  ;  if  it  were  not  so,  I  would 
have  told  you."  After  the  sermon,  he  was  attacked  by 
paralysis,  and  supposing  that  he  would  never  recover  from 
the  attack,  or  at  least  that  he  would  never  be  able  to  enter 
the  pulpit  again,  he  remarked  that  had  he  known  it  he  would 
have  delivered  the  same  sermon.  He  did  recover,  however, 
and  preached  three  times  afterwards ;  the  last  time,  on  the 
occasion  of  leaving  our  former  house  of  worship,  near  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  depot,  from  the  words,  "  Lo,  I  come ;  in 
the  volume  of  the  book  it  is  written  of  me  to  do  thy  will, 
O  God."  On  the  Sabbath  before  his  death  he  attended 
church  twice.  That  night,  he  talked  long  about  the  ques- 
tion before  the  congregation,  of  free  or  rented  pews,  and 
said  that  although  he  himself  preferred  the  system  of  rentals, 
he  deprecated  strife  and  desired  to  prevent  the  re-opening 
of  the  subject,  if  possible.  With  this  feeling  he  designed 
to  call  the  following  day  on  the  pastor  and  some  of  the 
leading  members.  After  retiring,  he  renewed  the  conversa- 
tion with  his  wife,  and  was  led  to  review  the  whole  history 


128  PRESBYTEKIANISM  IN' ILLINOIS. 

of  his  life,  recognizing  the  hand  of  Divine  Providence  at 
every  step,  and  praising  God  for  his  trials  as  well  as  for  his 
triumphs.  This  outburst  lasted  until  after  midnight.  On  Mon- 
day he  arose,  breakfasted,  said  that  he  felt  well,  and  that  he 
would  attend  the  congregational  meeting,  he  thought,  that 
night.  At  nine  o'clock  the  arrow  of  death  struck  him.  In 
an  instant  he  lost  control  of  his  right  side  and  the  ability  to 
speak  or  swallow.  He  was  heard  to  say  in  an  indistinct 
voice,  "  Great  grace  !  "  and  afterwards,  "  Blessed  !  "  showing 
that  he  understood  the  nature  of  the  attack  and  wished  to 
express  his  acquiescence.  By  signs  and  pressure  of  the 
hand  and  smiling  gjances  of  the  eye,  he  endeavored  to  con- 
vey his  meaning.     When  I  repeated  to  him  the  verse, 

*'  Sweet  to  lie  passive  in  thy  hands. 
And  know  no  will  but  thine," 

he  nodded  assent.  He  nodded  also  in  reply  to  a  question, 
"  Do  you  find  God  faithful  to  his  promises  ?"  When  I  said 
to  him,  later,  "The  peace  of  God  which  passeth  all  under- 
standing, keep  your  mind  and  heart,  through  Jesus  Christ," 
he  raised  his  head  from  the  pillow.  He  clearly  recognized 
his  daughter  from  Alton,  when  she  arrived,  Monday  night, 
and  caressed  her  with  his  left  hand.  After  lingering  in  a 
semi-conscious  condition,  with  labored  breath  and  fluttering 
pulse,  for  two  days  and  part  of  two  nights,  his  ransomed 
spirit  returned  to  God  who  gave  it,  at  two  o'clock  on  Wed- 
nesday morning,  Jan.  17,  1872,  aged  eighty-one  years,  one 
month,  and  twenty-one  days.  His  funeral  took  place,  Fri- 
day, P.  M.,  the   19th. 

Dr.  Bergen's  spirit,  in  one  word,  was  love,  such  love  as 
made  him  willing  always  and  everywhere  to  sacrifice  himself, 
in  the  most  wonderful  charity  for  those  who  differed  in  opin- 
ion from  himself,  and  in  a  joyousness  through  life  like  that 
of  a  child. 


The  Presbyterian  Church  of  Hillsboro,  Montgomery 
county,  held  their  semi-Centennial  celebration  March  10  and 
II,  1878.  The  account  which  follows  is  taken  from  the  ser- 
mon preached  on  that  occasion  by  the  minister,  Rev.  Nin- 
ian  S.  Dickey.  There  were  several  other  speakers,  particu- 
larly Rev.  T.  W.  Hynes,  one  of  their  former  pastors. 

"Hillsboro,  March  10,  1828.  Rev.  John  M.  Ellis  met  sev- 
eral people  of   Hillsboro  and  vicinity  at  the  house   of  John 


THE    CHURCH    OF    HILLSBORO.  I29 

Tillson,  jr.,  and  formed  a  church,  to  be  known  by  the  name 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Hillsboro.  Mr.  John  Tillson, 
jr.,  was  received  on  certificate,  and  Mrs.  Margaret  Seward 
on  examination.  Mr.  John  Tillson  was  ordained  as  Elder. 
Rev.  Solomon  Hardy  preached  on  the  occasion  from  ist 
Peter,  1st  chapter  and  22d  verse." 

It  thus  appears  that  this  church  began  with  two  members, 
one  of  whom  was  made  ruling  elder.  From  the  organiza- 
tion, March  10,  1828,  to  September  28,  1828,  Rev.  Solomon 
Hardy  occasionally  supplied  the  pulpit,  or  ratlrer  preached 
in  the  school-house  and  court-house,  for  there  was  no  house 
of  worship  nor  pulpit  in  Hillsboro.  Four  persons  were  added 
to  the  church  under  these  labors.  For  more  than  a  year 
after  this  there  is  no  record,  and  the  church  had  only  occa- 
sional preaching  from  passing  clergymen.  From  April,  1830, 
to  October,  1841,  Thomas  A.  Spilman  was  the  stated  sup- 
ply of  the  church. 

During  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Spilman  one  hundred  and 
thirty-eight  persons  were  received  to  membership.  Under 
his  ministry  the  Sabbath-school  was  a  union  one,  and  usually 
all  denominations  worshipped  with  his  congregation.  The 
first  house  of  worship  was  built  during  this  time.  During 
the  fall  of  1 841  and  winter  of  1842,  James  Stafford,  pastor  of 
the  Greenville  Church,  supplied  the  pulpit  for  a  few  Sab- 
baths and  held  a  protracted  meeting,  when  the  Spirit  was 
poured  out  upon  the  people.  Archibald  C.  Allen  was  in- 
stalled pastor  by  the  Kaskaskia  Presbytery,  June  ii,  1842. 
During  his  ministry  of  two  years  fifty  persons  were  added. 
The  church  was  vacant  from  May,  1844,  until  March,  1846. 
February  21,  1846,  T.  W.  Hines,  for  some  time  a  Professor 
in  Hanover  College,  Indiana,  was  unanimously  chosen  to 
supply  the  pulpit,  at  a  salary  of  four  hundred  dollars.  He 
accepted  and  entered  upon  his  work  in  the  spring  of  1846. 

He  remained  about  one  and  a  half  years,  when,  October  20, 
1846,  he  was  installed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia.  Dur- 
ing this  pastorate  forty-one  persons  were  received. 

P'rom  September,  1851,  to  August,  1853,  the  church  seems 
to  have  been  without  a  pastor. 

August  12,  1853,  R.  M.  Roberts  was  called  to  the  pastor- 
ate, at  a  salary  of  four  hundred  dollars.  He  sustained  this 
relation  until  October  30,  1858,  a  little  more  than  six  years. 
Resolutions  highly  complimentary,  endorsing  him  as  a  Christ- 
ian gentleman  and  commending  the  fidelity  of  his  labors, 


130  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

were  passed  by  the  congregation,  at  a  meeting  October  31, 
1859.  During  this  ministry,  one  hundred  and  sixteen  per- 
sons were  received. 

November  12,  1859,  twenty-one  persons  were  dismissed 
to  form  the  Hillsboro  Congregational  Church.  December 
20,  1859,  WiUiam  L.  Mitchell  was  called  as  pastor,  at  a  salary 
of  five  hundred  dollars,  and  on  December  23,  1859,  was  or- 
dained by  the  Presbytery  of  Hillsboro.  He  continued  this 
relation  with  acceptance  and  success  until  his  lamented 
death,  February  23,  1864.  During  this  time  seventy-one 
names  were  added  to  the  roll.  Mr.  Mitchell's  remains  are 
buried  in  the  city  cemetery.  After  Mr.  Mitchell's  death, 
Julius  A.  Spencer,  of  St.  Louis,  supplied  the  pulpit  for  sev- 
eral weeks.  March' I,  1 865,  J.  R.  Brown  was  invited  to  sup- 
ply the  pulpit.  He  served  the  church  for  five  years.  Fifty 
persons  were  added  on  examination,  and  sixty-five  by  letter. 
S.  A.  Whitcomb  commenced  his  labors  about  the  beginning 
of  the  year  1871.  He  served  the  church  two  years — twenty- 
six  persons  were  received  under  his  ministry.  His  salary 
was  one  thousand  dollars  per  year  and  free  use  of  parsonage. 
The  term  plan  of  eldership  was  introduced  during  his  minis- 
try. W.  W.  Williams  was  by  an  unanimous  vote  of  the  con- 
gregation, April  27,  1873,  invited  to  supply  the  church  for 
one  year,  at  a  salary  of  one  thousand  dollars  and  the  use  of 
the  parsonage.  Mr.  Williams  worked  with  energy  and  ac- 
ceptance for  nearly  nine  months,  directing  his  efforts  to  the 
completion  of  the  audience  room  of  the  house  of  worship. 
The  first  service  held  therein,  still  in  an  incomplete  state,  was 
the  funeral  of  the  minister.  Resolutions  of  commendation 
were  passed  by  the  congregation  in  reference  to  Mr.  Williams, 
after  his  death.  After  this  the  church  was  vacant  for  several 
months.  During  this  time  T.  E.  Spilman,  pastor  of  the  But- 
ler Presbyterian  Church,  preached  during  a  protracted  meet- 
ing, when  the  Spirit's  power  was  felt,  the  church  greatly  re- 
vived, and  twenty-seven  persons  were  received.  September, 
1874,  Charles  Fueller  was  invited  to  supply  the  pulpit  at  a 
salary  of  $1,000,  and  use  of  parsonage.  Mr.  F.  served  the 
church  for  three  years.  Fifty-nine  persons  were  added 
under  his  ministry.  Mr.  Fueller  labored  earnestly  to  lift  the 
debt  off  the  house  of  worship.  Under  his  lead  furnaces,  at 
a  cost  of  three  hundred  and  forty-six  dollars,  and  cushions, 
at  about  the  same  cost,  were  placed  in  the  church,  beside 
what  was  done  to  free  the    house  of  encumbrance.      He 


ELDERS    OF    HILLSBORO.  I3I 

labored  till  October,  1877.  January  1st,  1878,  N.  S.  Dickey 
entered  upon  his  work  as  supply,  and  still  continues. 

During  the  half-century,  ten  persons  have  acted  as  stated 
supply,  or  pastor — varying  from  a  few  months  to  eleven  and 
and  a  half  years — with  an  average  of  one  every  five  years. 

The  whole  number  of  members  received  is  six  hundred 
and  sixty-nine — three  hundred  and  twenty-one  on  examina- 
tion, and  three  hundred  and  forty-eight  by  letter.  This  is  an 
average  of  about  fourteen  per  year. 

The  Elders  have  been  twenty-five: 

John  Tillson  :  He  removed  to  Quincy,  and  was  dismissed 
with  his  wife,  June,  1844.  To  Mr.  Tillson  more  than  to  any 
other  man  does  this  church  owe  its  existence  and  early  suc- 
cess. Coming  from  the  East  several  years  before  the  way 
was  open  for  an  organization  here,  he  cast  in  his  lot  with  the 
Shoal  Creek  Church,  in  Bond  county.  He  gave  the  ground 
on  which  our  church  building  stands,  and  the  lot  west  of  the 
church  still  owned  by  the  congregation.  He  also  gave  the 
ground  on  which  the  Academy  building  stands.  He  met 
most  of  the  expense  of  the  first  house  of  worship  of  the  con- 
gregation— the  first  in  the  town,  and  did  more  for  the  early 
improvement  of  the  county  than  any  other  man — his  superior 
intelligence  and  wealth  enabling  him  to  do  so.  He  was  clerk 
of  session  from  the  organization  of  the  church  until  1841,  when 
his  careful  hand  writing  ceases.  His  praise  is  in  everybody's 
mouth.  Aaron  Knapp,  Robert  McCord,  George  Harkey  and 
Benjamin  Spilman  were  the  next  Elders.  The  latter  was 
born  of  English  parents,  in  Culpepper  county,  Va  ,  March 
'6th,  1765.  He  removed  in  early  life  to  Kentucky,  where,  in 
1789,  he  married  Miss  Nancy  Jane  Rice.  They  emigrated 
to  Carmi,  Illinois,  where  they  were  prominent  in  the  Presby- 
terian church — he  being  an  Elder.  From  thence  they  removed 
to  Hillsboro,  where  he  ended  his  useful  life,  Sept.  15,  185 1, 
aged  eighty-six  years.  His  wife  died  Jan.  28,  1848,  aged 
seventy-five  years  The  piety  of  this  couple  was  of  a  high 
type,  their  intelligence  marked  and  their  influence  hallowed. 
The  seventh  Elder  was  Robert  Paisley;  died  March  2,  1859. 
Eighth,  Joseph  T.  Eccles.  He  was  one  of  the  chief  workers  in 
erecting  the  present  church  edifice,  giving,  besides  his  super- 
vision of  the  work,  about  ^5,000.  He  still  lives  among  us. 
Ninth,  Henry  Tibbets  ;  tenth,  Thomas  Sturtevant ;  eleventh, 
Samuel  Haller  ;  twelfth,  Thomas  D.  Washburn,  M.  D.;  thir- 
teenth, James  R.  Hanks ;  fourteenth,  William  Witherspoon  ; 


132  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

fifteenth,  Daniel  McAfee ;  sixteenth,  John  M.  Paisley ; 
seventeenth,  Robert  McCord ;  eighteenth,  Rufus  P.  Brown  ;. 
nineteenth,  Dr.  J.  S.  Hillis;  twentieth,  Daniel  Hughes; 
twenty-first,  Henry  McCord ;  twenty-second,  Cyrus  R.. 
Davidson;  twenty-third,  Samuel  Milhkin  ;  twenty-fourth,  J 
O.  Yingst;  twenty-fifth.  Judge  E.  Y.  Rice.  The  present 
Elders  are  John  M.  Paisley,  Henry  McCord,  Samuel  Milli- 
kin,  Cyrus  R.  Davidson  and  Judge  E.  Y.  Rice. 

The  first  house  of  worship  was  of  brick,  one-story,  and 
stood  where  the  present  edifice  is  now  located.  It  was  forty- 
five  by  thirty-four  feet.  Pictures  of  this  house,  in  its  day 
considered  a  largfe'  and  fine  edifice,  are  still  to  be  seen  in 
many  of  our  houses.  It  was  erected  in  1831  and  was  occu- 
pied in  an  unfinished  state  until  1837.  Previous  to  that  time 
the  congregation  worshiped  in  an  old  log  school-house,  or  the 
old  log  court-house,  and  in  the  summer  time  in  a  grove  near 
to  where  the  public  school  building  now  stands.  The  old 
church  was  used  until  i860,  when  it  gave  place  to  the  pres- 
ent edifice.  The  whole  cost  of  this  house  in  its  present  state 
was  about  ^14,500. 

For  some  years  a  debt  rested  upon  it.  April  25,  1875, 
Judge  Eccles  donated  ^2,602.18  principal  and  interest  due 
him  for  money  paid  upon  the  building.  This  noble  example 
stimulated  others — Mr.  James  Paden  donated  several  hun- 
dred dollars  due  him,  and  under  the  lead  of  the  pastor,  Mr. 
Fueller,  the  whole  debt  was  paid  except  a  few  hundred  dol- 
lars, for  which  the  parsonage  is  held. 

A  lot  was  bought  for  three  hundred  dollars  and  the  pres- 
ent parsonage  was  built  at  a  cost  of  about  ^1,200.  March 
27,1847,  "The  Congregational  Library  of  Hillsboro  Pres- 
byterian Church,"  was  provided  for.  This  is  distinct  from 
the  Sunday  school  library. 

The  Sabbath  school  has  not  been  neglected.  A  number 
of  years  before  the  organization  of  the  church,  a  school  was 
maintained  by  the  Tillson  family,  in  their  residence.  In  the 
early  years  all  denominations  represented  in  the  town  pat- 
ronized the  school,  and,  though  it  was  under  the  supervision 
of  the  session,  it  was  carried  on  as  a  union  school. 

According  to  rules  adopted  by  the  church,  the  Superinten- 
dent and  Vice-Superintendent  are  to  be  chosen  at  a  congrega- 
tional meeting  appointed  for  the  purpose,  the  election  to  be 
by  ballot,  all  the  members  of  the  church,  in  good  standing, 
having  a  right  to  vote.     The  Superintendent  thus  chosen. 


JOHN    TILLSON.  133 

with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  session,  is  to  appoint  the 
teachers ;  "  keeping  always  in  view  Christian  character  and 
aptness  to  teach."  Waveland,  Litchfield,  Butler  and  Hills- 
boro  Congregational  Church  received  their  first  members 
largely  from  this.  About  two  hundred  persons  have  been 
dismissed  to  churches  in  various  parts  of  the  county,  and 
many  of  them  we  know  have  been  prominent  workers  for 
the  Master  in  the  newer  parts  of  our  land;  so  that  what  this 
church,  under  God,  has  accomplished,  is  by  no  means  to  be 
confined  to  what  has  been  and  is  now  seen  on  this  ground. 
The  death  roll  numbers  about  two  hundred  and  sixty  names, 
including  three  pastors,  T.  A.  Spilman,  W.  L.  Mitchel  and 
W.  W.  Williams — three  wives  of  pastors  and  twelve  or  thir- 
teen ruling  Elders,  most  of  whose  remains  sleep  in  our  beau- 
tiful cemetery.  The  benevolent  work  of  the  church  has  not 
accorded  with  its  growth  in  numbers. 

The  attendance  on  the  means  of  grace  has  been,  and  is, 
one  of  the  encouraging  features  of  the  congregation. 
Whenever  the  weather  and  the  roads  at  all  admit,  the  house 
of  worship  is  well  filled. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  the  history  of  this 
place  and  of  this  church,  is  John  Tillson.  He  came  to  Illi- 
nois in  the  spring  of  1819  from  Halifax,  Mass.,  reaching  Ed- 
wardsville  in  June.  His  route  was  from  Boston  to  Baltimore 
by  sea;  then  over  the  mountains  to  Pittsburg;  then  down 
the  Ohio  to  Shawneetown.  He  was  connected  with  the 
bounty  land  business.  The  land  office  was  at  Edwardsville. 
Having  purchased  a  quarter  section  in  this  neighborhood  he 
came  to  view  it  in  the  winter  of  1820.  He  found  on  it  a 
squatter  who  had  made  an  improvement,  which  Mr.  Tillson 
bought.  That  must  have  been  the  "gregarious  bachelor  es- 
tablishment" to  which  Mr.  Lippincott  refers.  That  squat- 
ter. Commodore  Yoakum,  was  a  character — "  the  best  hunter; 
the  best  corner  man  at  a  log  cabin  raising,  and  the  life  of  the 
corn-shuckings."  He  was  a  Hard  Shell  Baptist.  No  one 
could  raise  his  voice  louder  in  the  "hymes" — "Old  Grimes  " 
being  the  favorite  tune.  After  the  hymes  he  could  gird  him- 
self with  a  towel,  and  with  a  tin  wash-basin  of  water  go 
around  and  wash  the  feet  of  the  brethren  and  sisters,  with 
great  good  grace  and  apparent  enjoyment.  As  he  always 
maintained  an  air  of  dignity  and  command,  the  bo}-s  hon- 
ored him  with  the  title  of  Commodore,  which  pleased  him 
mightily.     The  Commodore  was  a  large,  black-haired,  black- 


134  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

eyed  Tennessean,  and,  in  his  own  estimation,  second  to  no 
man. 

When  Montgomery  became  a  county,  in  1821,  Mr.  Till- 
son  was  made  Postmaster  of  the  county.  There  being  no 
mail  route  within  twenty  miles  of  the  county  seat,  the  ex- 
pense of  the  mail  for  that  distance  devolved  on  the  Postmas- 
ter. As  there  was  at  that  time  no  Presbyterian  place  of  wor- 
ship in  this  neighborhood,  Mr.  Tillson  would  go  to  Green- 
ville on  Saturday,  p.  m.,  teach  a  singing  class  Saturday  night, 
attend  church  on  the  Sabbath,  and  return  here  on  Monday 
with  the  county  mail  in  his  pocket — sometimes  in  his  hat. 
In  April,  1822,  with  Augustus  Collins,  he  went  to  New  Eng- 
land on  horseback— both  on  the  same  errand  which  took 
Jacob  from  Beersheba  to  Padan-Aram.  Both  were  success- 
ful— Mr.  Tillson  bringing  back  with  him  in  the  fall  Mrs. 
Christiana  Holmes  Tillson.  They  started  in  a  carriage,  Oc- 
tober 6,  and  arrived  here  November  28.  The  history  of  that 
journey,  as  given  by  Mrs.  Tillson  herself,  reads  like  a  ro- 
mance. Here  is  a  description  of  her  first  Sabbath  in  Hills- 
boro,  mostly  in  her  own  words : 

"  Sabbath  morning,  December  2,  1822,  was  cold  and  pinch- 
ing. We  rode  about  two  miles,  from  Col.  Seward's,  to  a  log 
cabin  which  during  week  days  was  the  school-house  of  the 
settlement.  On  Sabbaths  it  was  opened  to  the  circuit  rider 
who  came  around  oust  a  month — to  the  Cumberlands,  the 
Hard  Shells  and  the  Seventh  Day  Baptists.  When  we  ar- 
rived the  service  had  just  commenced.  A  movement  was 
made  to  give  Harriet  (Harriet  Seward,  afterwards  Mrs.  Wm. 
H.  Brown,  of  Chicago,)  and  myself  a  seat  near  the  fire,  while 
Mr.  Tillson  seated  himself  on  a  bench  against  the  wall.  The 
preacher,  big  and  burly,  was  about  starting  the  hyme,  'When 
I  can  read,'  to  the  tune  of  '  Old  Grimes.'  The  singing  was 
with  an  indescribable  nasal  twang.  Around  the  fire  sat  the 
mothers  with  babies,  while  the  young  children  huddled  down 
on  the  floor  beside  them.  After  the  sermon  the  preacher 
sung  another  hyme,  the  congregation  chiming  in.  It  was 
then  announced  that,  after  a  few  minutes  recess,  another 
brother  would  speak.  The  young  'uns  rushed  to  the  fire, 
and  with  pieces  of  clapboard  rolled  out  the  eggs  they  had 
brought  for  a  lunch,  and  had  placed  in  the  ashes  to  roast, 
while  the  preacher  was  speaking.  Each  youngster  worked 
manfully  to  secure  his  own  rights,  and  showed  despatch  in 
getting  his  eggs  peeled  and  disposed  of  before  the  preaching 


VANDALIA    CHURCH.  I  35 

was  resumed.  The  good  mammas,  who  had  babies  and  who 
had  been  giving  them  their  lunch  during  service,  now  Ht  their 
pipes,  and  looked  happy  and  satisfied  as  the  clouds  of  smoke 
rolled  out  from  under  their  sun-bonnets.  The  sterner  sex, 
meanwhile,  were  paying  suit  to  the  water-bucket,  which 
stood  in  the  back  corner  of  the  room.  That  performance  was 
rather  slow,  there  being  but  one  gourd — it  served  for  the 
whole  congregation.  So  each  man  would  walk  up  to  the 
bucket,  and,  while  another  was  drinking,  would  relieve  his 
mouth  of  a  huge  quid,  and,  holding  it  in  one  hand,  would 
take  the  gourd  of  water  in  the  other,  rinse  his  mouth,  spit- 
ting the  washing  on  the  floor;  then  take  his  drink,  and  while 
passing  his  gourd  to  the  next,  would  throw  back  his  '  bacca  ' 
into  his  mouth,  and  be  ready  for  a  chat.  The  preaching  had 
commenced  at  ten,  a.  m.  It  was  not  until  between  four  and 
five  that  we  were  released.  The  order  of  preaching  common 
then  was  for  the  first  speaker  to  be  somewhat  logical,  show- 
ing to  the  listening  audience  his  learning  and  wisdom.  To 
the  last  speaker  was  left  the  'arousement.'  He  would  get 
happy,  clap  his  hands,  and  froth  at  the  mouth — the  congrega- 
tion sympathizing  and  responding  with  Amens  and  Glory, 
Glory." 


The  Presbyterian  Church  of  Vandalia  was  organized  by 
Rev.  Solomon  Hardy,  July  5,  1828,  with  eight  members. 
Jeremiah  Abbot  was  made  Elder.  Thomas  A.  Spilman,  a  li- 
centiate, had  been  preaching  in  Vandalia  for  some  months, 
and  assisted  in  the  examination  of  candidates.  Mr.  Spilman 
left  in  December,  1829,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Theron 
Baldwin.  In  April,  1831,  Rev.  William  K.  Stewart  took 
charge  of  the  church,  and  was  installed  pastor  in  May,  1832. 
He  was  dismissed  April  3,  1836.  From  1836  to  1844  the 
church  had  no  regular  preaching.  At  the  last  date.  Rev.  D. 
D.  McKee  came  to  reside  at  Vandalia,  and  undertook  to  sup- 
ply the  church  three-fourths  of  the  time.  Elders:  Jeremiah 
Abbott,  at  the  organization ;  William  M.  Moore,  Wiliam  H. 
Brown,  Joseph  T.  Eccles,  Samuel  Russell,  Henry  C.  Remann. 

December  8,  1848,  the  church  changed  its  relation  from 
the  Kaskaskia  to  the  Alton  Presbytery,  and  Rev.  Joseph 
Gordon  became  its  stated  supply,  and  continued  in  that 
relation  for  seven  years.  July  5,  1855,  the  board  of  Elders 
was  Frederick  Remann,  Matthias  Fehren,  R.  F.  White,  Joseph 


136  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Stevenson  and  Dr.  J.  N.  McCord.  Elders  since  :  David  A. 
McCord,  Ebenezer  Cheney,  William  Reed,  Edward  L.  Wahj, 
Frederick  Remann,  second,  Richard  T.  Higgins,  M.  D.  The 
Ministers  since  Mr.  Gordon  have  been :  Wm.  H.  Bird,  M. 
P.  Ormsby,  Geo.  W.  Goodale,  E.  G.  Bryant,  John  Gibson, 
Caleb  J.  Pitkin,  R.  J.  L.  Matthews,  W.  W.  Wells,  John  M. 
Johnson,  John  Stuart  and  Hugh  W.  Todd,  the  present  pas- 
tor. A  frame  house  of  worship  was  dedicated  June  23,  1 830. 
The  present  brick  church,  occupying  the  same  site  as  the 
first  building,  was  dedicated  Sept.  i,  1869.  It  cost,  when 
completed,  ;^  15,000.  Of  this  Matthias  Fehren  paid  ^4,000, 
Federick  Remann,  sr.,  ^3,000  ;  Dr.  J.  N.  and  Calvin  McCord, 
;^i,500.  A  convenient  two-story  frame  parsonage  stands 
directly  back  of  the  church  edifice.  A  marked  feature  in 
the  history  of  this  church  is  that  the  two  men  who  have 
paid  the  most  money  for  all  its  enterprises,  and  who  were 
efficient  Elders,  were  native  Germans. 

The  First  Protestant  Church  Bell  in  Illinois  was 
hung  in  the  tower  of  the  first  church  edifice  erected  in  Van- 
dalia.     It  bore  this  inscription  : 

Illinois  Riggs, 
To  the  Presbyterian  Congregation  of  Vandalia,  i8jo. 

The  history  of  the  matter  is  this :  Romulus  Riggs  was  a 
large  land-holder  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  From  his  great 
partiality  to  the  State  and  his  personal  interest  there,  he 
named  his  youngest  child  Illinois.  This  daughter  married 
Charles  H.  Graff.  August  22,  1856,  she  was  living  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  in  a  letter  of  that  date  says:  "My  own  recol- 
lections of  the  gift  of  the  bell  are  very  few.  I  remember 
being  taken  to  hear  it  rung,  before  it  was  forwarded  to  its 
destination.  I  have  a  magazine  in  my  possession  entitled, 
'The  Illinois  Monthly  Magazine,'  conducted  by  James  Hall, 
and  published  in  Vandalia.  Mr.  Hall  says  in  the  number  for 
December,  1830:  'During  the  last  month  the  town  of  Van- 
dalia received  a  valuable  acquisition  in  the  donation  of  a  fine- 
toned  bell  for  the  cupola  of  its  meeting  house.  This  bell 
was  presented  to  the  Presbyterian  congregation  of  Vandalia 
by  Romulus  Riggs,  a  merchant  of  Philadelphia,  in  the  name 
of  his  daughter.  Miss  Illinois  Riggs.  This  bell  was  hung 
November  5,  1830,  and  announced  its  own  arrival  in  joyous 
tones.  This  event  is  interesting,  inasmuch  as  it  is  the  first 
public  bell  introduced  into  the  State  by  the  American  inhab- 


THE    ILLINOIS    RIGGS    BELL.  137 

itants.  The  French  had  one  or  more  bells  in  their  villages 
on  the  Mississippi,  but  the  public  buildings  erected  by  the 
American  settlers  have  been  totally  destitute  of  this  useful 
appendage.' 

"  I  have  also  a  copy  "of  the  letter  which  accompanied  the 
gift,  and  which  I  retain  as  a  precious  relic  of  the  past,  as 
coming  from  a  departed  father.  I  have  a  brother  and  sister 
who  reside  in  Illinois,  and  although  I  have  never  visited  the 
State  myself,  I  look  forward  to  the  time  when  I  may  do  so. 

"Mrs.  C.  H.  Graff." 
'Tis  a  pity  the  lady  did  not  so  sign  her  name  that  she  might 
be  identified  as  the  giver  of  the  bell — e.  g.,  Mrs.  Illinois 
RiGGS  Graff.  When  the  frame  meeting-house  in  Vandalia 
was  taken  down,  to  make  way  for  the  present  elegant  brick 
structure,  the  bell  was  donated  to  the  Brownstown  Church, 
eight  miles  east  of  Vandalia,  and  now  hangs  in  the  cupola 
of  their  house  of  worship.  This  disposition  of  the  bell  was 
most  appropriate,  for  the  Brownstown  Church  is  a  daughter 
of  Vandalia  Church.  Vandalia  Church  has  had  in  all  three 
hundred  and  twenty-six  members. 

There  was  a  Presbyterian  Church  in  Wayne  county, 
organized,  I  judge  as  early  as  1825,  by  B.  F.  Spilman. 
It  is  called  by  three  or  four  different  names  —  Fairfield, 
Franklin  and  Bethel,  arising  probably  from  as  many  different 
preaching  places.  The  principal  point  was  Bethel,  or  New 
Bethel,  now  Mt.  Erie,  about  twelve  miles  northeast  of  the  pres- 
ent Fairfield,  and  within  three  miles  of  Little  Wabash  river. 
The  Elders,  so  far  as  now  known,  were  Isham  B.  Robinson, 
aged  seventy-five  years,  still  living;  Alexander  Ramsey  and 
Samuel  McCracken.  It  had  quite  a  considerable  member- 
ship. It  was  never  represented  in  Presbytery  by  an  Elder, 
unless  possibly  in  Muhlenburg,  Ky.  B.  F.  Spilman  and 
Thomas  A.  Spilman  paid  them  occasional  visits.  Rev.  Isaac 
Bennet  labored  here  to  some  extent  in  1829,  and  probably 
afterwards.  He  purchased  here,  of  George  Russell,  that  fa- 
mous horse.  Jack,  with  whom  he  lived|in  such  close  intimacy 
at  Pleasant  Prairie,  Coles  county.  Jacob  Hall,  of  Wayne 
county,  remembers  that  horse.  He  describes  him  as  "a 
handsome  brown  horse,  pony  build,  very  heavy  mane  and 
tail,  heavy  muscle,  and  a  fine  constitution;  long  in  the  ser- 
vice, as  an  animal  none  more  loved  and  esteemed  by  his  mas- 
ter. I  have  no  doubt  that  Jack  will  go  into  history  with  his 
devoted  master." 


138  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

A  portion  of  the  members  of  this  church  remained  in  it 
until  their  death.  Others  of  them  joined  a  Cumberland 
Church  organized  in  that  neighborhood  by  Rev.  William 
Finley.  William  Holmes,  father  of  Oliver  Holmes,  of  Fair- 
field, Wayne  county,  is  now  an  Elder  in  that  Cumberland 
Church,  and  has  been  since  1853. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

CENTER    PRESBYTERY. 

[Authorities  :  Records  of  the  Presbytery ;  Records  of  Churches.] 

In  the  two  preceding  chapters  I  have  given  a  sketch  of  the 
twenty-two  Presbyterian  Churches  in  Illinois,  organized  pre- 
vious to  the  1st  of  January,  1829,  naming  them  in  the  order 
of  their  formation.  There  was  one  other  church  in  the  State 
belonging  to  this  period  which  I  have  not  named,  because  it 
was  outside  of  the  bounds  fixed  for  this  volume.  It  is  Ful- 
ton Church,  Fulton  county,  organized  by  John  M.  Ellis^ 
Septembers,  1828,  with  nine  members.  I  will  here  give  this 
list,  leaving  out  Fulton,  in  one  view : 

Sharon,  organized  September  (probably),  1816,  by  James 
McGready;  Hopewell,  afterwards  New  Hope,  partly  in  In- 
diana and  partly  in  Illinois,  1817,  by  N.  B.  Derrow;  Shoal 
Creek,  organized  March  10,  1819,  by  Salmon  Giddings ;  Ed- 
wardsville,  organized  March  15,  1819,  by  Salmon  Giddings; 
Golconda,  organized  October  24,  by  N.  B.  Derrow;  Turkey 
Hill,  organized  April,  1820,  by  Salmon  Giddings;  Kaskas- 
kia,  organized  May  27,  1821,  by  Salmon  Giddings;  Alton,  the 
first,  organized  June  8,  1 821,  by  Edward  Hollister;  Wabash, 
organized  March  5,  1822,  by  David  C.  Proctor;  Collinsville, 
organized  May  3,  1823,  by  Salmon  Giddings;  Carrollton,  or 
Apple  Creek,  organized  May  4,  1823,  by  Oren  Catlin  and 
D.  G.  Sprague ;  Paris,  organized  November  6,  1824,  by  Isaac 
Reed;  Bethel,  Bond  county,  organized  September  15,  1825, 
by  Salmon  Giddings,  W.  S.  Lacey  and  Elder  William  Col- 
lins; Greenville,  organized  September  15,  1825  by  Salmon 
Giddings,  W.  S.  Lacey  and  Elder  William  Collins  ;  Shawnee- 
town,  organized  May,  1826,  by  B.  F.  Spilman;  Fairfield,  or- 
ganized, probably,  in  1827,  by  B.  F.  Spilman;  First  Jack- 
sonville, organized  June  30,  1827,  byJohnBrich;  Carmi,  or- 
ganized November  25,  1827,  by  B.  F.  Spilman;  Sangamon 
(First  Springfield,)  organized  January  30,  1828,  by  John  M. 
Ellis;  Hillsboro,  organized  March  10,  1828,  by  John  M.  Ellis; 
Vandalia,  organized  July  5,  1828,  by  Solomon  Hardy;  Bethel^ 
Wayne  county,  organized  1825  or  26,  by  B.  F.  Spilman. 


140  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

In  connection  with  these  churches  I  have  presented 
sketches  of  those  ministers  who  labored  with  them  up  to 
Jan.  I,  1829.  From  this  time  onward  I  shall  be  obliged  to 
abandon  the  chronological  nexus  consisting  in  following  the 
dates  of  the  organization  of  individual  churches.  So  large 
became  their  number,  so  many  of  them  died,  and  so  greatly 
were  they  confused  by  the  division  between  New  School  and 
Old  School  that  to  attempt  to  speak  of  them  in  strict  chrono- 
logical order  would  involve  inextricable  confusion,  as  well  as 
be  in  itself  wellnigh  impossible.  Still  the  chronological 
order  will,  as  far  as  possible,  be  followed. 

Before  Jan.  9,  1829,  there  was  no  Presbytery  lying  wholly 
in  Illinois.  The  'churches  on  the  west  side  of  the  State 
belonged  to  Missouri  Presbytery.  Wabash,  Paris,  and  Hope- 
well, or  New  Hope,  Carmi  and  Shawneetown,  to  Wabash 
Presbytery,  whose  churches  were  mainly  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Wabash  river.  Sharon  and  Golconda  belonged  to 
Muhlenburg  Presbytery  previous  to  1826,  then  to  Wabash. 
If  Bethel,  Wayne  county,  Fairfield,  or  Franklin,  had  any 
Presbyterial  connection,  it  was  with  Wabash.  Probably 
they  belonged  nowhere,  nor  for  long  even  to  themselves. 
'The  Bethel  in  Wayne  county,  is  sometimes  called  New 
Bethel.  The  ministers  were  divided  in  a  similar  manner : 
John  Mathews,  John  Brich,  John  M.  Ellis  and  Solomon 
Hardy  were  connected  with  Missouri  Presbytery.  Stephen 
Bliss  and  Thomas  A.  Spilman  with  Wabash  Presbytery.  B. 
F.  Spilman,  up  to  1826,  with  Muhlenburg,  then  with  Wabash. 
The  two  licentiates,  Thomas  Lippincott  and  Cyrus  L.  Wat- 
son, were  under  the  care  of  Missouri  Presbytery.  Jesse 
Townsend  and  Edward  Hollister  had  been  connected  with 
Missouri  Presbytery,  but  had  gone  back — Mr.  Townsend 
to  New  York,  Mr.  Hollister  to  Vermont.  Salmon  Giddings 
.and  David  Tenney,  two  other  members  of  that  Presbytery, 
were  dead.  None  of  the  other  ministers  ^who  had  made 
their  flying  visits,  or  served  out  their  three  or  six  months' 
commissions  in  the  State,  had  made  any  Presbyterial  con- 
nection at  the  West.  They  were  like  Noah's  dove.  They 
found  here  no  rest  for  the  sole  of  their  feet.  John  Young, 
indeed,  rested  in  his  early  grave  at  Vincennes. 

The  Synod  of  Indiana  at  its  Session  in  Vincennes,  Oct. 
t6,  1828,  passed  the  following  ordinance:  "  That  a  new  Pres- 
bytery be  formed  to  be  called  The  Center  Presbytery  of 
Illinois,  the  bounds  of  which  shall  be  the  lines  of  the  State ; 


CENTER    PRESBYTERY.  I4I 

and  said  Presbytery  is  directed  to  hold  its  first  meeting-  at 
Kaskaskia,  on  the  second  Friday  in  January,  1829.  The 
meeting  shall  be  opened  with  a  sermon  by  Rev.  John 
Mathews,  who  shall  preside  until  another  Moderator  is 
chosen,  or,  in  case  of  his  absence,  the  oldest  minister  pres- 
ent." 

The  Presbytery  met  at  the  time  and  place  specified  :  Pres- 
ent, Ministers  :  John  Mathews,  John  M.  Ellis,  Solomon 
Hardy  and  Thomas  A.  Spilman.  Absent :  John  Brich, 
Stephen  Bliss  and  B.  F.  Spilman.  Elder:  James  Kerr, 
from  Jacksonville  church.  It  will  be  noticed  that,  though 
the  meeting  was  held  in  Kaskaskia,  no  Elder  was  present 
from  that  church.  Its  only  Elders  at  that  time  were  two 
ladies.  The  churches  connected  with  Presbytery  were  those 
I  have  named  above,  including  Fulton ;  excepting  New 
Hope,  which  was  reckoned  to  Wabash  Presbytery,  Turkey 
Hill  and  the  original  Alton  church.  Turkey  Hill  was 
already  dead.  Alton  had  been  transferred  to  Edwards- 
ville.  The  seven  ministers  named,  with  John  G.  Bergen, 
who  had  just  reached  Springfield,  were  all  the  Presbyte- 
rian ministers  in  the  State.  Eight  ministers  and  tw^enty- 
one  living  churches  was  the  strength  of  Center  Presbytery 
when  it  commenced  its  career  at  Kaskaskia,  Jan.  9,  1829. 

The  next  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  was  held  in  Jackson- 
ville, commencing  at  noon  Thursday,  March  10,  1829,  and 
continuing  five  days.  The  same  members  were  present  as 
at  the  January  meeting,  with  the  addition  of  John  Brich. 
Stephen  Bliss  and  B.  F.  Spilman  were  again  absent.  John 
G.  Bergen  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Elizabeth- 
town,  N.  J.  The  Elders  present  were  John  Gilmore,  from 
Greenville  and  Shoal  Creek  churches ;  Samuel  Reid,  from 
Sangamon ;  John  Leeper,  Jacksonville,  and  Thomas  Lippin- 
cott,  Edwardsville.  Mr.  Lippincott  was  at  that  time  a  licen- 
tiate ;  having  been  licensed  together  with  Cyrus  L.  Watson, 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Missouri,  at  Shoal  Creek,  Oct.  8,  1828. 

Rev.  John  M.  Ellis  and  Elder  John  Tillson,  jr.,  were 
appointed  commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  Resolutions 
were  adopted  in  favor  of  the  college  at  Jacksonville,  and 
John  M.  Ellis  was  made  agent  to  collect  funds  for  it  at  the 
East.  A  Home  Missionary  Society  was  formed,  auxiliary  to 
the  A.  H.  M.  Society. 

It  is  interesting  to  remark  how,  at  that  time,  the  Presby- 
tery and  the  Church  acted  through  the  A.  H.  M.  Society 


142  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

rather  than  the  Assembly's  Board  of  Missions.  The  great 
reason,  doubtless,  was  that  the  Society  had  more  money  and 
■could  furnish  a  better  and  surer  support  to  the  missionaries 
than  the  Board,  The  time  was  to  come  when  this  working 
through  a  voluntary  Society,  instead  of  the  Assembly's 
Board,  was  to  be  a  source  of  trouble  and  division. 

The  churches  in  connection  with  the  Presbytery  at  that 
time  were  twenty-one.  The  aggregate  reported  membership 
was  four  hundred  and  thirty-two.  The  largest  church  was 
Bethel,  with  fifty-four  members.  Hillsboro  had  then  six  mem- 
bers and  was  supplied,  together  with  Bethel,  by  Thomas  A. 
Spilman.  B.  F.  Spilman  was  supplying  Sharon,  Carmi  and 
Shawneetown.  Fulton,  Carrollton,  Vandalia,  Fairfield  and 
Golconda  were  vacant.  At  the  close  of  the  records  of  this 
meeting  they  are  endorsed  as  having  been  "  examined  and 
approved  by  Synod — Synod  of  Indiana — at  Shoal  Creek, 
•Oct.   17,  1829.     Samuel  G.  Lowry,  Moderator  of  Synod." 

The  next  meeting  of  Center  Presbytery  was  at  Vandalia, 
commencing  Oct.  10,  1829.  Six  of  the  eight  ministers  of 
the  Presbytery  were  present.  Stephen  Bliss  and  John  M. 
Ellis  were  absent,  the  latter  at  the  East  collecting  funds  for 
the  college.  Eight  Elders  were  present.  John  G.  Bergen 
was  Moderator.  The  committee  on  the  seminary  reported 
the  building  in  rapid  progress,  and  that  seven  young  men  in 
New  Haven,  Conn.,  candidates  for  the  ministry  and  licen- 
tiates, had  formed  an  association  to  raise  ^10,000  in  its  be- 
half, and  had  pledged  themselves  to  come  to  this  State  and 
devote  themselves  to  its  prosperity.  The  churches  under 
■care  of  Presbytery  were  twenty-three,  an  increase  of  two 
since  the  spring  meeting.  The  aggregate  of  members  re- 
ported four  hundred  and  forty-one.  The  admissions  were 
forty-four.     The  baptisms  of  infants  sixty-six,  of  adults  three. 


The  New  Providence  Church,  in  the  southeast  corner  of 
Edgar  county,  was  never  connected  with  Center  Presbytery. 
It  remained  under  the  care  of  Wabash  Presbytery;  but  its 
place  chronologically  is  here.  It  is  about  ten  miles  west 
of  Terre  Haute,  among  the  broken  and  originally  heavy  tim- 
bered lands  lying  between  the  Wabash  valley  and  the  Illinois 
prairies.  The  church  edifice  is  near  the  summit  of  the  north- 
ern bluff  of  Sugar  creek.  The  cemetery  is  less  than  a  fourth 
of  a  mile  from  the  church  house,  just  as  you  begin  the  de- 


NEW    PROVIDENCE    CHURCH.  I43 

scent  from  the  bluff.  In  this  parish  the  Indianapolis  &  St. 
Louis  and  the  Vandalia  &  Terre  Haute  railroads  approach 
within  about  six  miles  of  each  other.  The  congregation  re- 
side mostly  between  these  railroads,  their  church  building 
and  parsonage  being  about  two  miles  from  the  nearest  sta- 
tion. It  is  an  exclusively  farming  community.  The  location  is 
healthy.  The  families  are  large,  every  house  nearly  swarm- 
ing with  children  and  youth.  The  church  was  organized  by 
Rev.  Clayton  Young,  at  the  house  of  Martin  Ray,  which 
stood  and  stands  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  about  one  mile  from 
the  present  church  building.  It  was  formed  May  16,  1829, 
with  the  following  members,  viz. :  Thomas  Art,  Mary  Art, 
Eleven  Tucker,  Elizabeth  Tucker,  Margaret  L.  Ewing, 
Elizabeth  McNutt,  George  Ewing,  Ellen  Ewing,  Martin 
Ray,  Jane  Ewing,  Rachel  Ewing,  Eliza  J.  Tucker,  Nathan- 
iel Ewing,  Elizabeth  Ewing,  Margaret  Ray,  Alexander 
Ewing  and  John  W.  McNutt.  The  two  last  named  were 
chosen  Elders.  The  church  was  called  "  New  Providence," 
from  a  church  of  that  name  in  East  Tennessee.  On  Sab- 
bath, May  17,  1829,  the  Lord's  Supper  was  administered  by 
Rev.  Clayton  Young.  Ministers:  John  C.  Campbell  com- 
menced May  21,  183 1,  and  continued  till  the  spring  of  1848; 
Joseph  Butler  served  a  few  months;  Joseph  Wilson,  from 
February  4,  1849,  to  about  1853;  H.  F.  Taylor,  for  six 
months,  ending  October,  1854;  John  C.  Campbell,  second 
time,  one  year  from  the  first  Sabbath  in  December,  1854,  he 
continued  until  September,  1856;  F.  A.  Deming  was  em- 
ployed in  the  spring  of  1858,  and  continued  till  the  spring  of 
1862;  Pliny  S.  Smith  appears  to  have  preached  to  this 
church  as  a  licentiate  from  the  beginning  of  1864,  and  to 
have  been  ordained,  but  not  installed,  in  April  of  the  same 
year;  Thomas  Spencer  served  some  months,  from  Novem- 
ber, 1865;  Wm.  H.  Ilsley,  theological  student,  served  this 
church  in  the  summer  of  1872.  Early  in  his  term  of  service 
he  was  thrown  from  a  horse  and  had  his  leg  broken.  He 
boarded  at  the  house  of  Elder  Hiram  Cassle,  by  whose  fam- 
ily he  was  tenderly  cared  for  in  his  affliction.  F.  G.  Strange, 
another  student  of  theology,  labored  here  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1873.  Edward  W.  Abbey,  pastor  of  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church,  Terre  Haute,  held  an  interesting  meet- 
ing with  this  congregation  in  the  spring  of  1877.  Eleven 
persons  were  received  by  letter  and  seven  by  examination. 
Elders  :  The  two  original  ones  are  named  above ;  John  Mc- 


144  PRESBYTERIAN  ISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Colloch  and  Samuel  Cusick,  April  7,  1838;  Andrew  B.  Ray- 
and  Josiah  Hicklin,  September  10,  1844;  George  Ewing^ 
May,  1 851;  A.  C.  Ewing  and  Hiram  Cassle,  December  25,. 
1859;  Pliny  S.  Smith,  January  24,  1864;  James  C.  Hicklin 
and  James  W.  Ewing;  John  B.  Roberts  and  Leonidas  Cas- 
sle, June  29,  1873.  William  H.  Stubbs,  George  W.  Ulrich 
and  J'osiah  Hicklin  (he  had  been  dismissed  and  returned,) 
about  May  i,  1877.  Houses  of  worship:  Of  these  there 
have  been  two.  The  first  was  built  of  logs,  and  stood  near 
the  present  cemetery,  on  the  north  bluff  of  Sugar  creek. 
Don't  know  when  it  was  built,  but  it  was  used  for  church  pur- 
poses down  to  aboyi  1845.  The  second  and  present  house 
is  a  frame  building,  about  one-fourth  of  a  mile  further  back 
on  the  bluff,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  fine  open  plat  of  ground 
sparsely  covered  by  large  forest  trees. 

The  Parsonage,  and  two  acres  of  land  connected  with  it, 
are  about  one-fourth  of  a  mile  from  the  church.  It  is  a  plain 
frame  building,  and  worth  with  the  land  about  five  hundred 
dollars. 

At  the  time  I  write.  New  Providence  Church  is  vacant,  and 
the  prospect  of  its  being  built  up  is  not  encouraging.  A  for- 
mer prominent  member  has  become  an  infidel,  and  is  assidu- 
ous in  the  advocacy  of  his  new  opinions.  He  has  managed 
to  fail  in  business,  lose  a  fine  property,  and  involve  nearly  all 
his  neighbors  in  heavy  pecuniary  loss.  This  bad  example 
and  these  losses  are  exerting  a  most  disastrous  influence. 


To  the  Center  Presbytery,  at  its  meeting  in  Vandalia,, 
October,  1829,  two  new  churches  were  added — Sugar  Creek 
and  New  Haven. 

Sugar  Creek  Church  was  originally  composed  exclusive- 
ly of  families  from  the  Carolinas  and  Tennessee.  In  1815 
they  came  to  Illinois,  and  settled  near  Edwardsville.  The 
next  year  they  removed  to  Sugar  creek,  to  what  is  now  the- 
southeast  corner  of  Madison  county,  T.  3,  R.  5  west.  The 
settlement  received  other  accessions  in  1820,  '26  and  '40. 
The  Sugar  Creek  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  June 
14,  1829,  by  Rev.  Solomon  Hardy,  in  the  log  barn  of  Mr. 
George  Ramsey,  with  the  following  members,  viz. :  James 
Ramsey,  George  Ramsey,  Robert  Craig,  John  Ramsey,  John 
H.  Ramsey,  Oswald  Ramsey,  James  A.  Ramsey,  Jonathan  L. 
Harris,  Joseph  Gracy,  John  Harris,  John  M.  Berry,  John  Gul- 


SUGAR  CREEK  CHURCH.  145 

lick,  Polly  Ramsey,  Eveline  Ramsey,  Catharine  Craig,  Ra- 
chel Ramsey,  sr.,  Rachel  Ramsey,  jr.,  Rachel  H.  Ramsey, 
Elizabeth  Gingles,  Elizabeth  Gracy,  Jane  Harris,  Rachel 
Berry.  Of  these  twenty-two  original  members  one  only  is 
now  on  earth,  viz.,  Mrs.  Rachel  H.  Ramsey — ^just  one-half  the 
number  are  of  the  name  of  Ramsey.  The  Elders  then  ap- 
pointed were  John  Harris,  James  A.  Ramsey  and  Jonathan 
L.  Harris. 

The  Ministers,  who  have  served  the  church,  are  Thomas 
Lippincott  during  1830.  He  divided  his  time  between  Col- 
linsville,  Edwardsville  and  Sugar  Creek.  Alexander  Ewing, 
licentiate,  from  April,  1831,  to  1834;  John  Mathews,  from 
April,  1834,  to  October,  1837;  James  Stafford,  from  April, 
1841,  to  October,  1842 — in  connection  with  the  church  at 
Greenville,  giving  Sugar  Creek  one-fourth  his  time,  Thomas 
A.  Spilman  during  1843,  this  church  in  connection  with  Car- 
lyle.  From  1843  to  1847  the  church  was  without  preaching 
services,  except  as  supplied  by  Presbytery.  John  S.  Howell, 
from  October,  1847,  to  October,  1850.  Another  vacancy  oc- 
curred from  1850  to  1853.  James  Stafford  became  pastor  of 
the  church  October,  1853,  and  remained  with  it  until  1856, 
when  he  removed  to  Trenton.  He  was  the  only  pastor  this 
church  ever  had.  He  resided  in  the  house  now  occupied  by 
Robert  I.  Drayton.  Peter  Hassinger,  from  April,  1857,  to 
April,  i860;  H.  M.  Corbett,  from  October,  i860,  to  October, 
1863,  dividing  his  time  equally  with  Trenton;  William  Barnes, 
from  October,  1863,  to  April,  1874.  George  W.  Fisher  has 
been  in  charge  since  the  last  date,  and  still  continues, 
dividing  his  time  equally  between  this  church  and  Trenton — 
ten  different  ministers. 

Elders:  Jonathan  L.  Harris,  elected  in  1829,  died  Febru- 
ary, 1 830 ;  James  A.  Ramsey,  elected  in  1 829,  died  June,  1 866  ; 
John  Harris,  elected  in  1829,  died  1862  in  Texas;  George 
Shields,  elected  in  1831,  removed  July,  1835  ;  John  Douglas, 
elected  in  1842,  dismissed  to  Trenton  in  1857,  and  died  July, 
1858  ;T.  S.  Ramsey,  elected  in  1853,  and  is  still  in  office; 
Robert  Douglas,  elected  in  1855,  dismissed  to  Trenton  in 
'57,  is  now  in  Colorado;  Robert  Dutton,  elected  in  i860, 
died  August,  1872;  H.  V.Sherman,  elected  in  i860,  withdrew 
from  the  church  in  1865,  and  embraced  Romanism;  Robert  I. 
Drayton  and  James  Wilson,  elected  in  1872.  The  Board  of 
Elders  now  consists  of  the  two  last  named  and  T.  S.  Ramsey. 

The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  with  this  church   on  at 

9 


146  PHESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

least  six  occasions.  The  Presbytery  of  Hillsboro,  after  its 
erection,  met  here  in  April,  1861.  The  whole  number  re- 
ceived to  the  church  from  the  beginning  to  tlie  spring  of 
1877  is  two  hundred  and  twelve. 

The  church  has  had  three  houses  of  worship.  The  first 
erected  in  183 1,  was  a  log  building  on  the  east  side  of  Sugar 
creek,  in  township  3,  range  5  west.  Each  man  furnished  his 
own  logs^and  each  family  its  own  slab  seat.  The  pulpit  was 
built  mostly  of  clapboards.  The  building  had  one  window 
only.  It  contained  four  lights.  All  the  money  laid  out  was 
for  the  window.  ^No  nails  in  the  building.  Nothing  of  this 
house  remains.  The  second  house  was  a  frame  building, 
erected  in  1843,  on  the  S.  E.  quarter  of  Sec.  28,  T.  3,  R.  5 
W.,  and  was  on  the  west  side  of  the  creek,  in  Madison 
county,  and  about  three  miles  from  the  site  of  the  first  house. 
This  building  has  been  removed  to  R.  M.  Ramsey's  place, 
and  the  land  on  which  it  stood  has  reverted  to  the  original 
owner.  The  present  house  was  dedicated  on  Sabbath,  De- 
cember 23,  1877.  It  stands  in  the  center  of  Sec.  4,  T.  2,  R. 
5  W.,  one  mile  south  of  the  site  of  the  second  house,  and  is 
in  Clinton  county.  It  is  a  neat  frame  building,  with  a  cupola 
and  ten  windows,  painted  without  and  within,  furnished  with 
stoves,  chandelier,  side  lamps  and  carpet  for  the  aisles  and 
pulpit.  It  cost  thirteen  hundred  dollars,  is  free  from  debt  and 
was  erected  by  the  congregation  without  aid. 

In  1876  this  church  experienced  a  great  revival.  As  fruits 
of  it,  fifty  were  added  on  profession  and  seven  by  letter.  It 
has  a  weekly  prayer-meeting  and  an  interesting  Sabbath 
school,  which  is  kept  up  the  year  round.  Though  only  five 
miles  from  the  railway  town  of  Trenton,  and  subject  to  many 
losses  by  removals,  it  holds  its  own  in  all  respects.  Its  mem- 
bers have,  and  ever  have  had,  a  commendable  pride  in  build- 
ing their  own  houses  of  worship  and  in  supporting  their  own 
mmisters.  Nor  are  they  forgetful  of  their  obligations  to  the 
various  benevolent  Boards. 


Nev^t  Haven  Church,  in  southeast  corner  of  White  county, 
was  organized  by  Rev.  B.  F.  Spilman  about  September  20, 
1829.  Samuel  Boyd  was  its  first  and  only  Elder.  Its  num- 
ber of  members  never  exceeded  ten.  B.  F.  Spilman  gave 
them  occasional  supply,  as  he  traveled  back  and  forth  between 
Shawneetovvn  and  Carmi.     It  never  had  a  house  of  worsliip. 


f.jnu'tui  fjy  .Ti-hn  Sarta^n. .  J^kit 


THOMAS    LIPPINCOTT.  147 

It  lived  a  halting,  half-life  till  April,  1848,  when  it  was  dis- 
solved by  Kaskaskia  Presbytery  and  its  members  attached  to 
other  churches. 


An  adjourned  meeting  of  Presbytery  was  held  at  Shoal 
creek,  Bond  county,  October  19,  1829,  at  which  the  two  licen- 
tiates, Thomas  Lippincott  and  Cyrus  L.  Watson,  were  or- 
dained. This  session  of  the  Presbytery  was  held  during  the 
intervals  of  the  Synodical  meeting  then  in  progress  at  the 
.same  place.     It  was  still  Indiana  Synod. 


Thomas  Lippincott. 

A  detailed  account  of  this  highly  respected  and  useful  man  was  published  in 
the  Presbytery  Reporter  for  January,  1S70.  For  it  I  am  obliged  to  substitute  a 
shorter  article  prepared  and  published  immediately  after  his  death,  which  took 
place  at  the  house  of  his  son,  Thomas  Winthrop  Lippincott,  in  Pana,  111.,  April 
.13,  1869. 

He  was  born  in  Salem,  N.  J.,  February  6,  1791.  His  par- 
'cnts  were,  in  their  religious  sentiments.  Friends  or  Quakers. 
His  mother  died  when  he  was  a  lad  of  eight  years,  and  the 
family  were  scattered.  Thomas  resided  two  or  three  years 
with  relatives  near  his  birth  place.  He  then  went  to  Philadel- 
phia to  reside  with  his  uncle,  Charles  Ellet,  a  brother  of  his 
mother.  This  was  in  1802.  He  remained  in  that  city  until 
1814.  But  of  his  pursuits  during  those  twelve  years  the  writer 
has  little  information.  In  1813 — the  time  of  our  last  war  with 
England — he  enlisted  in  a  corps  of  volunteers  raised  for  the 
defense  of  the  city.  Sometime  in  18 14  he  left  Philadelphia 
for  Lumberland,  a  town  on  Ten-Mile  river,  in  Sullivan  county, 
N.  Y.  He  was  then,  to  use  his  own  expression,  "a  godless 
young  man,  and  in  belief  a  Universalist."  But  he  became  ac- 
quainted with  a  pious  young  lady.  Miss  Patty  Swift — who 
was  born  in  Cornwall,  Conn.,  March  13,  1784 — and  who  was 
honored  in  being  the  instrument  of  his  conversion.  This 
young  lady  he  married,  August  15,  18 16,  at  Lumberland. 
Late  in  the  fall  of  18 17  he  started  for  the  West  with  his  wife 
and  infant  daughter.  On  the  first  day  of  December  they 
embarked  at  Pittsburg,  with  another  family,  on  a  Mononga- 
hela  flat-boat,  which  they  had  charted  to  convey  them  down 
the  Ohio.  On  the  30th  of  the  same  month  they  landed  at 
Shawneetown.     In  that  voyage  of  thirty  days  the  most  nota- 


148  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

ble  event  was  the  passage  of  a  steamer — an  event  at  that 
period  of  uncommon  occurrence.  He  remained  at  Shawnee- 
tovvn  mud-bound  for  several  weeks.  At  length  a  hard  freeze 
occurring  he  procured  a  horse  and  dearborn  wagon,  and  tak- 
ing in  it  his  family  and  goods,  started  across  the  State  for  St. 
Louis,  by  way  of  Kaskaskia.  Wearily  and  painfully  they  crept 
forward,  occupying  all  the  time — except  a  rest  of  two  da)'s — • 
from  the  6th  to  the  17th  of  February  in  traveling  from  Shaw- 
neetown  to  the  Mississippi  opposite  St.  Louis.  Crossing  over 
to  the  city,  then  but  a  village,  he  engaged  as  clerk  in  the  ser- 
vice of  Rufus  Easton.  He  there  continued  for  nine  months.. 
He  made,  during  thfs  period,  the  acquaintance  of  Rev.  Sal- 
mon Giddings,  who  had  then  recently  commenced  his  labors- 
in  St.  Louis,  and  for  him  he  ever  after  cherished  the  highest 
regard. 

In  November  of  that  year  he  entered  into  some  sort  of 
business  partnership  with  Col.  Easton.  In  pursuance  of  that 
arrangement  he  took  a  stock  of  goods  to  Milton,  Madison 
county,  111.,  about  four  miles  east  of  Alton,  where  the  Ed- 
wardsville  road  crosses  Wood  river,  and  opened  a  store  with 
the  sign  of  "  Lippincott  &  Co."  I  am  not  able  to  say  what 
was  the  success  of  this  business  enterprise. 

His  wife  died  on  the  14th  of  October,  1819,  at  the  house  of 
Deacon  Crocker,  in  St.  Clair  county.  An  infant  of  one  day 
died  two  days  before  its  mother.  This  Mrs.  Lippincott  ap- 
pears to  have  been  a  woman  of  decided  Christian  character, 
and  to  have  abounded  in  Christian  activities.  As  before 
stated,  she  was  the  instrument  of  her  husband's  conversion 
before  her  marriage  with  him.  At  Milton  the  children  of 
the  neighborhood  were  gathered  in  their  house  on  Sabbath 
morning  for  religious  instruction.  Mr.  L.  says  :  "  My  wife,. 
who  had  had  much  experience  and  success  in  teaching,  could 
not  be  easy  without  this ;  and  the  effort  was  made."  It  zuas 
the  first  Sabbath-school  in  Illinois. 

The  infant  daughter  whom  this  devoted  mother,  tender 
wife  and  earnest  Christian  brought  with  her  from  the  East, 
and  carried  through  all  that  long  and  most  wearisome  jour- 
ney, was  born  in  Lumberland,  N.  Y.,  and  was  named  Abia 
Swift.  December  4,  1834,  she  married  Winthrop  S.  Oilman, 
now  a  wealthy  banker  in  New  York  city,  for  many  years  an 
elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  distinguished  for  his 
generous  and  judicious  charities.  This  Abia  S.  Oilman  still 
survives,  and  is  the  mother  of  a  large  family  of  sons  and 
daughters. 


THOMAS    LIPPINCOTT.  I49 

Mr.  Lipplncott  married  his  second  wife,  Miss  Henrietta 
Maria  Slater,  March  25,  1820,  at  the  Slater  farm,  which  was 
six  miles  from  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Springfield,  the 
capital  of  Illinois.  This  lady  lived  after  her  marriage  less 
than  six  months,  dying  September  ii,  1820. 

Mr.  Lippincott's  next  place  of  residence  was  Edwards- 
ville,  then  and  now  the  county  seat  of  Madison  county. 
While  in  that  place  he  acted — certainly  for  one  year — as  ed- 
itor of  the  Edwardsville  Spectator ;  and  during  the  six  years 
in  which  the  paper  was  published  at  Edwardsville,  he  was  a 
constant  contributor  to  its  columns.  The  Spectator  was  a 
weekly  journal,  and  its  usual  conductor  was  Hooper  Warren. 
It  was  a  consistent,  able  organ  of  anti-slavery  principles.  To 
the  influence  of  this  paper  it  was  largely  owing  that  slavery 
was  not  engrafted  upon  the  constitution  of  this  State.  Says 
one  who  knows — "The  contest  upon  this  subject  commenced 
in  1822,  and  was  one  of  the  severest  ever  known  in  the  history 
of  this  State.  It  was  only  by  a  slender  majority  that  this 
young  commonwealth  was  saved  from  the  blighting  curse 
which  thus  early  threatened  its  then  promising  career." 
Among  the  standard-bearers  in  that  pregnant  contest  was 
Thomas  Lippincott. 

While  in  Edwardsville  Mr.  L.,  besides  his  editorial  duties, 
was  clerk  in  the  Land  Office  and  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

Otober  ii,  1821,  he  married  Miss  Catharine  Wyly  Leg- 
gett,  a  sister  of  William  Leggett,  of  New  York  City,  so  dis- 
tinguished for  his  political  writings.  This  wife  lived  until 
May  8,  1850,  when  she  died  the  Christian's  death,  loved  and 
lamented  by  all  who  knew  her.  She  died  in  Alton,  and  was 
buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Upper  Alton.  She  was  the 
mother  of  eleven  children,  five  of  whom  survive.  The  names 
of  these  survivors  are,  Charles  Ellet,  a  graduate  of  Illinois 
College,  a  Doctor  of  Medicine,  a  Brigadier  General  of  Volun- 
teers in  our  late  war,  and  recently  Auditor  of  the  State  of 
Illinois;  Mary  Jane,  married  to  Charles  W.  Saunders,  and 
now  residing  at  DeWitt,  Iowa ;  Thomas  Winthrop,  married 
to  Martha  Ann  Bird ;  Sarah  Elizabeth,  married  to  Abraham 
Calvin  Bird;  Thomas  W.  Lippincott  resides  in  Pana,  111.; 
Abraham  C.  Bird,  in  St.  Louis  ;  Julian  Post,  the  youngest  of 
the  family,  is  now  a  lawyer  in  Jacksonville.  Of  the  sons, 
two,  Charles  E.  and  Thomas  W.,  and  one  who  is  dead, 
Abraham  L.,  served  with  distinction  in  the  Union  army. 
Abraham  gave  his  life  to  the  cause,  for  he  died  at  Ducoign, 


ISO  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

111.,  November  3,  1863,   of  wounds  received  at   Vicksburg. 

Mr.  Lippincott  was  an  Elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church 
at  Edwardsville,  and  frequently  conducted  public  worship  in 
the  absence  of  a  regular  minister.  In  this  way  he  seems  to 
have  had  his  mind  gradually  turned  toward  the  ministry,  and 
to  have  pursued  theological  studies  as  his  circumstances 
allowed. 

October  8,  1828,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  Missouri,  which  at  that  time  included  in  its  territory 
the  whole  of  Illinois.  October  19,  1829,  he  was  ordained 
by  Center  Presbytery — after  that  period  he  gave  himself 
almost  wholly  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  His  stated  labors 
were  exclusively  with  churches  in  the  bounds  of  the  Synod 
of  Illinois.  He  also  acted  for  several  months  as  agent  of  the 
American  Sabbath  School  Union.  His  last  field  was  Du- 
coign,  in  Perry  county.  His  ministerial  labors  were  abund- 
ant, acceptable  and  successful. 

From  Ducoign  he  removed  to  Pana,  111.,  September  i, 
1867,  and  made  his  home  from  thenceforth  till  his  death  in 
that  place  with  his  son  Thomas  W.  He  was  one  of  the  Com- 
missioners of  Alton  Presbytery  to  the  General  Assembly 
which  met  at  Rochester  in  May,  1867,  and  was  there  ap- 
pointed a  delegate  to  the  Assembly  of  the  Cumberland 
Presbyterian  Church  which  met  at  Lincoln,  III,  in  May,  1868. 
This  appointment  he  fulfilled. 

He  was  ever  prompt  in  his  attendance  upon  the  meetings 
of  the  ecclesiastical  bodies  with  which  he  was  connected. 
Almost  always  at  these  meetings,  for  the  past  twelve  or  fifteen 
years,  he  was  called  upon  to  officiate  when  the  Sacramental 
Board  was  spread.  No  man  in  the  Synod  was  more  univer- 
sally respected  and  loved. 

He  was  one  of  six  ministers  who — with  seven  churches — 
constituted  the  Presbytery  of  Alton  when  it  was  organized 
in  the  city  of  Alton,  April  4,  1837.  He  was  its  first  Moder- 
ator. With  that  Presbytery  he  remained  until  his  death,  ex- 
cept during  the  interval  from  1853  to  1858.  For  those  years 
he  was  connected  with  Illinois  Presbytery  because  laboring 
in  their  bounds. 

Mr.  Lippincott,  with  John  M.  Ellis  and  Samuel  D.  Lock- 
wood,  was  the  original  mover  in  the  work  of  founding  Illi- 
nois College;  and  he  was  from  the  beginning  one  of  the 
Trustees  of  that  Institution. 

He  was  a  prolific  writer.      From  his  early  manhood  almost 


THOMAS    LIPPINCOTT.  I5I 

to  the  day  of  his  death,  he  furnished  contributions  for  the 
secular  and  reh'gious  press.  Before  his  entrance  upon  the 
ministry  he  was  a  poHtical  writer  of  marked  abihty,  wielding 
a  sharp  pen,  and  always  upon  the  side  of  human  rights. 

At  a  later  period  he  edited  for  one  year  the  Taper,  a  relig- 
ious monthly.  During  the  twenty-three  years  in  which  the 
Presbytery  Reporter  was  in  existence  he  contributed  largely  to 
its  columns.  In  May,  1846,  a  very  valuable  and  interesting 
historical  sermon  of  his  was  published  in  the  Reporter.  He 
contributed  many  articles  to  our  Eastern  religious  papers. 
His  signature  in  the  Evangelist  was  Pioneer. 

His  last  marriage  was  with  Mrs.  Lydia  Barnes — her  maiden 
name  was  Fairchild — at  Alton,  November  27,  185 1.  With 
this  estimable  Christian  lady  he  lived  nearly  seventeen  and 
one-half  years.     She  died  in  1873. 

Mr.  Lippincott  acted  an  important  part  in  almost  the  entire 
political  and  religious  history  of  Illinois.  He  saw  it  become 
a  State  and  increase  from  a  few  thousand  people  to  millions. 
From  the  smallest  he  saw  it  become  in  population  and  wealth 
the  fourth  in  the  Union.  From  a  State,  with  no  Presbyterian 
or  Congregational  churches,  he  saw  it  contain  more  than 
six  hundred  of  the  former,  and  two  hundred  of  the  latter. 
From  a  state  of  ignorance  and  semi-barbarism  he  saw  it  in 
its  schools  and  higher  institutions  of  learning  rival  Massa- 
chusetts. Had  he  been  given  to  boasting  he  might  have 
said:  "  In  all  these  changes  I  have  been  magna  pars."  But 
this  was  never  his  language,  though  others  may  with  much 
truth  say  it  of  him.  His  feeling,  I  think,  was  that  it  was  an 
unspeakable  privilege  to  live  at  such  an  era,  and  to  share  in 
such  triumphs. 

It  is  difficult  to  characterize  such  a  man  because  of  the 
very  completeness  of  his  character  and  the  absence  of  great 
salient  points.  It  was  something  like  the  prairies  of  his 
adopted  State,  everywhere  rich  and  fertile,  but  destitute  of 
towering  mountains,  snow-crowned  and  conspicuous  indeed, 
but  cold  and  barren  ;  and  destitute  also  of  those  swamp  lands 
which  lie  too  low  for  drainage  and  cultivation.  His  mental 
efforts  were  always  respectable,  never  sinking  below  medioc- 
rity, seldom  soaring  far  above  it.  He  was  not  a  meteor,  or  a 
comet,  but  rather  the  north  star,  steadily  shining  clear  and 
fixed.  His  moral  character  also  was  complete.  He  loved 
his  neighbor  as  himself  He  was  liberal  with  his  means, 
almost  to  a  fault.    His  Christian  character  also  was  complete. 


152  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Christ's  atonement  was  his  only  hope — Christ's  example  his 
only  pattern — Christ's  precepts  his  only  rule.  His  funeral 
was  attended  at  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Pana  on  Thurs- 
day morning,  April  15,  1869.  The  speakers  on  the  occasion 
were  Rev.  Messrs.  W.  P.  Gibson,  A.  T.  Norton  and  Albert 
Hale.  Two  of  them  had  known  him  intimately  for  more  than 
thirty  years.  His  remains  were  conveyed  to  Upper  Alton 
and  placed  beside  those  of  hii  third  wife,  Catharine  W. 
There,  too,  was  deposited  in  1873  the  mortal  part  of  his  fourth 
wife,  Lydia  Fairchild. 


Cyrus  L.  Watson,  His  ancestors  were  Scotch.  They 
settled  in  Tyrone  county,  Ireland,  about  the  time  of  the  bat- 
tle of  Boyne,  1690.  They  emigrated  to  Pennsylvania  prior 
to  the  French  war,  and  settled  near  where  Chambersburg 
now  stands.  Before  the  revolutionary  war  they  emigrated  to 
the  Carolinas,  his  paternal  ancestors  to  South,  his  maternal 
to  North  Carolina,  still  not  many  miles  apart.  They  were  all 
staunch  Presbyterians,  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  spirit  of 
civil  and  religious  liberty.  His  paternal  grandfather  fell  at 
the  battle  of  Briar  Creek — a  great-uncle  at  the  battle  of 
King's  Mountain — another  great-uncle,  who  had  just  reached 
home  from  the  army,  was  brutally  murdered  by  Tories  while 
embracing  his  young  wife  on  his  own  door-step.  The  father 
of  Cyrus  L.  was  born  near  York,  S.  C,  and  inherited  a  farm 
of  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres. 

Cyrus  L.  was  born  February  10,  1800,  in  the  same  house 
where  his  father  saw  the  light.  He  and  his  twin  brother, 
John  B.,  were  the  oldest  sons. 

Desirous  of  procuring  for  his  twin  boys  the  best  educa- 
tion possible,  the  father  sent  them,  when  very  young,  to  school 
to  a  lame,  good-natured  Irishman,  with  a.special  penchant  for 
whisky.  The  master  made  the  little  boys  his  special  pets, 
and  soon  had  them  reading  in  the  New  Testament.  Their 
next  teacher  was  a  smart  Yankee,  who  was  obliged  to  occupy 
much  of  the  quarter  they  were  under  his  care  in  teaching 
them  to  unlearn  most  of  what  the  Irishman  had  taught 
them.  One  of  their  next  teachers  was  a  man  of  some  edu- 
cation and  a  stern  disciplinarian.  He  flogged  with  great  se- 
verity, often  leaving  large  welts  on  the  hapless  urchins,  and 
sometimes  making  the  blood  flow.  Under  his  tuition  the 
boys    learned    to    spell    everything    in    Webster's    spelling 


CYRUS    L.  WATSON.  153 

"book,  to  read  with  great  fluency,  and  to  write  a  legible  hand. 
English  grammar  was  then  unknown  in  the  schools  of  the 
South.  To  read,  write,  and  cipher  as  far  as  the  rule  of  three 
was  thought  to  be  a  complete  English  education.  When 
the  boys  were  ten  years  of  age,  the  father  removed  with  his 
family  to  Illinois  Territory  and  stopped  first,  and  for  nearly  a 
year,  in  Goshen  settlement,  eighteen  miles  northeast  of  St. 
Louis.  This  was  then  the  northern  verge  of  white  settle- 
ments in  Illinois.  In  about  a  year  the  father  removed  with 
his  family  to  Missouri  Territory — to  Buffalo  settlement,  near 
where  the  city  of  Louisiana,  in  Pike  county,  now  stands. 
But  soon  the  Indians  became  troublesome,  and  a  rude  fort 
was  erected  by  the  settlers.  Into  this  they  crowded,  and 
there  the  families  lived  in  great  discomfort  for  fifteen  months. 
One  morning  two  of  the  men  were  shot  by  Indians  not  far 
from  the  fort.  Cyrus  heard  the  discharge  of  the  murderous 
guns.  Some  of  their  friends  in  Goshen  having  heard  of  the 
peril  of  the  family  came  up  and  escorted  them  back  to  their 
settlement.  Here  the  family  remained  for  several  years, 
but  at  length  returned  to  their  brief  home  in  Missouri.  In 
1 82 1  Rev.  John  Mathews,  who  was  then  residing  and  preach- 
ing in  that  settlement,  opened  a  school  in  his  own  house.  The 
twin  brothers,  then  young  men  of  twenty-one^  attended  upon 
his  instructions,  and  were  advanced  almost  sufficently  to  enter 
■college.  But  the  family  were  in  straitened  circumstances.  The 
twin  brothers,  anxious  to  secure  the  means  to  prosecute 
their  studies,  determined  to  make  a  trading  trip  to  New 
Orleans.  They  constructed  a  boat,  loaded  it  with  pork  and 
various  commodities  and  started  down  the  river.  They 
went  no  farther  than  Natchez.  They  disposed  of  their 
cargo  and  returned.  The  venture  was  not  a  success.  More 
than  two  years  after  this  unfortunate  speculation  the  young 
men  were  in  St.  Louis  receiving  instruction  of  Rev.  Salmon 
Giddings,  at  his  school  in  that  place.  After  much  delay  and 
labor — teaching  that  he  might  gain  the  means  of  study  and 
studying  that  he  might  prepare  for  the  ministry — Cyrus  L. 
was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Missouri,  Oct.  8,  1828,  at 
their  meeting  at  Shoal  Creek,  111.  This  was  only  ten  days 
before  "  Center  Presbytery  of  Illinois  "  was  constituted  by 
the  Synod  of  Indiana,  at  their  meeting  at  Vincennes.  Im- 
mediately after  his  licensure  Mr.  Watson  went  to  Spring- 
field, where  he  assisted  his  brother  in  a  school,  and  preached 
in  adjoining  neighborhoods  until  June,  1829,  when  he  was 


154  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

commissioned  by  the  A.  H.  M.  Society  to  labor  in  the  Mili- 
tary Tract.     This  was   the  country  between  the  Mississippi 
and   Illinois  rivers,   from  their  junction  to   the   counties   of 
Peoria,  Knox  and  Warren.    When  he  commenced  there  was 
but  one  Presbyterian  church  in  the  district — that  of  Fulton, 
On    the    19th   of  October,    1829,   he  was    ordained    by   the 
"Center  Presbytery  of  Illinois."    January  31,  1830,  he,  with 
John  M.  Ellis,  organized  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Rush- 
ville,  with  twelve  members.     In  December  of  1830,  assisted 
by  Rev.  Asa  Turner,  he  organized  the  Presbyterian  church 
of  Quincy,  also  with  twelve  members.    In  traveling  over  his- 
wide  parish,  Mr.  Watson  carried  a  pocket  compass,  and  by 
it,  where  there  was'ho  path,  directed  his  course.     When,  in 
summer,  he  could  not  travel  by  day  on  account  of  the  vora- 
cious prairie  fly,  he  would  journey  by  night,  and  sometimes  be 
followed  by  packs  of  investigating  wolves.    He  swam  creeks 
when   needful,   and    had   several  hair-breadth  escapes    from 
drowning.     In  May  of  1831  he  went  as  commissioner  to  the 
Assembly  at  Philadelphia,  and  spent  the  ensuing  year  travel- 
ing in  Connecticut  as  agent  for  the  A.  H.  M.  Society.     He 
was    successful    in    his    agency,    and  regarded  the  year  as 
one  of  great  advantage  to  himself     In  June  of  1832  he  re- 
turned to  Rushville  and   labored  there  and  in  the  adjoining 
neighborhoods  until  the  autumn  of  1835.     He  then  went  to 
Dubuque,  Iowa,  at  the  request  of  the  A,  H.  M.  Society,  to 
make  a  station  and  look  after  the  spiritual  interests  of  the 
adjacent  mining  regions.     He  remained  one  year,  and  late 
in   the   fall   of  1836   took   charge   of  the  little  churches  of 
Bloomington  and  Waynesville,  111.     He  changed  his  fields  of 
labor  frequently — preached  at  Rockford,  III,  at  Beloit  and 
Milwaukee,   Wis.,   at    Maumee    City    and    Ohio    City,   near 
Cleveland,   Ohio,  at  Tecumseh,  Mich.,   at  Farmington,  111., 
several  years,  and  finally  at  Loda  and  Clifton  on  the  111.  Cen- 
tral R.  R.     He  was  very  successful  in  protracted  meetings,, 
of  which  he  held  many.     He  was  decided  and  pronounced 
on   the  temperance    question.     Through   all  his  life  an  un- 
swerving Presbyterian,  he  labored  much  in  Congregational 
churches.     When  seventy-six  years  of  age   he  says  beauti- 
fully of  himself:  "I  feel  thankful  that  I  have  been  permitted 
to  labor  in  my  chosen  work  so  long — that  I  have  always  been 
provided  for — that  my  labors  have   sometimes  been  greatly 
blessed,  and  at  no  time  been  wholly  without  success.     I  am 
thankful  that  I  have  been  able  to  provide  for  my  children  so 


CYRUS    L.  WATSON.  155 

long  as  they  needed  my  care,  and  that  now,  when  old  age 
and  infirmities  are  beginning  to  render  me  dependent,  I  have 
children  who  are  able  and  regard  it  as  no  hardship  to  pro- 
vide for  my  necessities.  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  for  all 
his  kindness  to  me!" 

The  first  seven  years  of  his  domestic  life  were  a  season  of 
terrible  affliction.  In  that  time  he  buried  three  wives  and 
three  infant  children.  "  Better  women,  or  more  agreeable 
and  affectionate,  sleep  not  beneath  the  sod  of  Illinois." 

His  eldest  daughter  was  sadly  afflicted  with  epilepsy  from 
her  childhood,  and  died  of  it  when  more  than  thirty  years  of 
age.  His  present  wife  he  married  in  December,  1841.  She 
has  borne  him  five  children,  three  daughters  and  two  sons. 
They  are  all  living,  grown  to  maturity  and  a  source  of  great 
comfort  to  their  parents.  The  eldest  daughter,  Catharine 
Tracy,  was  born  October  23,  1842.  She  was  married  to  A. 
L.  Austin,  of  Loda,  111.,  May  14,  1865,  and  is  the  mother  of 
four  children.  The  second  daughter,  Caroline  Elizabeth, 
was  born  August  9,  1845.  In  May,  1869,  she  was  married 
to  Rev.  A.  L.  Smith,  of  Erie,  Penn.  His  eldest  son,  Cyrus 
Lewis,  was  born  August  i,  1847.  He  has  been  a  law  reporter 
in  the  courts  of  Peoria  for  six  years.  The  second  son, 
Charles  Pond,  was  born  September  22,  1850.  He  is  a  law 
reporter  in  Indianapolis,  Ind.  His  youngest  daughter,  Mar- 
garet Louisa,  was  born  March  6,  1853.  The  three  last  named 
are  unmarried.  The  eldest  son  and  the  last  named  daughter 
are  at  home  with  their  parents,  in  Peoria,  111. 

There  is  a  striking  parallel  between  Thomas  Lippincott 
and  Cyrus  L.  Watson.  They  were  licensed  by  Missouri  Pres- 
bytery at  the  same  time  and  place.  They  were  ordained  by 
Center  Presbytery  at  the  same  time  and  place ;  and  the 
place  of  their  license  was  the  place  of  their  ordination.  They, 
neither  of  them,  acquired  what  is  called  a  regular  education, 
though  both  were  in  the  main  well  educated.  They  both 
preached  in  many  places,  and  both  performed  a  vast  amount 
of  itinerating  missionary  labor.  They  both  married  four 
times.  They  both  lived  to  a  great  age.  Mr.  Lippincott 
dying  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  Mr.  Watson  still 
lives  and  has  passed  his  seventy-ninth  year.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Peoria  Presbytery. 

The  next  meeting  of  Center  Presbytery  was  held  at  Spring- 
field, commencing  March  25,  1830.  There  were  present 
eight  ministers  and  six  elders — Stephen  Bliss  and  B.  F.  Spil- 


156  PRKHBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

man  were  absent,  Theron  Baldwin  was  received  by  letter 
from  the  South  Association  of  Litchfield  county,  Conn.  Ju- 
lian M.  Sturtevant,  though  absent  from  the  meeting,  was  also 
received  on  a  regular  letter  from  the  same  Association.  John 
McDonald  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Athens,  Ohio. 
Messrs.  Ellis  and  Watson  reported  the  organization  of  the 
Rushville  Church,  January  31,  1830,  with  twelve  members. 
Provision  was  made  for  the  installation  of  John  M.  Ellis  over 
the  church  in  Jacksonville  on  the  first  Sabbath  of  April,  1830. 
Resolutions  were  passed  deploring  the  death  of  Stiles  Haw- 
ley,  an  agent  of  the  Sabbath-School  Union.  Solomon  Hardy, 
minister,  and  Robert  McCord,  elder,  were  appointed  Com- 
missioners to  the  Assembly.  The  report  to  the  Assembly 
showed  the  Presbytery  to  consist  of  twenty-one  churches 
and  thirteen  ministers. 


Theron  Baldwin  was  born  in  Goshen,  Conn.,  July  21, 
1 801.  His  father  was  Elisha  Baldwin,  a  farmer  in  north 
Goshen.  The  maiden  name  of  his  mother  was  Clarissa  Judd, 
a  sister  of  the  mother  of  A.  T.  Norton.  Mr.  Baldwin  grad- 
uated at  Yale  College  in  1827,  and  pursued  his  theological 
studies  at  New  Haven  Seminary.  He  was  licensed  and  or- 
dained by  the  South  Association  of  Litchfield  county,  at 
Woodbury,  Conn.,  August  26,  1829,  at- the  same  time  with 
Julian  M.  Sturtevant  and  five  others.  He  married  Miss  Caro- 
line Wilder.  They  came  to  Illinois,  arriving  in  Vandalia  De- 
cember 24,  1829.  He  labored  one  year  with  the  church  in 
that  place.  He  was  a  Commissioner  to  the  Assembly  from 
the  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  in  May,  183 1.  In  April,  1834, 
his  relation  was  removed  from  Kaskaskia  to  Illinois  Presby- 
tery. He  united  with  Alton  Presbytery,  July  25,  1838,  and 
remained  in  this  connection  until  September  30,  1862,  when 
he  was  dismissed  to  the  Southern  Congregational  Associa- 
tion of  Illinois.  For  several  years  he  was  agent  for  the 
American  Home  Missionary  Society  for  Illinois  and  Mis- 
souri. In  1837  he  was  appointed  to  the  superintendence  of 
the  Monticello  Female  Seminary.  Here  he  remained  seven 
years.  He  then  devised  and  created  the  College  Edu- 
cation Society  and  operated  it  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  How 
well  he  executed  this,  his  chief  life  work,  his  twenty-six  an- 
nual reports  and  other  papers  from  his  pen,  in  which  great 
principles  are  illustrated  and  the   claims  of  liberal  learning 


J.  M,  STURTEVANT.  157 

vindicated,  and  the  Institutions  saved  from  financial  ruin  by 
timely  aid,  are  a  sufficient  memorial.  These  reports  and 
other  papers  from  his  pen  constitute  a  treasure  in  the  depart- 
ment of  collegiate  literature.  After  the  formation  of  the 
College  Education  Society  his  residence  was  at  the  East, 
where  he  could  best  prosecute  his  work.  He  died  at  Orange, 
N.  J.,  Sabbath  a.  m.,  April  lO,  1870,  aged  sixty-eight  years 
and  eight  months.  His  funeral  was  attended  from  the  Krick 
church,  Orange,  N.  ].,  April  15.  The  sermon  was  preached 
by  Rev.  J.  M.  Strutevant,  D.D.,  of  Illinois  College.  Between 
him  and  Mr,  Baldwin  there  had  been,  since  their  college 
days,  the  closest  friendship.  Mr.  Baldwin's  degree  of  D.D. 
was  conferred  by  Marietta  College,  Ohio.  His  widow,  two 
sons  and  three  daughters  remain.  Mr.  Baldwin's  views  of 
church  government  were  peculiar,  and  will  be  made  to  appear 
when  I  come  to  speak  of  Monticello  Church,  which  was  or- 
ganized under  his  ministry,  and  upon  which  he  impressed  his 
own  ecclesiastical  ideas. 

His  children  are  these:  (i)  Caroline  L.,  born  at  Jacksonville, 
111.,  January  17,  1834 — married  Charles  Darrow,  who  died  at 
Minneapolis,  Minn.,  September,  1871.  (2)  Theron,  born  at 
Jacksonville,  111.,  March  12,  1837 — married  Julia  A.  Cooley, 
daughter  of  Dr.  C.  S.  Thompson,  of  Fair  Haven,  Conn. 
(3)  Emily  C,  born  at  Monticello,  111.,  March  12,  1839 — mar- 
ried Charles  E.  Fellows,  lawyer,  Hartford,  Conn.  (4)  Mary 
P.,  born  at  Monticello,  111.,  May  25,  1841.  (5)  Henry,  born 
at  Newark,  N.  J.,  December  17,  1847;  graduated  at  Yale 
College  and  the  Art  School;  is  still  pursuing  his  studies  in 
the  latter  and  giving  lessons  in  drawing. 


Julian  Monson  Sturtevant  was  born  at  Warren,  Litch- 
field county,  Conn.,  July  21,  1805.  His  parents  were  both 
natives  of  the  same  town.  He  graduated  at  Yale  College 
in  1826,  studied  theology  in  New  Haven  Seminary,  was 
licensed  and  ordained  by  the  South  Association  of  Litchfield 
county  at  Woodbury,  Conn.,  August  26,  1829.  He  came  to 
Illinois  under  a  commission  from  the  American  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society  in  October,  1829.  After  performing  mission- 
ary labor  for  about  two  months  he  was  appointed  instructor 
in  Illinois  College,  and  entered  upon  his  duties  the  first  Mon- 
day in  January,  1830.  He  has  remained,  in  connection  with 
that  Institution,  as^  professor  and  president,  from  that  time 


158  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

until  one  or  two  years  since,  when  he  resigned.  He  still  re- 
sides in  Jacksonville.  He  was  made  D.D.  by  the  University 
of  Missouri  in  1848,  and  L.  L.D.  by  the  University  of  Iowa 
in  1871.  He  remained  nominally  in  connection  with  the 
Presbyterian  Church  until  1855,  though  at  that  time,  for 
years  before  and  ever  since,  he  has  been  a  most  pronounced 
and  radical  Congregationalist.  Under  his  lead  that  Institu- 
tion, meant  at  first  to  be  Presbyterian,  then  Presbyterian  and 
Congregational,  has  been  carried  over  wholly  to  the  Congre- 
gational side.  He  has  been  the  leader  of  that  ism  in  this  State 
from  its  very  beginning,  in  about  1833.  All  concede  to  him 
remarkable  ability;"  but  Presbyterians  in  this  State  owe  him 
no  thanks. 


John  McDonald  was  born  February  25,  A.  D.  1777,  in 
Brooke  county,  Va.,  now  IVesi  Va.  His  ancestors  were  Scotch 
Presbyterians,  his  grandfather  having  come  from  Scotland. 
He  was  educated  at  Athens  and  Zanesville,  Ohio,  and  by  pri- 
vate instructors,  spending  about  seveii  years  in  securing  an 
education  which  he  obtained  by  his  own  personal  effort.  He 
was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Presbytery  of  Athens,  Ohio, 
about  1828.  About  two  years  afterwards  he  came  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  the  State  of  Illinois  and  labored  at  and  near  where 
the  city  of  Hennepin  now  stands — then  Fort  Hennepin.  Of 
his  ministry  at  that  place  the  writer  knows  but  little,  except 
that  in  passing  through  the  country  near  Hennepin,  about 
thirty  years  ago,  he  formed  the  acquaintance  of  some  of  the 
early  settlers,  who  spoke  in  affectionate  terms  of  their  old 
pastor. 

After  laboring  at  Hennepin  about  two  years  he  returned 
to  Ohio,  united  with  the  Presbytery  of  Chillicothe  and  was 
ordained  by  them  not  far  from  1834. 

He  was  married  October  23,  1834,  to  Miss  Nancy  Newton 
Means,  of  Paris,  111.  Her  relatives,  among  whom  is  the 
Rev.  John  Crozier,  are  widely  and  favorably  known  in 
this  part  of  Illinois.  In  the  year  1835  he  took  charge 
of  the  church  of  Pleasant  Prairie,  Coles  county,  111.  He 
at  once  proceeded  to  complete  the  "  Meeting  House " 
which  had  been  commenced  by  Isaac  Bennett.  From  his 
education  and  natural  force  of  mind,  he  could  successfully 
perform  almost  any  kind  of  work.  Having  found  a  large 
lime  rock  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  church,  he 


JOHN    M  DONALD.  I  59 

built  a  log-heap  and  converted  it  into  lime,  with  which  he 
plastered  the  first  church  edifice  ever  erected  in  Coles 
county.  Although  it- was  the  first  job  of  the  kind  he  ever 
did,  the  old  settlers  always  said  it  was  the  best  they  had  ever 
seen.  A  strange  thing  about  it  was,  that  the  rock  afforded 
only  sufficient  lime  to  plaster  the  building,  and  there  has  never 
been  any  other  limestone  found  within  miles  of  the  place. 
He  also  found  a  peculiar  kind  of  clay  with  which  he  made 
putty  that  held  the  glass  firmly.  In  the  year  1835,  he  organized 
the  church  at  Charleston  and  preached  at  that  place  one-half 
his  time  for  many  years.  He  also  preached  at  Hebron,  now 
Ashmore,  at  a  church  in  Shelby  county,  and  at  another 
on  the  Okaw,  in  Moultre  county.  The  rest  of  his  time  was 
occupied  at  Pleasant  Prairie.  For  all  this  labor  he  often 
received  no  more  than  one  hundred  dollars  per  year  from 
the  churches,  and  never  but  once  or  twice  did  he  receive  aid 
from  the  H.  M.  Board.  For  several  years  during  this  part 
of  his  ministry  he  taught  a  class  of  young  men,  among 
whom  was  R.  A.  Mitchell.  He  also  erected  all  his  own 
buildings,  made  rails,  hauled  them  and  fenced  his  own  fields, 
and  cultivated  his  own  crops  and  harvested  them.  While 
he  was  thus  busily  engaged,  his  wife,  with  her  own  hands, 
was  spinning  and  weaving  cloth,  and  exchanging  it  to  the 
merchants  for  such  things  as  their  family  needed.  At  that 
period  this  part  of  Illinois  was  very  unhealthy  and  much  of 
his  time  was  spent  with  the  sick  and  dying.  He  was  at  once 
minister,  teacher,  carpenter,  laborer,  physician  and  nurse. 
Ten  or  fifteen  years  of  such  Herculean  ]^toil  broke  him 
down ;  and  for  a  time  he  was  unable  to  preach,  and  never 
fully  recovered.  In  January  or  February,  185 1,  his  team 
ran  away  with  him  and  broke  one  of  his  thighs,  from  which 
he  suffered  greatly,  and  was  ever  afterwards  lame.  He  was 
a  man  of  the  most  scrupulous  honesty.  As  an  illustration 
of  this,  take  one  example. 

He  and  his  wife  took  a  piece  of  jeans  which  she  had 
woven  to  Charleston  and  traded  it  to  a  merchant.  A  day  or 
two  afterwards  it  occurred  to  him  that  the  cloth  had  not 
been  dampened  and  shrunk.  He  at  once  mounted  his  horse 
and  rode  to  Charleston,  a  distance  of  ten  miles,  to  inform  the 
merchant  and  pay  him  for  the  probable  shrinkage,  a  half  yard 
or  so.  The  merchant  laughed  at  his  exact  honesty,  but 
would  not  receive  the  proffered  pay.  He  raised  a  large  fam- 
ily, whose  names  and  ages  are  as  follows:  William  N.,  born 


l60  PRESBYTEKIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

June  i6,  1835;  died  December  17,  1872.  He  was  clerk  of 
the  court  at  the  time  of  his  death.  Mary  E.,  born  March. 
24,  1837,  now  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  R.  G.  Ross.  EHza  J,^ 
born  February  3,  1840.  Ann  L.,  born  November  13,  1841. 
Nancy  E.,  born  April  13,  1843.  Margaret  A.,  born  March 
12,  1845  ;  died  October  20,  1845.  J-  -^v  born  September 
30,  1846;  died  July  8,  1847.  Joseph,  born  February  29, 
1748;  died  March  8,  1848.  Newel  S.,  born  August  i,  1849. 
Sarah  S.,  born  February  23,  185 1.  Chalmers  A.,  born  March 
^Zy  1S53.  John  T.,  February  ii,  1855.  Eight  of  the  chil- 
dren are  living  and  married. 

Although  Fathet  McDonald  received  so  little  from  the 
churches,  yet  by  his  industry  and  frugality  he  was  enabled 
to  provide  well  for  his  children  and  give  them  all  a  fair  edu- 
cation. He  also  contributed  more  during  his  whole  life  for 
benevolent  purposes  than  any  of  his  flock.  He  quietly 
passed  away  to  that  "  Rest  that  remaineth  for  the  people  of 
God"  on  the  15th  of  August,  1866,  deeply  mourned  by  the 
entire  community.  The  fragrance  of  his  memory  is  still 
sweet  to  those  who  love  true  greatness. 

Not  only  Father  McDonald,  but  many  of  the  pioneer  min- 
isters of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  this  State,  who  spent 
their  lives  in  founding  our  churches,  and  under  the  most  ad- 
verse circumstances,  have  passed  away  comparatively  un- 
known to  fortune  or  to  fame. 


Stiles  Hawley  was  a  Sabbath-School  Agent.  He  was  a. 
native  of  Connecticut,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  the  fall  of  1829. 
He  was  often  at  Mr.  Bergen's  house  at  Springfield.  He  la- 
bored in  his  agency  faithfully  and  successfully  through  most 
of  the  winter  of  1829-30  in  Sangamon  county.  In  February 
he  started  on  horseback  for  the  counties  on  the  eastern  side 
of  the  State.  In  a  few  days  word  came  back  to  Springfield 
that  a  horse,  resembling  his,  saddled  and  bridled,  had  been 
found  east  of  Decatur,  between  the  Okaws.  Mr.  Bergen, 
with  a  friend,  rode  over  in  March  to  investigate.  He  found, 
undoubted  evidence  that  the  unfortunate  man  had  been 
drowned,  but  in  the  high  state  of  the  waters  could  not  find 
the  body.  In  the  succeeding  May,  after  the  waters  had 
gone  down,  Rev.  T.  Baldwin  and  Mr  A.  Moore  went  over  to 
renew  the  investigation.  After  a  long  and  almost  hopeless 
search  the  body  was  found  lodged  in  a  heap  of  brushwood. 


CENTER    PRESBYTERY.  "  l6l 

Gloves  and  mittens  were  on  his  hands,  his  overcoat  buttoned 
up  and  his  saddle-bags  on  his  arm.  He  had  doubtless  dis- 
mounted, attempted  to  cross  the  stream  on  a  log,  fallen  in, 
and  in  the  intense  cold,  and  bundled  up  as  he  was,  been  una- 
ble to  extricate  himself.  His  relatives  were  informed  of  his 
sad  fate.  By  their  direction  the  horse  was  sold  and  the  pro- 
ceeds used  to  purchase  Bibles,  which  were  given  as  memen- 
toes to  his  friends.     . 


The  next  meeting  and  the  last  of  Center  Presbytery,  as 
such,  was  with  the  Wabash  Church,  in  the  house  of  Rev. 
Stephen  Bliss,  commencing  Oct.  9,  1830.  Rev.  S.  C.  Bald- 
ridge  devotes  an  entire  chapter  to  it  in  his  admirable  book. 
There  were  ten  of  the  members  of  Presbytery  present. 
Brich,  Bergen  and  Sturtevant  were  absent.  Three  new 
members  were  received,  viz.:  Benoni  Y.  Messenger  and 
Henry  Herrick,  from  the  Cojisociation  of  New  Haven  west 
to  join  any  Presbytery  at  the  West ;  and  Horace  Smith  from 
Trumbull  Presbytery.  Mr.  Smith  was  not  present.  His 
papers  were  presented  by  Mr.  Watson. 

Elders  present:  Wm.  M.  Stewart,  from  Shoal  Creek  and 
Greenville  churches;  Thomas  Gould,  from  Wabash  Church; 
Samuel  McCracken,  from  Bethel  Church,  and  John  Story, 
from  Sharon.     Twelve  Ministers,  four  Elders. 

Three  new  churches  were  received,  viz.:  Pleasant  Prairie, 
in  Clarke,  now  Coles  county,  Union  Grove,  in  Tazewell  coun- 
ty, and  Providence  Church  in  Jersey — Prairie,  in  Morgan 
county. 

While  several  of  the  brethren  from  the  west  side  of  the 
State  were  on  their  way  from  Vandalia,  they  stopped  to 
spend  the  night  at  Maysville,  where  their  road  crosses  the 
Vincennes  and  St.  Louis  route.  They  soon  learned  that  a 
minister  from  Massachusetts  had  just  arrived  at  the  same 
place,  on  his  way  westward.  It  was  Artemas  BuUard,  cor- 
responding secretary  of  the  Mass.  S.  S.Union.  They  easily 
persuaded  him  to  change  his  course  and  go  with  them.  He 
added  great  interest  to  the  meeting,  and  inspired  them  all 
with  new  zeal  in  the  Sabbath  school  cause.  With  the  new 
members  the  Presbytery  consisted  of  sixteen  ministers,  with 
twenty-seven  churches  having  a  total  membership  of  six  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five.  Sangamon  had  become  the  largest 
church,  having  sixty-seven  members.  The  leading  ecclesiasii- 

10 


l62  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

cal  measure  taken  at  this  meeting  was  an  arrangement  for  the 
division  of  the  Presbytery  so  as  to  make  three.  The  new 
Presbyteries  were  to  be  Kaskaskia,  with  seven  ministers  and 
seventeen  churches;  Sangamon,  with  four  ministers  and  six 
churches ;  and  Center  Presbytery,  with  its  name  changed  to 
Illinois,  with  the  rest  of  the  ministers  and  churches.  As 
our  State  is  now,  the  dividing  Hnes  of  these  new  Presbyter- 
ies are  a  httle  curious.  Kaskaskia  included  that  part  of  the 
State  lying  south  of  the  northern  line  of  Madison,  Bond, 
Fayette  and  Crawford.  This  northen  line  ran  nearly  east 
and  west,  and  the  bounds  of  this  Presbytery  were  clearly 
defined.  Sangarnon  Presbytery  included  all  that  part  of  the 
State  east  of  the  west  line  of  Montgomery,  Sangamon,  Ful- 
ton, Knox,  Henry  and  Jo  Davies  counties  ;  i.  e.,  the  west 
line  crosses  the  Illinois  river  some  where  near  Beardstown, 
then  ran  directly  north  on  the  fourth  principle  meridian  to 
Rock  river,  thence  up  that  stream  some  forty  miles,  and 
then  north  to  the  north  State  line.  The  six  churches  were 
Hillsboro,  with  six  members;  Springfield  or  Sangamon,  with 
sixty-seven ;  Fulton,  with  fifteen  members ;  Union  Grove,  in 
Tazewell  county,  with  twenty-one ;  and  Pleasant  Prairie,  in 
Coles  county,  with  twenty  members,  and  Paris  Church,  in 
Edgar  county,  with  about  thirty  members — one  hundred  and 
fifty-nine  in  all.  Thomas  A.  Spilman,  at  Hillsboro,  had  as 
his  nearest  co-presbyter,  J.  G.  Bergen,  at  Springfield ;  his 
next  nearest  John  McDonald,  at  Union  Grove,  Tazewell 
county ;  and  the  farthest  from  him,  Horace  Smith,  at  Ful- 
ton.    Chicago,  then  a  mere  military  post,  was  in  its  limits. 

The  eastern  boundary  of  Center  or  Illinois  Presbytery, 
was  the  western  boundary  of  Sangamon.  It  included  the 
now  important  places,  Carrollton,  Jacksonville,  Quincy, 
Rushville,  Rock  Island  and  Galena,  where  Aratus  Kent  was 
then  laboring,  for  his  arrival  at  Galena  was  April  19,  1829. 

The  Synod  of  Indiana  met  that  same  October  at  Madi- 
son, Ind.  From  Wabash,  several  of  the  members  after  rid- 
ing from  fifty  to  three  hundred  miles  to  Presbytery,  went  on 
one  hundred  and  sixty  miles  further  to  Synod.  The  Synod 
sanctioned  the  division  recommended  by  Presbytery,  and 
requested  the  General  Assembly  of  1831  to  form,  if  they 
deemed  it  best,  a  new  Synod.  The  Assembly  granted  the 
prayer,  and  declared  the  three  Presbyteries,  together  with 
that  of  Missouri,  The  Synod  of  Illinois. 


HERRICK — MESSENGER — SMITH.  163 

Henry  Herrick,  was  a  na.tive  of  Connecticut,  graduated  at 
'Yale  College  in  1822,  studied  Theology  at  Andover  two 
years,  ordained  April  14,  1830.  Home  Missionary  in  Car- 
rollton,  1830-1.  In  Sabbath  school  and  other  agencies  in 
New  England  and  New  York  from  1832  to  1835.  Principal 
of  Knoxville  Female  Academy,  Tenn.,  in  1835.  Principal  of 
Somerville  Academy,  Alabama,  in  1842.  Home  Missionary 
in  Canada  East,  and  Clmtonville,  N.  Y.,  1844  to  1849. 
Stated  supply  in  Ticonderoga,  N.  Y.,  Middlefield,  Mass., 
Archibold,  N.  Y.,  Colchester,  N.  Y.,  and  Exeter,  N.  Y.,  from 
1849  to  1867.  Without  charge  in  North  Woodstock,  Conn., 
when  last  heard  from. 


Benoni  Young  Messenger  was  born  in  Massachusetts, 
July,  1800.  Ordained  sine  titulo  at  Hamden,  Conn.,  May, 
1830.  United  with  Center  Presbytery  October  9,  1830.  In 
the  division  of  Center  Presbytery  he  fell  to  Kaskaskia.  Thence 
he  was  dismissed  to  Illinois  Presbytery  October  14,  1833. 
He  was  soon  obliged  by  ill  health  to  return  East.  Supply 
pastor  Darien,  Conn.,  1834-5  ;  supply  pastor  South  Britain, 
Conn.,  1835-7;  supply  pastor  Orange  Conn.,  1837-8;  pas- 
tor North  Bloomfield,  O.,  1847;  pastor  Mt.  Stirling,  III, 
1850;  Agent  American  Bible  Society  in  Ohio  1858-66.  Died 
at  Geneva,  O.,  May  9,  il 


Horace  Smith  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  graduated 
at  Yale  College  18 18,  at  Andover  Seminary  in  1821,  was  or- 
dained February  27,  1822,  and  was  a  Home  Missionary 
through  life,  laboring  in  Ohio,  Vermont,  Ilhnois  and  Mis- 
souri. He  died  in  Richfield,  Ohio,  November  20,  1868,  aged 
seventy.  His  labor  in  Illinois  was  principally  at  Canton  and 
Lewistown,  Fulton  county,  in  1 830-1,  though  he  was  one  of 
those  who  at  an  earlier  day  made  a  flying  visit  through  the 
State  further  south. 


Pleasant  Prairie  Church,  Coles  county.  This  is  classic 
ground  to  Presbyterians  in  this  State.  Late  in  the  winter, 
or  in  the  early  spring  of  1830,  there  came  here  a  licentiate, 
Isaac  Bennett  by  name — of  whom  I  shall  have  more  to  say 
in  the  proper  place — bearing  a  commission  from  the  Board  of 


164  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Domestic  Missions.  He  was  supposed  to  have  Turkish  blood 
in  his  veins.  At  Pleasant  Prairie  he  found  a  few  Presbyterian, 
families,  among  whom  he  pitched  his  tent.  So  successful 
were  his  labors  that  on  August  31,  1830,  Pleasant  Prairie. 
Church  was  organized  by  Rev.  B.  F.  Spilman,  with  the  fol- 
lowing fourteen  members,  viz. :  Thomas  Mayes,  Agnes. 
Mayes,  Theron  E.  Balch,  Ann  Boyd,  Thomas  McCracken, 
Nancy  McCracken,  James  Ashmore,  Cassander  Ashmore, 
Rachel  Ashmore,  Margaret  Ashmore,  William  Wayne,  Mary 
Wayne,  James  Logan 'and  Elizabeth  Logan,  jr.  Of  these 
original  members  none  are  now  alive.  July  24,  1831,  there 
was  an  addition  of" eleven  members  by  certificate  and  three 
by  examination.  Of  these  fourteen,  two  are  now  living,  Mrs. 
Alpha  Balch,  who  is  now  eighty-three  years  of  age  and  to- 
tally blind,  and  Mrs.  Martha  Gould,  who  was  the  first  person 
baptized  after  the  organization.  Elders:  Theron  E.  Balch 
and  Thomas  Mayes  at  the  organization  ;  Robert  Gray,  elected. 
September  13,  1832;  William  Collom,  elected  August  3, 
1833;  Hugh  Linn,  elected  April  27,  1835;  Samuel  Walker 
and  Joseph  Allison,  elected  June  9,  1837;  David  Dryden 
and  Israel  J.  Monfort,  elected  May  9,  1843;  E.  S.  Thayer 
and  G.  B.  Balch,  elected  February  21,  1859. 

Ministers  :  Mr.  Bennett  continued  to  labor  with  the  church 
the  greater  part  of  the  time  for  three  years  after  its  forma- 
tion. James  H.  Shields,  of  Indiana,  succeeded  him  and  la- 
bored for  about  six  months.  In  the  spring  of  1835  John 
McDonald  commenced  his  services  here,  and  spent  with  this 
church  one  half  his  time  until  1847,  when  bronchitis  com- 
pelled him  to  suspend  his  pulpit  labors.  He  retired  to  his 
farm  in  the  neighborhood,  but  was  active  in  the  affairs  of  the 
congregation  until  his  death.  Joseph  Adams  succeeded,, 
and  remained  until  the  close  of  1849.  John  Elliott  followed,, 
and  remained  about  two  years.  J.  W.  Allison,  N.  Williams 
and  Ellis  Howell  served  the  church  from  1862  to  1867.  A 
separation  of  this  church  into  New  and  Old  School  took  place 
August  2,  1839.  The  New  School  portion  consisted  at  first 
of  thirty-one  members.  The  Old  of  twenty-five.  Elders 
of  the  New  School:  The  first,  Joseph  Allison  and  Thomas 
Mayes;  Siah  W.  Morrison  and  John  G.  Morrison,  May  16, 
1840;  Patrick  Nicholson,  September  13,  1851;  John  F. 
Campbell,  March  4,  1865. 

Ministers  of  the  New  School  church:  From  August  2,, 
1839,  to  July  9,  1846,  it  had  only   occasional   supplies.     At 


PLEASANT    PRAIRIE    CHURCH.  l6$ 

the  last  date  Charles  H.  Palmer,  licentiate,  commenced  his 
labors  as  stated  supply.  He  was  ordained  by  the  Palestine 
Presbytery,  N.  S.,  in  the  spring  of  1847  and  remained 
until  the  fall  of  1850.  John  C.  Campbell,  March  14,  1852, 
one-half  time.  Joseph  Wilson,  February  22,  1854,  in  con- 
nection with  Long  Point  (now  Neoga)  Church  until  August, 
1857.  Samuel  Ward,  September,  1857,  to  March  26,  1858, 
half  time.  Joseph  Wilson,  second  time,  April  15,  1859,  to 
April,  1866,  in  connection  with  Long  Point.  T.  R.  Hedges, 
through  1869.    He  was  from  the  Cumberland  Church. 

The  two  churches  were  re-united  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Mattoon  October  14,  1871.  Presbytery  directed  the  officers 
■of  the  two  churches  to  be  continued  in  the  united  church; 
but  the  elders  of  both  resigned,  and  on  December  2,  1871, 
L  J.  Monfort,  George  B.  Balch,J.  F.  Campbell,  WiUiam  W. 
Campbell  and  Thomas  Grimes  were  elected. 

George  W.  Ash  labored  here  in  1872,  also  George  F.  Davis 
in  same  year.  Ellis  Howell  and  B.  Lyman  in  1874-5.  Rob- 
ert G.  Ross  commenced  November,  1876,  and  is  still  supply 
pastor. 

For  a  church  situated  as  this  was  at  its  organization — 
-all  of  them  new  settlers,  and  living  for  the  most  part  in 
rough  log  houses  of  only  one  room,  almost  entirely  with- 
out money  and  with  no  lumber  mills  accessible — to  erect  a 
house  of  worship  was  a  great  undertaking.  But  they  had  in 
Mr.  Bennett  a  leader  equal  to  the  emergency.  There  was  no 
Church  Erection  Board,  or  other  source  of  foreign  aid.  They 
must  look  to  themselves  alone.  The  size  proposed  was 
twenty-four  by  thirty  feet.  The  subscription  paper  is  found 
in  the  church  record  book,  and  is  a  curiosity.  Four  persons, 
of  whose  names  Mr.  Bennett's  stands  first,  subscribed  each 
twelve  days'  work;  others  a  less  number,  but  the  aggregate 
was  ninety  days'  work.  One  man  subscribed  twenty-six 
spikes;  another  thirty  bushels  of  lime.  The  money  subscrip- 
tion was  nineteen  dollars  and  fifty  cents  !  The  building  was 
covered  with  clapboards  split  and  shaved  by  hand.  The  floor 
was  of  boards  cut  out  with  a  whip-saw.  The  pulpit  was 
unique — a  huge  tub  constructed  by  Mr.  Bennett  himself.  This 
ancient  building  still  remains,  or  did  seven  years  ago,  though 
in  a  very  dilapidated  condition.  Two  church  edifices  have 
succeeded  it,  both  of  which  are  still  standing.  The  building 
last  constructed  is  thirteen  years  old.  The  three  buildings  are 
all  on  N.  W.  quarter  Sec.  12,  T.  11,  R.  8.     The  site  of  first 


l66  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

building  was  half  an  acre ;  of  the  two  last  a  five  acre  lot.. 
On  both  sites  is  a  cemetery.  The  site  of  this  cluster  of  church 
buildings  is  sometimes  called,  "Head  of  the  Indian." 

In  1859  the  New  School  part  of  the  church  erected  a  house 
in  Farmington,  Campbell  Post  office,  on  S.  E.  quarter  of  Sec. 
16,  T.  II,  R.  9,  at  a  cost  of  nine  hundred  and  twenty-eight 
dollars.  The  buildings  are  nearly  five  miles  apart.  The  pres- 
ent arrangement  is  for  a  Sabbath-school  and  one  sermon  in 
each  on  every  Sabbath.  The  present  membership  of  the 
church  is  eighty-three. 


The  Center  Presbytery  of  Illinois  held  five  regular 
meetings,  and  one  by  adjournment.  The  first  meeting  at 
Kaskaskia,  January  9,  1829;  the  second  meeting  at  Jackson- 
ville, March  19,  1829;  the  third  meeting  at  Vandalia,  Octo- 
ber 10,  1829;  the  fourth  meeting  at  Springfield,  March  25, 
1830;  the  fifth  meeting  at  Wabash,  October  10,  1830;  the 
adjournment  meeting  at  Shoal  Creek,  October   19,  1829. 

It  commenced  with  seven  ministers,  two  licentiates  and 
twenty-one  churches.  It  ended  with  sixteen  ministers,  no 
licentiates  and  twenty-seven  churches. 

Another  church,  that  of  New  Providence,  Edgar  county, 
was  in  its  bounds,  but  not  included  in  its  lists,  and  continued 
its  connection  with  Wabash  Presbytery. 

The  period  of  its  existence — dating  from  the  ordinance 
of  Synod  establishing  it — was  just  two  years. 


CHAPTER  V. 

MEETINGS  OF  PRESBYTERIES  AND  SYNOD  FROM  1 83 1  TO  1 834 
INCLUSIVE,  WITH  SKETCHES  OF  THE  CHURCHES  ORGANIZED, 
AND  MINISTERS  RECEIVED  IN  THE  RESPECTIVE  YEARS  OF  THE 
PERIOD. 

Authorities:  Records  of  Presbyteries  ;    Synod  and  Church  Sessions;  Auto- 
graphical  Sketches. 

The  action  of  Center  Presbytery  and  of  Indiana  Synod, 
in  October,  1830,  with  reference  to  a  new  Synod,  was  and 
could  be  only  preliminary.  It  did  not  create  the  Synod. 
That  could  only  be  done  by  the  highest  legislative  body  of 
the  church;  and  it  was  done  by  the  General  Assembly,  May, 
1 83 1.  Previous  to  that  time  the  Synod  of  Illinois  did  not 
exist.  Center  Presbytery  should  not  have  considered  itself 
as  actually  divided  and  made  a  Synod  until  that  action  of  the 
Assembly  was  held.  It  should  have  held  a  spring  meeting 
in  1 83 1  as  Center  Presbytery.  But  disregarding  the  fact, 
that  the  initiation  of  a  scheme  is  not  its  accomplishment, 
it  provided  for  a  spring  meeting,  in  1831,  of  each  of  the  pro- 
posed new  Presbyteries,  before  the  action  of  the  Assembly 
which  alone  could  give  them  existence  as  the  component 
parts  of  a  new  Synod.  Had  no  neiu  Synod  been  contem- 
plated by  the  division  of  Center  Presbytery,  then  the  action 
of  Indiana  Synod  in  October,  1830,  authorizing  that  divis- 
ion, would  have  been  decisive,  sufficient  and  final.  But,  as 
matters  stood,  the  combined  action,  or  an  agreeing  action,  of 
Indiana  Synod  and  the  General  Assembly,  was  necessary  to 
give  the  three  Presbyteries  a  constitutional  existence. 


YEAR    1 83 1. 

Illinois  Presbytery  met  March  31,  1831,  at  Jacksonville. 
Ministers  present:  John  Brich,  John  M.  Ellis,  Cyrus  L. 
Watson,  J.  M.  Sturtevant  and  Henry  Herrick.  Elders  : 
James  Kerr,  Jacksonville ;  Thomas  Blair,  Rushville ;  Benja- 
min Workman,  Providence  Church.  Lucian  Farnum,  from  the 
Presbytery   of   Newburyport;    Edward    Beecher,    from  the 


l68  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Suffolk  Association;  William  J.  Fraser,  from  the  Miami  Pres- 
bytery, and  Asa  Turner,  from  the  Association  of  New  Ha- 
ven West,  were  received.  C.  L.  Watson  reported  the  organ- 
ization, December  4,  1830,  of  the  church  of  Quincy,  with  fif- 
teen members.  Provision  was  made  for  quarterly  meetings 
of  the  Presbytery,  at  each  of  which  sermons  and  exegetical 
exercises  were  to   be  added  to  the  usual   business   routine. 


Edward  Beecher  was  born  in  Litchfield,  Conn.  He  is 
the  eldest  son  of  the  celebrated  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher.  He 
graduated  at  Yaljs  College  in  1827;  studied  theology  two 
years  at  Andover;  was  a  tutor  in  Yale  College  in  1825-6; 
ordained  December  27,  1826;  pastor  of  Park  Street  Church, 
Boston,  Mass.,  1 826-3 1 ;  President  of  Illinois  College,  Jackson- 
ville, 1831-44;  Pastor  of  Salem  Street  Church,  Boston,  Mass., 
1844-55;  associate  editor  of  the  Congregationalist,  1849-53; 
resided  in  Galesburg,  111.,  in  1855,  and  is  now,  1879,  in  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y. 


William  J.  Fraser  united  with  Illinois  from  Miami  Pres- 
bytery. I  have  no  information  of  his  early  history.  In 
1837-40  he  was  in  Kaskaskia  Presbytery  without  charge. 
From  1 841  to  1844  he  was  pastor  at  Knoxville,  111.  In  1846 
he  was  in  the  same  place,  but  without  charge.  In  1854-56 
he  was  in  Palmyra  Presbytery,  and  pastor  at  Des  Moines, 
Iowa.  In  1857-59  in  Missouri  Presbytery.  From  1861  in 
Brimfield,  111.,  where  he  died  February  22,  1876,  aged  sev- 
enty-six years,  being  at  the  time,  and  for  fourteen  years  be- 
fore, a  member  of  Peoria  Presbytery.  He  was  very  strenu- 
ous in  his  opinions,  and  several  times  the  subject  of  ecclesias- 
tical discipline. 


Illinois  Presbytery  met  at  Carrollton  July  23,  1831.  Min- 
isters present:  John  Brich,  William  J.  Fraser,  Henry  Her- 
rick,  Asa  Turner,  John  M.  Ellis.  Absent:  Edward  Beecher, 
C.  L.  Watson,  J.  M.  Sturtevant.  Elder  present:  Dr.  An- 
thony Potts,  of  Carrollton.  Lucian  Farnum  was  dismissed 
to  Sangamon  Presbytery.  The  Carrollton  Church  organ- 
ized May  4,  1823,  seems  to  have  been  regarded  as  having 
changed  its  center  and  become  Apple  Creek  Church.     Hence 


UNION  CHURCH.         .  169 

the  Presbytery  organized  at  this  meeting  what  they  called 
the  Carrollton  Church,  and  without  any  reference  to  the  one 
previously  existing.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  with  Prov- 
idence Church,  Jersey  Prairie,  Morgan  county,  September  8. 
Ministers  present:  John  Brich,  William  J.  Fraser,  J.  M. 
Sturtevant,  Henry  Herrick,  J.  M.  Ellis,  Asa  Turner.  Absent : 
Edward  Beecher,  C.  L.  Watson.  Elders  present :  James 
Kerr,  Jacksonville;  Julius  A.  Willard,  Carrollton;  Jacob 
Lawrence,  Providence  Church. 

At  an  adjourned  meeting  held  in  Hillsboro,  Sept.  i5,  1831, 
Solomon  Hardy  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Kaskas- 
kia.  Another  meeting  was  held  at  Quincy  Dec.  22.  Union 
Church  was  received.  The  pastoral  relation  between  John 
M.  EUis  and  Jacksonville  Church  was  dissolved. 


Union  Church,  IMorgan  county,  was  organized  October  2, 
1 83 1,  at  the  mill  house  of  William  C.  Stephenson,  on  the 
]\Iauvaisterre,  by  Revs.  William  J.  Fraser,  J.  M.  Ellis,  and 
Elder  James  Kerr,  with  these  members  :  Mary  Tilson,  Char- 
lotte Hill,  EUza  Cole,  John  M.  Hill,  W.  C,  Stevenson,  sr., 
Robert  Smith,  Edward  Craig,  James  Craig,  W.  C.  Stephen- 
son, jr.,  Barnabas  Barrows,  Mary  A.  Craig,  Ann  Craig,  John 
Stephenson,  Hugh  G.  Craig,  William  H.  Craig,  Francis  F. 
Thornton,  Ann  Thornton,  Catharine  P.  Fitchhew,  Rice  Mc- 
Fadden,  Sarah  Tilson,  Robert  Gilliland,  Nancy  Gilliland, 
Ray  Black,  Sarah  A.  Todd,  Elizabeth  Robertson,  Charles 
Robertson,  Samuel  Q.  Reaugh,  Phoebe  Reaugh.  Elders  : 
James  Craig,  John  M.  Hill,  W.  C.  Stevenson,  sr.,  and  Rob- 
ert Smith.  Since  appointed — David  Craig,  Samuel  Q. 
Reaugh,  Harvey  McClung,  Charles  Reaugh,  David  A.  Ran- 
nels,  Daniel  McAfee,  Edward  Craig,  John  A.  Reaugh,  James 
W.  Craig,  Robert  Brown,  Josiah  A.  Barrows,  Robert  Cun- 
ningham. 

Ministers  :  William  J.  Fraser,  John  Brich,  Joseph  J.  Gray, 
David  D.  McKee,  Thomas  A.  Spilman,  Thomas  M.  Newell, 
1853;  John  D.  Shane,  1857;  Noah  Bishop,  1862-67;  Thomas 
D.  Davis.  Robert  W.  Allen  has  been  here  ten  years  and 
still  remains.  He  resides  in  Jacksonville.  This  church  used 
tokens  for  admission  to  the  Lord's  table.  December  3, 
1838,  it  decided  to  go  with  the  Old  School  Assembly,  and 
to  place  itself  under  the  care  of  the  Sangamon  Presby- 
tery.    The  present  house  of  worship  of  Union — now  Unity — 


I/O  PRE3BYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Church  is  on  S.  W.  quarter  of  Sec.  24,  T.  14,  N.  R.  10  W.,  at 
the  southeast  corner  of  the  quarter  section.  The  first  house 
of  worship  was  of  logs,  a  mile  south  of  the  present  building. 
The  second  house  was  a  frame  structure,  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  southwest  of  the  first  house.  The  present  is  a  very  neat 
frame  building,  on  a  pleasant  site,  heated  by  a  furnace,  and 
was  dedicated  January  i. 


Kaskaskia  Presbytery  met  at  Vandalia,  March  4,  1831. 
Thomas  Lippincott  was  chosen  Stated  Clerk.  Gilead  Church 
was  received.  Theron  Baldwin,  minister,  and  James  Mc- 
Clung,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assem- 
bly. The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Greenville,  Bond  county,. 
September  10,  William  K.  Stewart  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Muhlenburg.  The  church  of  Alton  was  re- 
ceived. The  church  of  Palestine  belongs  to  this  year, 
though  its  name  was  not  transferred  from  Wabash  Presbytery 
until  later. 


Gilead  Church,  in  Jefferson  county,  was  organized  by  B. 
F.  Spilman,  February  27,  1 83 1,  with  eleven  members.  It  was 
northwest  of  Mt.  Vernon,  and  two  miles  west  of  Rome. 
Some  of  its  Elders  were  Arba  Andrews,  James  Martin,  Will- 
iam Porter,  Robert  D  Hillhouse  and  Matthew  Cunningham. 
It  was  supplied  by  Isaac  Bennet,  Alexander  Ewing,  William 
Gardner  and  Blackburn  Leffler.  Presbytery  met  here  Octo- 
ber, 1832,  in  April,  1836,  in  April,  1841,  and  in  May,  1844. 
It  was  called  Gilead  down  to  1861.  Then  its  name  was,  by 
usage,  changed  to  Rome,  which  place  was  its  postofifiice.  As 
Rome  it  lived  until  April  22,  1861,  when,  being  reduced  to 
one  member,  it  was  formally  dissolved  by  Saline  Presbytery. 


Palestine  Church,  Crawford  county,  was  organized  on  the 
14,  15  and  16  of  May,  1 83 1,  by  Revs.  Isaac  Reed  and  John 
Montgomery,  with  these  members,  viz.:  John  Houston,  Nancy 
Houston,  Mary  Ann  Logan,  Jane  Houston,  Eliza  Houston, 
Wilson  Lagow,  Henry  Lagow,  Alfred  G.  Lagow,  James  Eagle- 
ton,  James  Caldwell,  Phoebe  Morris,  Anna  Piper,  Margaret 
Eagleton,  John  Malcom,  Ann  Malcom  and  Hannah  Wil- 
son, sr. 


PALESTINE  CHURCH.  I/I 

Elders  :  John  Houston  and  Wilson  Lagow,  the  first. 
James  Eagleton,  elected  June  14,  1832  ;  E.  L.  Patton,  elected 
Aug.  8,  1835,  died  Dec.  30,  1862;  Finley  Paull,  elected 
Aug.  8,  1835;  Andrew  McCorniick,  elected  Aug.  8,  1835  ; 
James  C.  Allen,  elected  Dec.  7,  1849  ;  Joseph  M.  Windsor, 
elected  Oct.  9,  1854;  James  H.  Richey,  elected  Oct.  9,  1854; 
Dr.  J.  S.  Brengle,  elected  Aug.  9,  1859;  J.  C.  Raney,  elected 
Jan.  27,  1872;   H.  T.  Beam,  elected  March  24,  1872. 

Finley  Paull  was  elected  clerk  of  Session  Dec.  19,  1835, 
and  has  been  absent  from  meetings  of  Session  but  once  in 
forty-four  years. 

The  Ministers:  I  will  name  in  the  order  of  their  suc- 
cession :  John  Montgomery,  Reuben  White,  James  Crawford, 
Isaac  Bennett,  through  1839-40;  Erastus  W.  Thayer,  from 
the  spring  of  1837  to  the  end  of  1844;  R.  H.  Lilly,  from 
Sept.,  1845  to  Feb,.  1849;  Joseph  Piatt,  six  months;  John 
Crozier,  from  185 1  to  1855;  James  M,  Alexander;  A. 
McFarland,  pastor  from  1858  to  1868;  A.  Thompson. 
Thomas  Spencer  was  installed  pastor  Aug.  30,  1874,  and 
remained  till  his  death,  Aug.  15,  1876;  John  E.  Carson.  The 
church  was  organized  in  a  school-house.  About  1837  they 
bought  a  carpenter  shop  and  fitted  it  up  as  a  place  of  wor- 
ship. This  building  is  still  standing,  and  occupied  as  tenant 
houses.  The  present  house  of  worship  was  built  in  1849. 
It  is  thirty-eight  by  fifty  feet,  and  cost  ^^1,300.  They 
received  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  from  Church  Exten- 
sion. About  six  years  since  eight  feet  were  added  to  the 
length,  a  bell  tower  erected  and  a  bell  procured.  The 
whole  number  of  members  who  have  been  connected  with 
this  church  is  four  hundred  and  nineteen.  In  1848  a  num- 
ber of  members  were  dismissed  from  this  church  to  organ- 
ize one  at  Robinson.  But  the  enterprise  was  premature. 
That  Robinson  church  was  dissolved  by  Presbytery,  Oct., 
1857,  and  the  members  re-united  with  Palestine.  Another 
effort,  in  the  same  direction,  was  made  Nov.  3,  1872,  when 
forty-four  members  were  dismissed  to  form  another  organi- 
zation at  Robinson.  This  effort  was  successful.  Palestine 
is  also  the  mother  of  Beckwith  Prairie  Church.  From  it 
Palestine  Presbytery  received  its  name.  The  only  original 
member  of  this  church  now  living,  is  Mrs.  Jane  Houston. 
Of  the  ten  years  of  Mr.  McFarland's  pastorate,  he  was 
absent  two,  as  chaplain  in  the  army,  and  his  place  was  sup- 
plied by  Rev.  Stephen  J.  Bovell. 


1^2  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

In  connection  with  Palestine  Church,  it  is  only  just  to  say 
a  few  words  of  Elder  Findley  Paull,  who  has  been  a  pillar  in 
that  church  since  1835.  He  was  born  in  Fayette  county, 
Western  Penn.,  in  Feb.,  1809,  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage.  In 
1824  he  went  to  Wheeling,  Va.,  and  was  clerk  in  a  store 
•with  an  uncle.  In  1833  he  united  with  the  First  Presbyte- 
rian Church  of  that  city,  Dr.  Henry  R.  Weed,  pastor.  In 
the  spring  of  1835,  he  came  to  Palestine  with  a  stock  of 
goods,  and  established  himself  in  business.  He  immediately 
united  with  the  Presbyterian  church  in  that  place,  and  has 
been  one  of  its  most  active  and  useful  members  and  officers 
ever  since.  In  tjie  fall  of  1835  he  returned  to  Wheeling, 
and  married  the  wife  with  whom  he  lived  most  happily  until 
Sept.  20,  1877,  when  she  was  taken  from  him.  Palestine 
Church  has  been  a  mother  of  churches,  and  in  the  building 
up  and  support  of  that  church  no  one  man  has  done  as 
much  as  Finley  Paull. 


William  K.  Stewart.  I  can  find  out  nothing  of  his  early 
life.  In  April,  1831,  he  took  charge  of  Vandalia  church,  was 
installed  May,  1832,  and  dismissed  April  3,  1836.  He  was 
transferred  from  Kaskaskia  to  Schuyler  Presbytery,  March 
18,  1837.     Was  pastor  of  Macomb  Church,  1849-52. 


The  Presbyterian  Church  of  Alton,  received  'at  the 
last  meeting  of  Presbytery,  was  the  second  one  organized  at 
that  place.  The  names  of  the  original  members  of  this  one 
planted  by  Thomas  Lippincott,  June  19,  1831,  were  Enoch 
Long  and  Mrs.  Mary  Long,  his  wife ;  Wm.  A.  Robertson 
and  Eleanor  M.  Robertson,  his  wife  ;  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Tol- 
man  ;  Samuel  Thurston  and  Dorcas  Thurston,  his  wife ; 
George  W.  Fuller. 

Elders:  Enoch  Long,  June  19,  i83i,dis.  Dec'r  18,  1836; 
Samuel  Thurston,  Jan'y  21,  1832,  died  May  16,  1833;  H.  K. 
Lathy,  October  10,  1834,  ex.  March  8,  1846;  S.  E.  Moore, 
July  25,  183S,  dis.  April  8,  1841  ;  Andrew  Alexander,  Sept'r 
26,  1835,  died  September  18,  1838  ;  J.  D.  Bissell,  December 
22',  1837,  dis.  March  28,  1839;  A.  W.  Corey,  Feb.  10,  1838, 
dis.  Jan'y  4,  1840;  W.  S.  Oilman,  Dec.  8,  1839,  dis.  June  10, 
1841  ;  Benjamin  Godfrey,  July  5,  1840,  dis.  Sept.  18,  1844; 
Charles   W.  Hunter,  July  5,  1840,  ex.  Feb.   i,  1841 ;  Orrin 


ALTON    CHURCH.  173 

Cooley,  May  28,  1841,  dis.  Dec.  13,  1841  ;  Lawson  A.  Parks, 
May  28,  1 841  ;  Samuel  Wade,  May  28,  1841  ;  D.  T.  Wheeler, 
Nov.  14,  1841,  dis.  Aug.  19,  1843;  P.  B.  Whipple,  Nov.  14, 
1 841;  Isaac  Scarritt,  Nov.  14,  1841  ;  Stephen  Lufkin,  April 
29,  1849;  Nathan  Johnson,  April  29,  1849.  April  26,  1849, 
the  church  adopted  the  limited  term  of  eldership.  The 
Elders  under  this  system  have  been  as  follows :  Lawson  A, 
Parks,  elected  April  27,  185 1  ;  Isaac  Scarritt,  elected  April 
27,1851;  P.  B.Whipple,  elected  Oct.  9,  1853;  Joshua  G. 
Lamb,  elected  Oct.  9,  1853;  Nathan  Johnson,  elected  Aug. 
5,  1855,  dis.  July  23,  1867;  Samuel  Wade,  elected  Aug.  5, 
1855,  dis,  June  17,  1870;  Lawson  A.  Parks,  elected  Sept.  20, 
1858,  died  March  31,  1875  ;  Isaac  Scarritt,  elected  Sept.  20, 
1858,  died  Dec.  22,  1873;  Perley  B.  Whipple,  elected  Dec. 
18,  1859;  Joshua  G.  Lamb,  elected  Dec.  18,  1859;  Dr.  Benj. 
K.  Hart,  elected  Dec.  18,  1859,  died  Sept.  2,  1865  ;  Robert 
Barr,  elected  March  5,  1865,  died  Aug.  13,  1868  ;  James  New- 
man, elected  March  5,  1865,  dismissed  ;  J.  G.  Lamb,  elected 
March  17,  1867,  dismissed;  Perley  B.Whipple,  elected  Mar. 
17,  1867;  Edward  Hollister,  elected  March  17,  1867;  A.  W. 
Greenwood,  elected  March  17,  1867,  dismissed;  John  A. 
Cousley,  elected  Jan.  16,  1870;  P.  B.  Whipple,  elected  May 
7,  1871  ;  Henry  L.  Nichols,  elected  May  7,  1871  ;  John  P. 
Nisbett,  elected  A^pril  25,  1875  ;  Martin  I.  Lee,  elected  Apr. 
25,  1875  ;  Perley  B.  Whipple,  elected  June  10,  1877;  Henry 
L.  Nichols,  elected  June  10,  1877;  S.  B.  Eunk,  elected  June 
10,  1877. 

Ministers:  Thomas  Lippincott,  until  June,  1832.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Elisha  Jenney,  who  remained  until  April, 
1835.  F.  W.  Graves  began  in  June,  1835.  The  following 
October  he  became  pastor  and  remained  imtil  November, 
1838.  During  the  succeeding  winter  the  pulpit  was  supplied 
by  Albert  Hale,  now  of  Springfield.  Augustus  T.  Norton 
entered  upon  his  labors  as  pastor  elect  March  i,  1S39.  On 
the  9th  of  May  following  he  was  installed  by  the  Presbytery 
of  Alton.  Mr.  Norton  served  as  pastor  until  May  24,  1857, 
when  he  resigned,  but  continued  either  in  person,  or  through 
other  ministers,  to  supply  the  congregation,  for  the  most 
part,  until  June,  1858 — making  the  whole  period  of  his  ser- 
vice nineteen  years  and  three  months.  Cornelius  H.  Taylor 
was  installed  pastor  July  I,  1858,  and  remained  until  the 
latter  part  of  March,  i858,  making  a  pastorate  of  nearly  ten 
years.     The  church   then  remained  without  a  pastor  for  one 


1/4  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

year.  C.  Solon  Armstrong  was  invited  to  the  pastorate 
April  1 6,  1869,  and  entered  upon  his  duties  the  15  th  of  the 
ensuing  May.  He  was  duly  installed  Dec.  16,  1869,  by  a 
committee  of  the  Presbytery  of  Alton,  and  is  still  in  office. 
The  whole  number  of  members  in  the  church  up  to  January, 
1879,  is  1066.  Of  these  two  hundred  and  forty-three  were 
added  before  Mr.  Norton's  pastorate  and  three  hundred  and 
seventy-one  during  its  continuance.  In  Mr.  Taylor's  pasto- 
rate, two  hundred  and  two  were  added ;  in  the  year  between 
Mr.  Taylor  and  Mr.  Armstrong,  five ;  in  Mr.  Armstrong's, 
thus  far,  two  hundred  and  forty-five.  The  number  of  mem- 
bers reported  to  th^e  Assembly  at  the  close  of  Mr.  Norton's 
administration  was  two  hundred  and  thirty;  at  the  close  of 
Mr.  Taylor's,  two  hundred  and  forty-two  ;  in  the  spring  of 
1878,  at  the  close  of  Mr.  Armstrong's  ninth  year,  three  hun- 
dred were  reported.  In  1870  about  forty-eight  members 
were  dismissed  to  form  a  Congregational  church.  The  reduc- 
tion in  numbers  by  this  movement  was  serious,  but  the  loss 
in  pecuniary  strength  was  far  more  so,  amounting  to  fully 
one-half  the  financial  ability  of  the  congregation.  Though 
never  rich,  the  benevolence  of  this  congregation  has  been  so 
sedulously  cultivated  and  so  largely  developed  that  during 
the  whole  of  Mr.  Norton's  and  Mr.  Taylor's  administrations, 
its  offerings  for  benevolent  causes,  outside  of  itself,  were 
larger  than  any  other  Presbyterian  church  in  the  State,  ex- 
cept one  or  two  in  Chicago.  Content  with  a  modest,  inex- 
pensive house  of  worship,  it  supported  its  pastors  well,  and 
gave  largely  to  all  benevolent  causes,  especially  Home  Mis- 
sions. 

There  have  been  many  revivals  in  the  history  of  this  con- 
gregation ;  but  the  one  most  notable,  for  the  character  and 
standing  of  its  converts,  was  that  of  the  winter  and  spring 
of  1849.  Value  is  not  to  be  estimated  by  numbers,  but  by 
weight.  The  conversion  of  Saul  of  Tarsus  was  worth  more 
to  the  Church  and  the  world,  than  that  of  the  whole  three 
thousand  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  The  population  of  all  our 
Western  cities  and  villages  is  extremely  fluctuating.  That 
of  Alton  has  ever  been  pre-eminently  so.  Hence  the  small 
permanent  growth  of  this  church,  notwithstanding  the  con- 
stant and  large  increase  of  members. 

Its  place  of  IV  or  ship.  The  church  of  1821,  noticed  in 
another  place,  was  organized  in  a  log  school-house  in 
Upper    Alton.       It    stood    on   the    corner    diagonally    op- 


ALTON    CHURCH.  175 

posite  the  northeast  corner  of  John  Bates'  premises.  A 
small,  one-story  brick  house  now  occupies  the  spot.  In 
that  log  school-house,  Deacon  Long  and  Henry  H.  Snow 
gathered  a  Sabbath  school  in  the  summer  of  1820.  The 
present  church  was  organized  at  the  house  of  Deacon 
Enoch  Long,  corner  of  Main  and  College  streets,  Upper 
Alton,  the  spot  now  occupied  by  the  late  Joseph  Burnap's 
residence.  The  public  services  of  the  occasion  were  held  in 
the  brick  school-house  in  Upper  Alton.  The  next  place  of 
worship  was  the  frame  building  on  Second  street,  Alton,  next 
-east  of  the  residence  of  the  late  Simeon  Ryder.  The  next 
building  occupied  was  Lyceum  Hall,  on  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  Alby  and  Second  streets.  This  building  was  burned 
July  30,  1874.  Captain  Benj.  Godfrey  united  with  this 
church  on  profession,  Nov.  8,  1833.  The  same  year  he 
erected,  with  his  own  means,  a  commodious  stone  church, 
with  a  spire  and  a  basement  story,  on  the  northeast  corner 
■of  Third  and  Market  streets,  where  the  Episcopal  church 
now  stands.  He  retained  the  title  in  his  own  hands,  and 
afterwards  gave  the  property  to  the  trustees  of  Monticello 
Seminary,  by  whom  it  was  sold  to  the  Episcopalians  in  the 
spring"  of  1845.  A  fine  bell  was  in  the  tower,  presented  to 
the  church  by  Mrs.  Oilman,  mother  of  B.  L  and  W.  S.  Gil- 
man.  Early  one  morning,  immediately  after  the  sale,  that 
•bell  descended  from  that  tower  and  went  away  on  a  dray. 
This  church  occupied  that  building  from  its  erection  till  the 
time  of  sale,  paying  rent  for  it  to  Monticello  Seminary,  while 
it  was  owned  by  that  Institution.  Its  next  place  of  worship 
was  in  a  small  frame  church  on  the  northeast  corner  of 
Third  and  Alby  streets,  where  the  Unitarian  parsonage  now 
stands.  The  present  brick  house  of  worship  was  erected  at 
a  cost  of  ;$3,500,  and  was  dedicated  June  14,  1846.  In  1853, 
it  was  enlarged  by  an  addition  of  twenty-five  feet  to  the 
front,  making  the  entire  length  eighty  feet.  This  addition, 
with  other  improvements,  cost  ;^2,500.  In  1858  a  ;$2,ooo  or- 
gan was  put  up  in  the  building.  In  July  and  August  of  1865 
there  was  another  renovation  which  involved  an  expense  of 
seven  hundred  dollars.  But  the  chief  renovation  and 
re-arrangement  was  made  in  1875  at  a  cost  of  ;^4,000.  A 
re-dedication  ensued  Oct.  17,  1875.  A  sermon  was  preached 
on  the  occasion,  reciting  the  whole  history  of  the  church, 
especially  in  reference  to  its  places  of  worship.  A  debt  was 
created  by  this  last   improvement   which   for  several  years 


1/6  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

was  the  source  of  no  little  annoyance.  It  was  fully  canceled, 
however,  at  the  beginning  of  1 879.  A  large,  fine  parsonage 
of  brick  was  purchased  by  the  congregation  in  1 87 1,  at  a 
cost  of  ^4,000.  This  was  the  offering  of  the  congregation 
to  the  magnificent  memorial  fund,  of  nearly  eight  millions,, 
raised  that  year  by  the  Re-United  Presbyterian  Church. 


Sangamon  Presbytery  met  at  the  house  of  John  Moore, 
an  Elder  of  Sangamon  church,  April  7,  1 83 1.  The  Fall 
meeting  was  held  at  Springfield,  Sept  9.  Ministers  pres- 
ent :  John  G.  Berg;£n,  John  McDonald  and  Aratus  Kent. 
Elder:  Smiley  Shepherd,  of  Union  Grove,  Tazewell 
county.     Bethel,  afterwards  Oakland  church,  was  received. 

Aratus  Kent  arrived  in  Galena,  April  19,  1829.  Though 
in  the  bounds  of  Center  Presbytery,  which  embraced  the 
entire  State,  he  did  not  unite  with  it,  doubtless  from  want  of 
opportunity.  He  sent  to  this  meeting  his  credentials  from 
the  North  Association  of  Hartford  county,  Connecticut,  and 
was  received.  Thomas  A.  Spilman,  mmister,  and  John  Tillson, 
Elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly. 
John  G.  Bergen  was  appointed  Stated  Clerk.  Horace  Smitli 
was  dismissed   to  the  Presbytery  of  Huron. 


Horace  Smith  was  born  in  Mass.,  graduated  at  Yale  Col- 
lege 1818,  at  Andover  in  1821,  ordained  Feb.  27,  1822. 
Home  Missionary  through  life,  and  mostly  in  Ohio.  Died 
at  Richfield,  Ohio,  Nov.  20,  1868,  aged  seventy. 


Bethel,  afterwards  Oakland  Church,  Coles  county,  was 
organized  July  17,  1 83 1,  by  Rev.  Stephen  Bliss,  with  these 
members  :  W.  W.  Morrison,  Mary  Morrison,  Robert  Brooks, 
Mary  Brooks,  Alex.  Laughlin,  John  Laughlin,  Stanton  Pem- 
berton,  Sarah  Pemberton,  Ruth  Ashmore,  Hezekiah  Ashmore, 
Elizabeth  Ashmore,  James  Black,  Elizabeth  Black,  John 
King,  Elizabeth  King,  James  H.  Bovell,  Jane  M.  Bovell,Lavina 
Laughlin.  Elders  :  Robert  Brooks,  W.  W.  Morrison.  From 
this  until  1853  the  records  are  silent.  At  this  date  Rev.  John 
A.  Steele  was  Minister,  and  Josiah  O.  Black,  Elder.  May  3, 
1856,  Rev.  H.  I.  Venable  commenced  as  supply  pastor.  May 
19,  i860,  he  was  installed  and  remained  pastor  till  April  1865, 


OAKLAND    CHURCH.  1 7/ 

Stephen    J.  Bovell  commenced  labor    with  them  as    supply- 
pastor  and   continued  till  the  close   of  1878.     At  the   spring 
meeting  of  Palestine  Presbytery,  i860,  the  name  was  changed 
to  Oakla)id,  to  correspond   with  the  name  of  the  post-office. 
During  the  nine  years  of  Mr.  Venable's  connection  with  the 
church,  there  were  sixty  additions.     At  the  end  of  his  pas- 
torate, eighty-five  names    had  been  entered  on  the  roll ;  but 
the  losses  by  removals  and  deaths  had  reduced  the  number  to 
thirty-three.     During  the  thirteen  years  of  Mr.  Bovell's  min- 
istry, twenty-three  were    added  by  profession    and   two  by 
letter.     The  present  membership  is  thirty-five.     Besides  the 
two  original  Elders,  James  Black,  Josiah  O.  Black,  John  A. 
Magner,  Joseph  Boyle,  G.  J.  Ashmore,  William  J.  Black  and 
Jacob    V.  Annin  have   served  as  Elders.     The    present  ses- 
sion  is    composed  of  G.  J.  Ashmore,    William  J.  Black   and 
Jacob  V.   Annin      All    the    others   are    dead  except  Joseph 
Boyle  and  J.  A.  Magner,  removed.     Since  1858,  sixty-seven 
infants  and  fourteen  adults  have  been  baptized.     Oakland  is 
in  Coles  county.     The   first  church  house  was  erected  about 
1833  at  the  old  cemetery,  one  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of 
Oakland.     It  was  of  hewed  logs,  twenty  by  twenty-two  feet. 
The  logs,  according  to  custom  in  those  times,  were  contrib- 
uted by  Congress.     This  house  was  dedicated  by  Isaac  Ben- 
net,  was  afterwards   used  as  a  school   house,  and  finally  sold 
and  moved    out    on   the  prairie.     The    second  house  was  a 
frame  building,  twenty-four  by  forty,  and  was  erected  about 
1836,  on  the  public  square  of   Oakland.     The  frame,  includ- 
ing rafters  and   studding,  was   of  split  and  hewn  timber.     It 
was  never  finished  or  dedicated.     The  floor  was  loose  boards ; 
the  seats  and  pulpit  of  puncheon  slabs.     It  was  used  in  sum- 
mer only.     In  winter  services  were  held' in  farm  houses.     As 
in  the  other  house.  Congress  contributed  the  timber,  even  to 
the  boarding,  which   was  got  out    by  whip  saw   from  poplar 
trees  growing  near  the  forks  of  the  Embarrass.     The  pres- 
ent church  house  was  erected  in  1844.      It  is  twenty-four  by 
forty  and  cost  about  four  hundred  dollars.     It  was  dedicated 
by  Rev.  John  A.  Steele.     The  main   contributors  were,  S.  C. 
Ashmore,  $2$  ;   G.  M.  Ashmore,  ^25  ;  James  Black,  $2$  ;  W. 
C.  Pemberton,  $^,7  50;  Dr.  H.  Rutherford,  $T^y  50;  Thomas 
Affleck  gave  the  lots  and  ^80  for  the  old  building.     The  lum- 
ber of  this  church  was  not  contributed  by  Congress. 

II 


178  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

The  Synod  of  Illinois,  which  had  been  established  by 
the  Assembly  May,  183 1,  with  the  three  lUinois  Presby- 
teries and  that  of  Missouri,  held  its  first  meeting  at  Hillsboro, 
Illinois,  commencing  Sept.  15,  1831.  From  the  three  Illi- 
nois Presbyteries  there  were  present  fourteen  ministers  and 
eleven  Elders.  Absent  from  those  Presbyteries  six  minis- 
ters. The  whole  number  of  Illinois  ministers,  therefore,  at 
that  time  was  twenty.  Missouri  Presbytery  was  represented 
in  the  Synod  for  this  the  first  and  only  time ;  for  at  this  very 
session  a  plan  was  adopted  for  dividmg  that  Presbytery  into 
three,  in  order  to  make  a  Synod  of  Missouri.  This  plan  was 
laid  before  the  Assembly  of  1832,  and  the  new  Synod  cre- 
ated. John  G.  Bergen  was  the  Moderator  of  the  meeting. 
Thomas  Lippincott  was  made  Stated  Clerk,  and  remained  so 
until  1840.  The  first  hundred  and  ninety-three  pages  of  the 
Synodical  Record  are  in  his  hand  writing.  Resolutions  were 
adopted  recommending  the  establishment  of  a  weekly  reli- 
gious newspaper  in  St.  Louis,  and  a  committee  appointed  to 
make  the  needful  arrangements  as  soon  as  practicable.  The 
following  significant  resolution  was  adopted,  viz:  "That  the 
Assembly's  Board  of  Missions  and  the  Board  of  the  Home 
Missionary  Society  be  respectfully  requested  to  communi- 
cate freely  with  our  Presbyterial  and  Synodical  Committees 
on  all  important  subjects  connected  with  Missionary  opera- 
tions in  our  bounds  ;  and  ivithout  the  mediation  of  any  other 
Board  zvhatever."  The  plain  meaning  of  the  whole  paper,  of 
which  this  resolution  is  a  part,  was  that  they  wished  the 
Home  Missionary  operations  in  their  own  bounds  to  be  un- 
der the  control  of  their  own  clinrch  Judicatories.  This  was 
precisely  the  ground  assumed  and  contended  for  by  Alton 
Presbytery  in  1859,  and  sanctioned  by  the  Assembly  which 
held  its  meeting  at  Wilmington,  Del.,  that  same  year. 


YEAR   1832. 

Illinois  Presbytery  convened  at  Jacksonville,  March  29, 
1832.  Ministers  present:  Solomon  Hardy,  John  M.  Ellis, 
William  J.  Eraser,  Henry  Herrick,  Asa  Turner,  J.  M.  Stur- 
tevant,  John  Brich.  Ministers  absent :  Cyrus  L.  Watson, 
Edward  Beecher.  Elders:  Anthony  Potts,  Carrollton;  J.  G. 
Edwards,  Jacksonville;  William  C.  Stevenson,  Union.  Will- 
iam Kirby  was  received  from  the  Association  of  the  Eastern 


ILLINOIS    PRESBYTERY.  1/9 

district  of  New  Haven,  after  answering  the  constitutional 
questions  in  the  affirmative.  Henry  Herrick,  minister,  and 
H.  H.  Snow,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the 
Assembly.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Carrollton,  Septem- 
Ijer  6.  Macomb  and  Naples  churches  were  received.  Elisha 
Jenney  was  received  from  the  Third  Presbytery  of  New 
York.  Two  adjourned  meetings  were  held  in  this  year.  The 
'first  with  Union  church,  October  lo;  the  second  at  Jackson- 
ville, commencing  December  19,  and  continuing  till  the  26th. 
Thomas  Lippincott  and  Benoni  Y.  Messenger  were  received 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia.  The  other  business  of 
these  meetings  appertained  to  troubles  in  the  Union  church, 
and  to  difficulties  between  a  portion  of  its  session  and  Rev. 
William  J.  Fraser,  who  was  at  that  time  their  supply.  From 
the  decision  of  the  Presbytery  in  his  case  Mr.  Fraser  ap- 
pealed to  Synod. 


William  Kirby  was  born  at  Middletown,  Ct.,  July  lo, 
1805.  Graduated  at  Yale  College,  1827,  and  at  the  Divinity 
School  of  Yale  College,  183 1.  Ordained  at  Guilford,  Ct., 
March  22,  1831.  Tutor  in  Illinois  College  1831-33.  Preached 
at  Union  Grove,  111.,  1833-4.  Supply  pastor  Blackstone 
Grove,  111.,  1834-6.  Mendon,  111.,  1836-45.  Agent  Home 
Missionary  Society  for  Illinois,  residence  in  Jacksonville, 
.till  his  death  at  Winchester,  111.,  December  20,  185  i,  at  the 
age  of  forty-seven.  He  married  Miss  Hannah  Wolcott  in 
1832,  at  Jacksonville,  111.  They  had  seven  children.  Edward  P. 
Kirby,  born  October  28,  1833;  William  A.,  born  August  6, 
1837  ;  Frances  Caroline  (iMcLaughlin),  born  January  25,1 840 ; 
Cathrine  Wolcott  (Ross),  born  July  8,  1842;  Helen  McCluer 
(Dwight),  born  January  12,  1845  :  Henry  Burgis  (died),  born 
March  20,  1848;  Elizabeth  Pomeroy,  born  April  i,  1850. 


Elisha  Jenney  was  born  at  Fair  Haven,  Mass.,  No- 
vember 7,  1803.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  1827; 
Yale  College  Divinity  School  1831  ;  ordained  Evangelist  by 
Third  Presbytery  of  New  York,  October  14,  1831  ;  supply 
pastor  Alton,  111.,  1832-5  ;  Agent  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.,  for  Illinois, 
1836-7;  preached  at  Monticello,  Spring  Creek,  and  Island 
Grove,  1840-49;  missionary  of  Illinois  and  Alton  Presbyte- 
ries, 1849-58;  Agent  of  American  Home  Missionary  Society 


l80  PTIESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

for    Central  and   Southern  Illinois,  1858-68;  resided  last  at 
Galesburg,  111. 

Naples  Church  was  organized  by  Rev.  Solomon  Hardy- 
August  5,  1832,  with  ten  members — Benjamin  Beckford, 
elder.  It  enjoyed  the  labors  of  Rev.  A.  T.  Norton  for  one 
year  from  November  i,  1835.  Its  numbers  increased  in  the 
time  to  twenty.  Frederick  Collins  and  Ledden  Davis  were 
elders.  It  owned  a  comfortable  house  of  worship  erected 
mostly,  or  wholly,  by  the  brothers  Anson,  Michael  and  Fred- 
erick Collins.  The" 'summer  of  1836  was  extremely  sickly. 
One  person  in  every  ten  or  twelve  of  the  population  died, 
and  nearly  all  the  remainder  were  sick.  Ail  the  members 
who  could,  removed  at  once.  The  Messrs.  Collins  left  so 
soon  as  they  could  dispose  of  their  property,  which  they  did 
at  great  sacrifice.  This  church  has  several  times  been  nearly 
extinct,  but  has  revived  again,  and  still  has  a  feeble  existence, 
and  a  comfortable  house  of  worship. 

Kaskaskia  Presbytery  met  at  Carmi,  111.,  April  6,  1832, 
Ministers  present :  John  Mathews,  Stephen  Bliss,  William 
K.  Stewart,  B.  F.  Spilman,  Thomas  Lippincott,  B.  Y.  Messen- 
ger. Minister  absent :  Theron  Baldwin.  Elders  present : 
Thomas  Gould,  Wabash ;  George  Hodge,  Golconda ;  James 
Davis,  Bethel;  George  Donnell,  Shoal  Creek;  William 
White,  Greenville;  Benjamin  Spilman,  Carmi;  Peter  Miller, 
Sharon.  A  call  from  Vandalia  church  for  William  K.  Stew- 
art to  become  their  pastor  was  sanctioned.  John  Montgom- 
ery was  admitted  from  the  Presbytery  of  Northumberland ; 
John  Flavel  Brooks  from  the  Presbytery  of  Oneida,  and  Al- 
bert Hale  from  the  Association  of  the  Eastern  District  of 
New  Haven  county,  Ct.  Shoal  Creek  and  Greenville 
churches  were  united  under  the  name  of  Greenville.  John 
Mathews,  minister,  and  James  McClung,  elder,  were  ap- 
pointed Commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  The  fall  meeting 
was  held  with  Gilead  church.  The  church  of  Equality  was 
received. 


John  Montgomery  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
graduated  from  the  Princeton  Seminary.  He  labored  in 
Crawford  county  and  on  Pope's  river.  111.     He  died  in  1843. 


JOHN    F.  BROOKS.  l8l 

John  F.  Brooks  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  Oneida  county, 
N.  Y.,  Dec.  3,  1801.  His  parents  were  descended  from  the 
■early  emigrants  to  New  England.  His  mother's  ancestors 
for  several  generations  were  Deacons  in  the  Congregational 
Church.  His  first  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Joel  Bradley, 
a  graduate  of  Yale,  and  a  Congregational  minister  in  the 
early  settlements  of  New  York.  She  died  in  Springfield,  111., 
March  30,  i860.  Mr.  Brooks  graduated  at  Hamilton  Col- 
lege in  1828.  He  studied  theology  at  New  Haven,  Conn.; 
licensed  by  an  Association  near  New  Haven ;  ordained 
by  Oneida  Presbytery  about  Sept.  i,  1831.  Came  West 
immediately.  He  organized  the  first-formed  Presbyte- 
rian church  in  Belleville,  Jan.  6,  1833.  He  was  one  of  the 
original  members  of  Alton  Presbytery,  set  off  by  the  Synod 
of  Illinois  at  Alton,  Oct.  21,  1836.  He  was  then  residing  in 
Belleville,  preaching  and  teaching.  In  the  fall  of  1837,  he 
went  to  Waverly,  111.,  and  took  charge  of  Waverly  Seminary. 
He  was  teacher  in  Waverly,  III,  from  1837  ^^  1840,  then  in 
Springfield  Seminary,  1849-53.  Since  then  he  has  been 
and  is  Instructor  in  Latin  in  "  Bettie  Stuart  Institute," 
Springfield,  111. 


Albert  Hale  was  born  in  Glastenbury,  Conn.,  Nov.  29, 
1799.  His  ancestors  were  from  England.  His  early  educa- 
tion was  in  the  common  school  and  an  academy.  He  then 
spent  about  eight  years  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  in  Wethersfield, 
Conn.  He  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1827,  and  studied 
theology  in  New  Haven  Seminary.  He  was  licensed  by  the 
Association  of  New  Haven  county.  Eastern  District,  Aug. 
10,  1830,  and  ordained  by  the  same  body  at  Guilford,  March 
22,  183 1.  He  came  West  the  next  fall,  landing  at  Shawnee- 
town,  Nov.  15,  1831.  He  preached  there  once,  and  had  a 
hard  talk  with  a  minister,  who  afterwards  wrote  a  letter  in 
which  he  charged  "  that  Mr.  Hale  taught  nothing  to  the  peo- 
ple but  what  zaas  in  the  Bible"  He  took  charge  of  the 
Bethel  Church  in  Bond  county,  in  Jan.,  1832,  and  that  place 
was  his  home  for  eight  years.  The  last  two  of  those  years, 
at  his  own  suggestion,  the  church  was  supplied  by  others. 
His  time  was  mainly  spent,  during  the  whole  of  these  eight 
years,  in  visiting  the  new  villages  and  settlements  to  preach 
and  aid  in  forming  churches.  The  last  two  winters,  1838  and 
1839,  he  preached  at  Jacksonville  and  at  Alton. 


l82  PKKSBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

He  was  married  in  the  spring  of  1839,  at  Monticello,. 
Madison  county,  111.,  to  Miss  Abiah  Chapin,  one  of  the 
teachers  in  Monticello  Seminary.  He  was  elected  Pas- 
tor of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  Springfield,  111.,  in 
the  summer  of  1839,  entered  upon  his  labors  there  the  1 5th  of 
the  next  November,  and  was  installed  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Illinois,  July  i,  1840.  He  occupied  that  post  with  great 
acceptance  and  success  for  twenty-seven  years  and  a  few 
months.  Since  then  he  has  been  and  still  is  abundant  in 
ministerial  labors  in  Springfield  and  the  surrounding  region- 
He  terms  himself,  "  Bishop  of  the  highways  and  hedges." 
Though  eighty  year^^  of  age,  in  Nov.,  1879,  he  is  still  a  vig- 
orous and  constant  laborer  in  the  Master's  vineyard.  He 
still  lives,  and  therefore  I  do  not  write  that  eulogium  upoa 
his  eminently  useful  career  which  will  be  appropriate  when 
he  is  gathered  to  his  fathers.  His  wife  died  several  years 
since.  A  son  and  two  daughters  remain.  The  son,  Rev. 
Albert  F.  Hale,  is  preaching  in  California.  The  two  daugh- 
ters are  with  their  father  in  Springfield. 


Equality  Church,  Gallatin  county,  about  twelve  miles 
west  by  north  of  Shawneetown,  and  close  by  the  salt 
wells,  was  organized  May  26,  1832,  by  B.  F.  Spilman.  Until 
1845,  it  seems  to  have  been  under  his  care.  Indeed  he 
resided  there  a  portion  of  the  time,  and  superintended  an 
academic  school  in  addition  to  his  ministerial  labors.  Dur- 
ing Mr.  Spilman's  absence  of  six  years,  in  Madison  and 
Randolph  counties.  Equality  Church  became  reduced  and 
discouraged.  December  15,  1849,  the  following  paper  was 
adopted :  "  The  undersigned,  members  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church  of  Equality,  111.,  having  in  some  way  lost 
all  the  records  of  the  church,  and  being  desirous  still  to 
continue  the  ordinances  of  God's  house,  do  hereby  agree 
to  continue  under  the  old  style  of  The  Equality  Pres- 
byterian Church,  under  the  care  of  the  Presbytery  of  Kas- 
kaskia.  (Signed.)  Wm.  C.  Campbell,  John  L.  Campbell,, 
Timothy  Guard,  Alex.  Guard,  Andrew  Stephenson,  Martha 
E.  Guard,  Erriily  Herritt,  Sarah  Brown,  Sarah  Crawford, 
Apphia  Flanders,  Deborah  Flanders,  Israel  D.  Towl,  Abner 
Flanders,  sr.,  Samuel  C.  Elder,  Elizabeth  Hayes,  Ann  V. 
Campbell,  Martha  Siddall,  Mary  A.  Robinson,  Mary  Brown, 
Varanda  J.  White,  Eliza  Towl. 


EQUALITY    CHURCH.  1 83 

Israel  D.  Towl  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  Elder,  and 
the  only  male  member  at  the  time  of  the  organization. 
There  were  ten  females.  The  first  Elders,  under  the  renewed 
organization  of  Dec  15,  1849,  were  Israel  D.  Towl  and  John 
L.  Campbell.  Samuel  C.  Elder  is  said  to  have  been  an 
Elder  at  about  that  time,  though  the  records  do  not  show 
it.  Other  Elders  :  C.  C.  Guard  and  J.  S.  Robinson,  elected 
Feb.  2,  1857;  J.  W.  Clifton,  Sept.  15,  1864.  and  Wm.  C. 
Campbell,  June  26,  1866;  Ephraim  Proctor,  Sept.  13,  1868, 
and  Ale.x.  Guard,  May  9,  1868  ;  Wm.  H.  McComb  and  Wm. 
T.  Grimes,  Feb.  27,  1876,  The  Ministers  have  been  sup- 
plies, serving  for  brief  periods  and  part  time.  Their  names 
are  as  follows  :  John  Mack  in  1861,  B.  Leffler  in  1862  J.  B. 
McComb,  from  March,  1868  to  Oct.  1870,  and  John  Branch  in 
1873.  Several  other  ministers  have  preached  occasionally,  and 
held  communion  services  by  appointment  of  Presbytery  and 
otherwise.  A  parsonage,  worth  about  five  hundred  dollars, 
was  given  to  the  church  by  Abner  Flanders  about  1865. 
The  congregation  owns  no  other  church  property.  There 
have  been  connected  with  this  church  in  all  more  than  one 
hundred  and  fifty  persons.  There  has  never  been  here  an 
installed  pastor  ;  and  the  slow  halting  progress  of  the  church 
has  been  owing  in  great  part  to  irregular,  frequently  chang- 
ing and  uncertain  ministerial  supply. 


Sangamon  Presbytery  in  1832,  met  April  20th,  with 
Union  Grove  Church,  Tazewell  county,  and  at  Hillsboro, 
Montgomery  county,  Oct.  16.  At  this  last  meeting  there 
were  present,  Llinistcrs  :  John  G.  Bergen,  Lucian  Farnam, 
Thomas  A.  Spilman,  Romulus  Barnes.  Elders:  Ebenezer 
S.  Phelps,  Springfield  ;  Robert  McCord,  Hillsboro.  Ahxsent 
Ministefs:  John  McDonald,  Aratus  Kent  and  Calvin  W. 
Babbitt.  This  meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  John  Till- 
son,  of  Hillsboro. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois  met  at  Vandalia,  October  18, 
1832.  There  were  present  from  the  Presbytery  of  Illinois 
three  ministers  and  two  elders;  from  the  Presbytery  of  Kas- 
kaskia  eight  ministers  and  two  elders;  from  the  Presb\'tery 
of  Sangamon  five  ministers  and  two  elders.  Rev.  Artemas 
Bullard  was  present  as  an  agent  of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  Vl. 


184  PRESBYTERIANIS.M  IN  ILLINOIS. 

YEAR    1833. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  the  house  of  Rev.  Will- 
iam J.  Fraser,  March  28,  1833.  Elisha  Jenney  and  B.  Y. 
Messenger,  ministers,  and  James  G.  Edwards  and  David  B. 
Ayers,  elders,  were  elected  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly. 
The  report  to  the  Assembly  showed  thirteen  ministers  and 
ten  congregations — Apple  Creek  and  Carrollton  being  re- 
garded and  reported  as  separate  churches.  William  J.  Fra- 
ser presented  charges  of  unsound  teachings  against  Edward 
Beecher,  J.  M.  Sturtevant  and  William  Kirby.  On  the  other 
hand  charges  of  slander  were  preferred  against  William  J. 
Fraser  for  publishing  in  the  Illinois  Herald,  of  March  9,  1833, 
an  article  highly  injurious  to  the  character  of  Edward 
Beecher,  J.  M.  Sturtevant  and  William  Kirby.  Both  these 
cases  were  issued  at  an  adjourned  meeting  held  in  Jackson- 
ville, commencing  April  23,  1833.  The  charges  of  unsound 
doctrine  against  the  three  brethren  were  not  sustained.  The 
charge  of  slander  against  Mr.  Fraser  was  sustained,  and  he 
was  suspended  from  the  functions  of  the  ministry.  In  both 
cases  Mr.  Fraser  gave  notice  of  appeal  to  Synod.  At  this 
meeting,  on  April  i,  1833,  Robert  Stewart  was  licensed.  The 
church  of  Pisgah  was  received.  Cyrus  L.  Watson  was  ap- 
pointed Stated  Clerk.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  with  Pisgah 
Church  September  17.  William  J.  Fraser,  suspended  from 
the  ministry  at  the  spring  meeting,  had  in  the  mean  time  pub- 
lished a  pamphlet  entitled,  "  Facts  in  reference  to  the  suspen- 
sion of  Rev.  William  J.  Fraser  from  the  office  of  the  gospel 
ministry."  Presbytery  prepared  a  statement  concerning  this 
pamphlet  to  be  laid  before  Synod. 


Pisgah  Church  is  in  Morgan  county.  The  site  of  the  pres- 
ent church  building  is  five  acres  in  the  S.  W.  corner  of  the  S. 
W.  quarter  of  the  S.  E.  quarter  of  Sec.  5,  T.  14,  N.  R.  9  W. 
It  was  organized  April  19,  1833,  by  Rev,  John  Brich  and 
Elder  James  Kerr  in  a  log  house  on  the  farm  of  W.  C.  Ste- 
venson, about  a  mile  west  of  Orleans.  For  several  months 
that  house  at  that  spot  was  the  place  of  meeting.  Then  it 
was  moved  about  half  a  mile  south,  and  re-fitted.  That 
building,  with  the  camping  ground  about  it,  was  used  until 
1 841,  when  the  present  house  was  built  at  a  cost  of  about 
one  thousand  dollars.  There  is  a  cemetery  in  the  same  enclo- 


KASKASKIA    PRESBYTERY.  1 85 

sure.  Elders:  The  first,  Bedford  Brown,  Ralph  McCormick. 
Since  elected — Charles  L.  Jones,  Robert  Brown,  William  C. 
Stevenson,  Dr.  Edward  Moore,  James  T.  Holmes,  Jeremiah 
Graves,  Samuel  M.  Rannels,  William  W.  Shepherd,  John  S. 
Holmes.  The  present  elders — 1879 — are  the  last  three,  to- 
gether with  James  T.  Holmes.  Ministers:  William  G.  Gal- 
laher  for  thirty-one  years  from  the  spring  of  1834.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1865,  W.  D.  Sanders  became  supply  pastor  and  con- 
tinued until  September,  1872.  Then  Thomas  Gallaher  one 
year.  Next  William  D.  Sanders  again  till  May,  1874,  when 
W.  N.  Steele,  the  present  supply  pastor,  began  his  labors. 
The  church  numbers  about  sixty  members,  having  suffered 
much  from  emigration.  It  has  long  been  self-supporting.  It 
consists  exclusively  of  the  families  of  well-to-do  farmers,  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent. 


Kaskaskia  Presbytery  met  at  Palestine,  Crawford'county, 
April  II,  1833.  Ministers  present:  John  Mathews,  William 
K.  Stewart,  B.  F.  Spilman,  Stephen  Bliss.  Ministej's  absent: 
Theron  Baldwin,  Albert  Hale,  John  Montgomer\%  John  F. 
Brooks.  Elders  present :  Thomas  Gould,  Wabash ;  George 
Hodge,  Golconda  ;  Wilson  Logan,  Palestine.  William  Ham- 
ilton was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Muhlenburg.  Al- 
exander Ewing,  a  licentiate,  was  received  from  the  Presby- 
tery of  New  Castle,  examined  and  ordained  at  an  adjourned 
meeting  at  Greenville,  Bond  county.  May  11,  1833.  Isaac 
Bennet,  licentiate,  of  Addison  Association,  Vermont,  was  re- 
ceived, examined  and  ordained,  April  13,  1833.  John  Mont- 
gomery, minister,  and  George  Hodge,  elder,  were  appointed 
Commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  The  following  curious 
resolutions,  growing  out  of  the  excitement  of  the  time  on 
doctrinal  subjects,  was  passed,  viz  :  "  That  when  any  minister 
comes  to  this  Presbytery  as  a  candidate  for  membership  with 
us,  an  opportunity  be  given  for  a  private  interview  with  such 
minister,  by  any,  or  all  the  members,  present  previously  to  the 
vote  respecting  his  reception."  The  fall  meeting  was  held 
at  Collinsville,  September  13.  Elkhorn  Church,  afterwards 
Nashville,  Belleville,  and  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Edwards  county  were  received.  Roswell  Brooks,  licentiate, 
was  received  from  the  Association  of  the  Western  District  oi 
New  Haven,  and  ordained,  sine  tiUilo,  September  15. 


1 86  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

William  Hamilton,  dismissed  to  Muhlenburg  Presbytery,, 
October  lo,  1834,  returned  to  Kaskaskia  Presbytery  April  9,. 
1852.  His  name  was  dropped  from  the  roll  of  the  Presby- 
tery September  14,  1866,  for  his  pro-slavery  and  rebel  attach- 
ments and  disregard  of  the  Presbytery's  authority. 


Alexander  Ewing  was  born  in  Pennsylvania;  graduated 
at  Princeton  in  1828;  labored  at  Morristown  and  Concord, 
Ohio,  and  at  several  places  in  Illinois,  and  died  August  12,. 
1845,  being  a  member  of  Kaskaskia  Presbytery. 


Isaac  Bennet  was  a  native  of  Bucks  county,  Penn.  He 
graduated  at  Jefferson  College,  Cannonsburg,  Penn.,  in  1827, 
with  the  first  honors.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first  class  in 
the  Western  Theological  Seminary,  and  was  licensed  by  Ad- 
dison Association,  Monkton,  Vt.,  June  4,  1829.  August  3, 
1829,  he  was  commissioned  by  the  "Assembly's  Board  of 
Domestic  Missions"  to  the  churches  of  Carmi  and  Sharon, 
111.  Here  he  labored  for  six  months,  and  then  started  out  on 
a  missionary  tour.  In  1830  he  was  in  Pleasant  Prairie  neigh- 
borhood, Coles  county.  There  he  resided  and  labored,  for 
the  most  part,  for  two  years.  He  built  himself  a  rude  study 
of  poles  in  the  shade  of  a  grove,  within  hail  of  the  house 
where  he  boarded.  There  he  conned  over  his  Bible  and  med- 
itated his  sermons.  Of  his  labors  in  church  building,  the 
reader  is  referred  to  what  is  said  elsewhere  in  the  sketches  of 
Pleasant  Prairie,  Pisgah  and  Wabash  churches.  When  Pisgah 
Church,  in  Lawrence  county,  was  formed,  in  1835,  Mr.  Ben- 
net  was  engaged  to  supply  them.  Here  he  labored  for  six- 
teen years.  July  6,  1836,  he  married  Miss  Caroline  Buck- 
anan,  a  lovely  and  discreet  girl,  daughter  of  Elder  Thomas. 
Buckanan.  This  wife  was  the  mother  of  two  sons.  The 
elder  is  Dr.  Stephen  B.  Bennet,  now  residing  in  Fairview, 
Fulton  county,  111.  The  younger,  Whitfield,  died  in  the 
army  in  the  late  civil  war.  This  wife  died,  March  8,  1844,. 
in  her  twenty-fourth  year.  His  second  marriage  was  with 
Margaret  Ashmore.  Three  children  were  the  fruit  of  this- 
marriage — two  sons  and  one  daughter.  This  lady  was,  two 
years  since,  residing  in  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

In  185 1  he  removed  to  Canton,  111.,  and  was  stated  supply 
of  that  church  at  the  time  of  his  death,  June  16,  1856.      He 


NASHVILLE  CHURCH.  iS/ 

was  supposed  to  be  fifty-two  or  fifty-three  years  of  age.  Mr. 
Bennet's  influence  as  a  gospel  minister  in  Southeastern  IIH- 
nois  was  very  great.  He  labored  much  with  Stephen  Bliss. 
The  two  men,  though  extremely  unlike,  were  true  yoke-fel- 
lows. In  appearance  Mr.  Bennet  was  tall  and  slender.  His 
complexion  was  very  dark.  He  was  of  Turkish  extraction, 
and  in  some  branch  of  his  lineage  was  also  French.  His  eye- 
brows were  black  and  heavy,  and  quite  met  over  his  nose. 
This  gave  him  an  aspect  of  great  sternness.  He  was  a  pow- 
erful preacher. 


Elkhorn,  afterwards  Nashville  Church,  was  organized 
October  3,  1832,  by  Revs.  John  Mathews  and  John  Mont- 
gomery, with  eight  members,  viz  :  Cyrus  Sawyer,  Rebecca 
Sawyer,  James  Sawyer,  Prudence  Sawyer,  Stephen  W.  Balch, 
Sophia  Balch,  Armistead  B.  Balch,  Emeline  Balch.  The  organ- 
ization took  place  in  the  house  of  Cyrus  Sawyer,  father  of  the 
present  James  H.  Sawyer,  of  Nashville.  This  house  was  four 
miles  directly  west  of  Nashville,  and  the  place  was  known  as 
Sawyer's  or  Ratcliff's  Point.  It  was  among  the  head  waters 
of  Elkhorn  creek.  Southwest  of  Nashville,  about  seven  miles 
was  Elkhorn  postoffice.  April  12,  185 1,  the  name  was 
changed  to  "  The  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Nashville." 
The  present,  and  only  house  of  worship  ever  owned  by  the 
church,  was  erected  in  Nashville  the  same  year,  and  at  a  cost 
of  fourteen  hundred  dollars. 

Ministers:  John  Mathews,  occasionally;  Cyrus  Riggs 
began  about  November,  1837;  William  Gardner  commenced 
about  1847 — the  present  Mrs.  James  H.  Sawyer  is  his  daugh- 
ter— John  S.  Howell  began  in  1849;  D.  A.  Wallace  began 
about  1853  and  was  installed  pastor;  Alfred  N.  Denny  in 
1863,  James  Stafford  in  1864,  William  Bridgman  in  1866, 
T.  D.  Davis  in  1868,  John  C.  Wagman  began  April,  1869; 
Ogden  Henderson  installed  pastor  September  25,  1872; 
O.  S.  Thompson  began  November,  1874;  H.  A.  Tucker,  Oc- 
tober 18,  1875,  and  was  with  the  church  one  year  and  four 
months;  W.  C.  McDougall  was  there  in  January,  1878 — 
fourteen  ministers  in  a  history  extending  through  fortj-seven 
years.  Elders:  Cyrus  Sawyer,  Stephen  W.  Balch,  James 
Sawyer.  These  three  were  the  original  elders.  Since  then 
the  following  have  been  appointed,  viz. :  James  Wilson, 
April    12,    1849;  George  L.   Lyon,  July    22,    1849;     Hugh 


1 88  PRE3BYTEKIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Adams,  James  B.  Sawyer,  Ephraim  Hill,  September,  1856; 
A.  A.  Pearson,  September  16,  1865  ;  James  Duncan,  same 
date  ;  James  H.  Sawyer,  February  2,  1868  ;  George  W.  Cone 
and  T.  M.  Scovell,  September,  1872;  G.  S.  Anderson  and  C, 
F.  Hartman,  September,  1875.  The  present  elders  (1878)  are 
James  H.  Sawyer,  George  W.  Cone,  G.  S.  Anderson  and  C. 
F.  Hartman.  The  growth  of  this  church  has  not  been  rapid. 
In  1832  it  had  eight  members;  in  1855,  thirty-eight;  in  1877, 
€ighty-one.  Of  its  fourteen  different  ministers  only  two 
have  been  pastors,  and  its  ministerial  supply  has  had  frequent 
interruptions.  With  the  aid  of  Oak  Grove  Church  it  is  now 
in  a  self-supporti^  condition.  Oak  Grove  is  nearly  south 
from  Nashville  and  seven  miles  distant.  The  two  congrega- 
tions were  formerly  one,  and  now  constitute  properly  but 
one  parish.  Previous  to  the  erection  of  the  present  church 
edifice,  in  185 1,  the  meetings  were  commonly  held  at  the 
private  residences  of  Cyrus  and  James  Sawyer,  though 
sometimes  at  a  school  house. 


Belleville  Church,  the  one  first  formed,  was  organized 
by  Rev.  John  F.  Brooks,  Sabbath,  Jan.  6,  1833,  with  Alfred 
Cowles,  Charlotte  Cowles,  Thomas  Scott,  Jane  E.  Brooks. 
Simon  Van  Arsdall  and  Harriett  C.  Alexander  as  members, 
Alfred  Cowles  and  Thomas  Scott  were  made  Eldeiis.  I 
quote  from  a  letter  of  Rev.  John  F.  Brooks,  who  ministered 
to  this  church  during  its  entire  existence.  "  After  the  organi- 
zation there  were  admitted  to  the  church  Andrew  Spillard, 
Benj.  Van  Arsdall,  Joseph  Green,  Thomas  H.  Kimber,  David 
Swyer,  Louisa  Swyer  and  Sarah  Patterson.  Thomas  Scott 
connected  with  another  denomination  in  another  place. 
Simon  Van  Arsdall  died  July  ii,  1835.  Andrew  Spillard 
removed  to  a  distance,  and  we  lost  signt  of  him.  One  mem- 
ber was  dropped.  When  I  was  about  to  leave  in  the  spring 
of  1837,  about  half  the  remaining  members  were  residing  in 
distant  places,  and  the  other  half  just  about  to  remove. 
These  last  received  letters  of  dismission,  March  26,  1837. 
Letters  were  voted  to  the  remainder,  if  they  desired  them. 
This  was  the  second  Presbyterian  church  in  St.  Clair  county. 
On  the  prairie,  some  miles  east  of  Belleville,  one  had  been 
formed  and  died  before  I  went  into  the  county.  A  man 
named  Jones  (Nathan)  was  prominent  in  it,  and  his  removal 
seemed   to    be  the   closing  up  of  its  affairs.     [  This   church 


BELLEVILLE    CHURCH.  1 89 

was  Turkey  Hill.  Nathan  Jones  removed  to  Canton,  Ful- 
ton county.  He  was  the  father  of  Rev.  Williston  Jones.] 
The  church  of  1833  was  organized  in  a  brick  building,  on 
the  corner  near  Mr.  Cowles'  stone  house.  The  building 
was  sometimes  called  the  Academy.  It  was  one-story,  and 
one  room  with  a  brick  floor,  laid  on  the  ground,  and  conse- 
quently at  times  very  damp.  It  seemed  to  have  no  owners. 
Any  persons  occupied  it  who  desired  to  do  so,  for  religious 
or  other  meetings.  Sometimes  a  school  was  kept  there,  or 
a  traveling  family  encamped  there  for  a  few  days,  and  some- 
times the  pigs.  This  was  our  place  of  worship  for  a  year  or 
more.  Then  I  purchased  a  duelling  with  a  cabinet  shop 
adjoining,  which  last  I  fitted  up  for  a  school-room.  This, 
though  very  small,  served  for  our  place  of  worship.  Occa- 
sionally we  held  meetings  at  the  court  house,  or  in  the  Metho- 
dist church.  I  was  accustomed  to  preach  in  Belleville  about 
once  in  two  weeks.  I  taught  school  regularly  three  or  more 
3^ears  out  of  the  five  I  resided  there.  If  in  1833  I  could 
have  combined  the  experiences  of  the  forty  years  since  with 
the  strength  I  then  had,  1  could  have  done  some  things  bet- 
ter.    No  ifian  ca)i  preacJi   and  teach  too,  and  do  both  wcll."^ 


RoswELL  Brooks  was  born  at  Westmoreland,  N.  Y.,  Aug. 
20,  1805.  Graduated  at  Union  College  1828,  and  at  Yale 
College,  Divinity  School,  1833;  was  licensed  by  the  Asso- 
ciation of  the  Western  District  of  New  Haven  county, 
ordained  Evangelist  by  the  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia,  Sept. 
15*  1833.  Supply  pastor  at  Collinsville,  111.,  1833-4.  Supply 
pastor,  Akron,  O.,  principal  Cuyahoga  Falls  Institute,  1837- 
40.  Teacher  at  Lakeport,  N.  Y.,  1840-41.  Supply  pastor, 
Niagara  and  Pendleton,  N.  Y.,  1841-46.  Supply  pastor  Gos- 
port,  N.  Y.,  1846-47.  Supply  pastor  at  Carlton  and  Kendall, 
N.  Y.,  1848-53.  Principal  of  academy,  Lawrenceville,  Pa., 
where  he  died,  Feb.  2,  1854.  His  daughter,  Mrs.  M.  L. 
Snoddy,  is  in  Lawton,  Mich. 

First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Edwards  County. 

The  following  beautiful  and  lucid  account   of  this  church  is  from  the  pen  of 
Miss  E.  P.  Rice,  Bone-Gap,  Edwards  county,  111. 

The  first  members  were  originally  from  Franklin  county, 
Mass.     They    emigrated  from  thence,   most    of  them    with 


190  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

parents,  in  the  years  from  1816  to  1820,  to  Upshur  county, 
West  Virginia.  The  young  people  were  gathered  into  a 
Presbyterian  church,  formed  of  Eastern  emigrants.  Some  of 
them  inter-married,  and  things  were  moving  on  prosperously, 
when,  in  the  year  1829,  the  title  of  the  land  owner  from  whom 
most  of  them  had  purchased,  was  found  defective,  and  their 
homes  were  sacrificed. 

A  small  band  of  these  persons  came  to  Edwards  county 
in  1830.  They  were  visited  by  Rev.  Stephen  Bliss,  of  Wabash 
county,  in  Jaunary,  1833.  In  May  of  the  same  year  he 
organized  a  church.  The  first  members,  named  in  the  order 
of  their  ages,  wert  the  following:  Mrs.  Margaret  Rice,  Ros- 
well  Knoulton  and  his  wife  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Gould)  Knowl- 
ton,  Cyrus  Rice  and  his  wife,  Martha  (Gould)  Rice,  Joel 
Gould,  Freeman  Gould  and  his  wife,  Dorcas  (Ward)  Gould, 
Miss  Julia  Gould.  It  may  be  observed  here,  that  except  the 
mother  of  Mr.  Rice,  these  persons  were  all  brothers  and  sisters, 
and  their  consorts.  Mr.  Knowlton  was  made  Elder,  an  office 
which  he  had  held  in  the  church  from  which  he  removed. 
Mr.  Bliss  acted  as  pastor  of  the  church,  visiting  it  most  of  th  e 
time  monthly,  and  bringing  with  him  often  on  communion 
occasions,  Rev.  Isaac  Bennet,  and  others.  In  Aug.,  1834,  the 
little  church  met  with  a  great  loss  in  the  death  of  the  ruling 
Elder.  Cyrus  Rice  and  Freeman  Gould  were  chosen  Elders, 
May,  1835.  Others  came  from  West  Virginia,  from  Ohio, 
and  from  other  parts  of  the  country,  and  there  were  a  num- 
ber of  accessions  in  1836.  In  May,  1838,  Mr.  Bliss  announced 
at  the  sacramental  meeting  his  inability  on  account  of  his 
health,  to  continue  his  monthly  visits.  Rev.  Joseph 
Butler,  Carlisle,  Indiana,  was  present,  and  was  solicited 
to  take  charge  of  the  church.  He  consented,  and  came  to 
reside  with  them  July  following,  and  not  long  after  mar- 
ried-the  widow  of  Mr.  Knowlton.  A  Sabbath  school  was 
established  in  1837,  and  some  three  or  four  of  the  young 
people  made  a  profession  of  religion,  but  there  was  no 
general  revival  till  the  winter  of  1839-40,  when  most  of 
the  young  people  were  hopefully  converted,  and  united 
with  the  church  in  the  following  spring.  In  1839, 
several  other  families  came  from  West  Virginia  and  Ohio. 
Some  united  with  the  church,  and  others  that  had  letters 
did  not.  In  February,  1840,  the  change  was  made  from  the 
Presbyterian  to  the  Congregational  form  of  government. 
There  were  some  causes  of  dissatisfaction   among  some  of 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  IN  EDWARDS  CO.  I9I 

the  members,  and  some  of  those  who  held  letters.     One  of 
the  principal  of  these  was  that  the  government  of  the  church 
was  all  in  one  family  relation.     The  session  met  to  consider 
this  point.     It  was  first  thought   it   might   be   remedied    by- 
electing  two  more  ruling  Elders,  but  considering  the  mate- 
rial to  choose  from,  it  was  thought  perhaps  it  might  suit  the 
church    better  to  become   Congregational.     A  meeting  was 
called,  and  a  vote  taken  by  ballot.     The  majority  in  favor  of 
the   change  was  small,  but   it  was  finally  agreed   to   by  all, 
except  Mr.  Freeman  Gould  and   wife,  who  transferred   their 
membership  to  the  Wabash  Church.     At  the  same  time  their 
name  was  changed   from  the  "  Shiloh  Presbyterian  Church  " 
to    that    of    Trinity   Congregational.        They    placed   them- 
selves in  connection  with  Presbytery,  and  continued  to  send 
a  delegate  till  185 1.     In  1844  a  house  of  worship  was  erected, 
and  was  dedicated   April,  1845  ;   Mr.  Bliss  being  with  us  for 
the  last  time,  and  making  the  dedicatory  prayer.     Mr.  Butler 
-continued  in  charge  of  the  church  till  1852.      It  should  have 
been  mentioned  before,  that   at   the   time   of  changing   the 
church  government,  Mr.   Linus  Root   and  Joel   Gould  were 
elected  Deacons,  and   Mr.  Cyrus  Rice,  Clerk  of  the  church. 
Mr.  Root  died  in  1848,  and   Mr.  Alpheus  Rude  was  chosen 
to  fill  the  place.    Mr.  Butler  ceased  his  regular  ministrations 
in  185  I.     From  that  time  he  and  the  Rev.  H.  Patrick,  Rev. 
William  Holmes   (author  of  Pictorial  Emblems)  and  others, 
preached  from  time  to  time.      In  1856,  the  church  employed 
a  Congregational  minister,  Rev.  T.  N.   Holmes,  of  Waverly, 
111.,  who  continued  a  successful  pastorate  of  nine  years.     In 
1865  our  worthy  Deacon,  Joel    Gould,  his  family  and  others 
removed  to  Minnesota,  and  Elijah  Phillips  was  elected  in  his 
place.     Mr.  Holmes  soon  after  removed  to  Clay,  Iowa.     The 
church  soon  after  employed  Alfred  Connet,  a  Congregational 
minister,  from  Saulsbury,  Ind.     In  1868-9   nearly  the  whole 
church,   including  the    two  Deacons,    removed  to    Kansas. 
What  there  was  of  financial   ability  and  effectiveness  in  the 
church   they  carried  with  them.     They   formed  themselves 
into  a   Congregational   Church,   assuming    the  name   of  the 
parent  "  Trinity,"  at  Diamond  Springs,  Morris  county,  Kan- 
sas.    They  were  strengthened  by  the  addition  of  some  Pres- 
byterians from   Christian  county.  III.     They    have  enjoyed 
the   refreshing   of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and   the  church,  though 
not  large,  is  united  and  prosperous.     The  aged  Clerk  of  the 
church,  his  wife  and  ten  members  alone  remained  in  Edwards 


192  PRESBYTEKIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

county.  Rev.  P.  W.  Wallace'  of  Wabash  county,  111.,  visited 
us  from  time  to  time,  and  while  our  house  of  worship 
remained,  we  had  services  as  often  as  monthly,  and  in  the 
summer  time  usually  every  Sabbath.  In  November,  1876,, 
in  consequence,  probably,  of  the  pillars  with  which  the  first 
builders  had  strengthened  the  roof,  having  been  removed 
when  the  church  was  repaired  in  1863,  the  roof  fell  in,  and 
our  house  of  worship  was  a  wreck.  One  of  our  remaining^ 
members  has  died,  one  has  united  with  another  church,  and 
the  rest  of  us  sit  by  the  willows,  as  to  church  membership,, 
and  when  the  bell  of  our  Methodist  brethren  calls,  we  go 
with  them  to  sing>the  Lord's  song.  Such  is  the  brief  his- 
tory of  the  Edwards  county  Trinity  Church.  It  was  never 
large.  The  membership,  perhaps,  at  no  one  time  exceeded 
fifty.  But  the  children  of  the  congregation  and  Sabbath 
school  were  steadily  gathered  in.  Almost  without  excep- 
tion, they  became  followers  of  Christ.  And  wherever  they 
have  gone  they  have  lifted  their  colors  and  worked  quietly, 
we  think  effectively,  in  the  church  and  Sabbath  school. 

Though  this  locality  has  never  been  considered  very 
healthy,  that  being  the  principal  cause  of  the  emigration, 
yet  tne  first  members,  except  Mr.  Knowlton,  all  lived  to  old 
age.  The  next  called  away  was  Mrs.  Margaret  Rice,  who 
died  June,  1855,  in  her  eightieth  year.  Mrs.  (Knowlton) 
Butler,  died  November,  1872,  aged  sixty-eight,  one  month 
only  after  her  husband,  Mr.  Butler,  in  Pawselim,  Minnesota. 
Mr.  Freeman  Gould  died  Feb.,  1873,  aged  sixty-four.  The 
other  five  yet  remain,  Mr.  Cyrus  Rice,  in  his  eighty-sec- 
ond year,  and  his  wife  in  her  seventy-sixth.  Mr.  Joel  Gould,, 
of  Onatonud,  Minn.,  Mrs.  Dorcas  Gould  (now  blind)  and  Mrs. 
Julia  (Gould)  Curtis,  of  our  vicinity,  all  three  past  seventy.. 
Passing  away  is  written  of  the  church  here,  and  our  name  on. 
earth  will  soon  be  known  only  in  legends  of  the  past. 


Sangamon  Presbytery  met  at  Springfield,  April  12,  1833. 
Ministers  present:  John  G  Bergen,  T.  A.  Spilman,  C.  W. 
Babbitt,  Lucian  Farnam,  Romulus  Barnes.  Elder:  Elijah 
Slater,  Springfield.  Ministers  absent:  Aratus  Kent,  John 
McDonald.  John  McDonald  was  dismissed  to  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Chillicothe. 

Lemuel  Foster,  licentiate,  was  received  from  the  North 
Association  of  Hartford  county,  Ct.     The  fall  meeting  was 


LEMUEL    FOSTER.  1 93 

held  with  Sangamon  Church,  September  i6.  Flavel  Bas- 
com,  Hcentiate,  was  received  from  the  Association  of  the 
Eastern  District  of  New  Haven  county,  Ct.  I\Ir.  Babbitt  re- 
ported a  church  organized  by  himself  in  Cook  county, 
August  i8,  1833,  called  "Union"  Church,  with  twelve  mem- 
bers. Tuesday,  September  17,  Lemuel  Foster  and  Flavel 
Bascom  were  ordained. 


Lemuel  Foster  was  born  in  Hartland,  Hartford  county, 
Ct.,  November  24,  1799.  He  united  with  the  church  in  his  na- 
tive place  when  fourteen  years  of  age.  He  graduated  at  Yale 
College  in  1 828,  and  studied  theology  at  Yale  College  Divinity 
School.  He  was  licensed  by  Hartford  North  Association.  He 
and  his  wife  started  West  in  his  own  buggy  from  the  vicinity 
of  Hartford,  Ct.,  September  5,  1832.  He  was  under  commis- 
sion from  the  A.  H.  M.  Society.  On  the  way  he  preached 
on  the  Sabbath  wherever  he  chanced  to  be,  and  reached 
Springfield,  111.,  October  lOth.  They  went  directly  to  Jack- 
sonville, from  whence,  leaving  his  wife  with  friends,  he  went 
to  the  meeting  of  Synod  at  Vandalia,  and  was  assigned  to 
North  Sangamon  Church.  Thither  he  proceeded  at  once. 
He  was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  in  Sep- 
tember, 1833.  After  a  year's  labor  at  North  Sangamon  he 
went  to  Bloomington.  He  there  organized  a  Presbyterian 
church  of  eight  members,  which  became,  at  the  division. 
New  School,  and  is  now  a  large,  influential  church.  Mrs. 
Foster  here  commenced  a  school,  in  a  large  log  school-house, 
which  was  soon  filled  to  overflowing.  Mr.  Foster  then 
erected,  mostly  at  his  own  cost,  a  two-story  building.  The 
upper  story  was  arched  and  filled  with  seats  for  church  pur- 
poses. Here  he,  his  wife,  and  his  wife's  sister  taught  for  five 
years — Mr.  F.  having  also  the  charge  of  the  church  for  three 
of  those  years.  In  the  time  he  organized  the  Presbyterian 
church  in  Waynesville. 

At  the  close  of  1838  Mrs.  F.  had  a  long  season  of  sick- 
ness, and  they  were  obliged  to  seek  change  and  rest.  Rent- 
ing their  house  and  academy,  they  went  to  Jacksonville. 
While  they  were  there,  a  person  came  from  Bethel  seeking  a 
minister  for  that  church  and  for  teachers  for  their  school.  ]\Ir. 
F.  and  his  wife  were  persuaded  to  go,  and  there  they  remained 
for  seven  years.  In  the  time  that  church  was  favored  with 
three  revivals.     He  united  with  Alton  Presbytery,  October 

12 


194  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS, 

14,  1841.  In  1845  he  went  to  Upper  Alton,  September  22, 
185  I,  he  was  dismissed  from  Alton  Presbytery,  and  granted 
a  general  letter.  He  used  it  to  connect  with  a  Congregational 
Association.  In  that  church  he  has  since  remained,  and  has 
labored  at  Atlanta,  Onarga  and  Blue  Island,  III.  He  was 
three  times  a  Commissioner  to  the  Assemby,  and  was  there 
— as  everywhere  else — a  most  decided  and  out-spoken  Aboli- 
tionist. He  has  ever  been  a  God-fearing  man — not  failing  to 
exemplify  by  word  and  practice  all  the  boldness  of  his  the- 
oretical opinions.  In  1 870  he  was  employed  upon  a  fort- 
nightly paper  called  "The  Christian  Cynosure,"  published  in 
Chicago,  at  85  La  Salle  street — a  paper  opposed  to  secret 
societies.  Died  at  Washington  Heights,  111.,  April  I,  1872. 
He  never  had  children. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois  convened  at  Jacksonville,  Septem- 
ber 19,  1833.  There  were  present  twenty-four  ministers  and 
fifteen  elders. 

The  appeal  of  William  J.  Fraser  from  the  sentence  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Illinois,  suspending  him  from  the  ministry, 
was  sustained,  and  the  sentence  removed.  The  other  ap- 
peals from  the  action  of  the  same  Presbytery  were  with- 
drawn. The  Presbytery  of  Schuyler  was  established,  in- 
cluding all  the  territory  north  and  west  of  the  Illinois  river. 
Also  the  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  embracing  the  territory 
north  of  White  county  and  between  the  Wabash  and  the 
Little  Wabash  rivers.  The  Synod  reported  to  the  Assembly 
that  they  consisted  of  thirty-three  ministers  and  forty-three 
churches. 

YEAR  1834. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  Jacksonville,  March 
20,  1834.  The  attendance  was  small.  Thomas  Lippincott 
was  chosen  Stated  Clerk.  String  Prairie  and  South  Green 
churches  were  reported.  Alexander  H.  Burritt  was  present 
as  an  elder  from  the  latter.  John  M.  Ellis,  minister,  and 
David  B.  Ayres,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the 
Assembly.  Robert  Stewart  was  ordained  si7ie  titiilo,  and  dis- 
missed to  the  Presbytery  of  Schuyler.  The  Presbytery  re- 
ported to  the  Assembly  eleven  members  and  nine  congrega- 
tions.    The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Carrollton,  commencing 


STRING    PRAIRIE    CHURCH.  I95 

September  25.  Gideon  Blackburn,  D.D.,  was  received  from 
the  Presbytery  of  West  Lexington;  Samuel  E.  Blackburn 
from  that  of  Louisville,  and  Theron  Baldwin  from  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Kaskaskia.  -The  churches  of  Spring  Cove  and 
Carlinville  were  received.  William  J.  Fraser  requested  dis- 
mission to  the  Presbytery  of  Schuyler.  This  request,  to- 
gether with  long  papers  connected  with  the  case,  were  re- 
ferred to  the  Synod  for  advice  and  decision. 


String  Prairie  Church,  Greene  county,  was  organized  by 
John  Bricli  and  T.  Lippincott,  October  20,  1833,  with  nine 
members — Morris  Lee,  elder.  J.  H.  Van  Arsdall  was  made 
■elder  in  1845.  Ministers:  For  fourteen  years  it  had  occa- 
sional preaching  from  T.  Lippincott,  Amos  P.  Brown  and 
Hugh  Barr.  It  was  transferred  to  Alton  Presbytery,  Octo- 
ber 2,  1847.  The  next  succeeding  winter  it  was  supplied  by 
J.  T.  King.  He  was  succeeded  by  James  R.  Dunn,  one  half 
the  time,  for  four  years;  J.  R.  Armstrong,  seven  and  a  half 
years;  Morgan  L.  Wood,  one  year;  E.  W.  Taylor,  one  and 
a  half  years;  D.  J.  McMillan,  pastor,  two  years  and  nine 
months;  J.  Scott  Davis,  one  year;  H.  G.  Pollock,  one  year; 
James  Brownlee,  one  year,  and  up  to  October,  1878  ;  next,  J. 
R.  Armstrong,  the  second  time.  He  still  officiates.  Eld- 
ers— besides  those  named  above :  William  H.  Randolph, 
James  Vallentine,  Robert  A.  Hardin,  David  W.  Campbell, 
John  C.  Burruss.  Mr.  Randolph  and  Mr.  Hardin  are  dead ; 
James  Vallentine  resigned;  J.  C.  Burruss  removed  to  Car- 
rollton ;  J.  Van  Arsdale  gone  to  Rockbridge  Church.  D.  W. 
Cambell  is  the  only  acting  elder  now  on  the  ground.  The 
parsonage  property  consists  of  five  acres  of  ground,  with  a 
good,  well-arranged  two-story  building.  The  house  and  out- 
buildings were  erected  in  1866  at  a  cost  of  about  three  thou- 
sand dollars.  It  is  half  a  mile  from  the  church,  and  is  free  of 
.  debt.  A  house  of  worship  was  erected  in  1848  and  dedicated 
November  19.  It  is  thirty-two  by  twenty-four  feet,  and  cost 
four  hundred  dollars.  The  building  is  in  T.  10,  R.  11,  Sec. 
24,  Greene  county.  The  name  of  the  church  was  changed  by 
Presbytery,  September,  1862,  to  Walnut  Grove. 


.     South  Greene,  now  Jerseyville  Church,  was  organized  by 
Revs.  Thos.  Lippincott  and  Elisha  Jenney  in  the  house  of  N. 


196  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

L.  Adams,  near  Hickory  Grove,  February  15,  1834,  with 
eighteen  members.  Alexander  H.  Burritt,  James  Lumsden 
and  M.  N.  Bossworth,  elders.  The  record  of  the  names  of 
the  original  members  was  not  preserved.  But  so  far  as  it 
can  now  be  recovered  it  was  as  follows  :  James  Lumsden,. 
Reuben  Page,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Page,  Joseph  Gerrish,  Eliza- 
beth Gerrish,  Mrs.  Miriam  Turner,  Dr.  Alexander  H.  Burritt,. 
Mrs.  Nancy  Burritt,  M.  N.  Bosworth,  Mrs.  M.  N.  Bosworth, 
John  Anderson,  Mrs.  Jane  Anderson,  Miss  Matilda  McGill, 
Mrs.  Sophronia  Adams.  Elders,  besides  the  three  first,  as  fol- 
lows :  Philander  Fobes,  McBane  Anderson,  Thomas  McGill, 
James  Potts,  Alfr^ed  Harriott,  R.  H.  Van  Dyke,  Arad  Brown,, 
Isaac  Harbert,  William  P.  Pitman,  A.  M.  Blackburn,  David  E. 
Beatty,  William  B.  Nevins,  George  E.  Warren,  William  C. 
Stryker,  John  C.  Winsor  and  Leonard  M.  Cutting.  The  six 
last  named  are  the  present  Session,  Of  the  thirteen  first 
named  all  are  dead,  save  Isaac  Harbert,  who  has  removed.. 
The  Ministers  have  been  Amos  P.  Brown,  Joseph  Fowler,. 
Luke  Lyons,  George  C.  Wood,  Lemuel  Grosvenor,  Joseph 
S.  Edwards,  Charles  H.  Foote,  William  W.  Williams,  George 
I.  King  and  James  W.  Stark.  Of  all  these,  only  Foote,  Will- 
iams and  Stark  are  now  living.  Mr.  Brown  labored  three 
years,  from  October,  1835,  to  August,  1838.  Mr.  Fowler, 
for  two  years,  from  September,  1838,  to  September,  1840. 
Luke  Lyons  commenced  his  labors  in  1840,  was  installed! 
December  26,  1843,  and  remained  pastor  until  his  death, 
January  II,  1845.  The  church  edifice  was  dedicated  Octo- 
ber 14,  1 841.  It  was  forty-eight  by  forty  feet,  and  cost 
two  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Lyons'  ministry  was  very  suc- 
cessful. An  accession  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-four  was 
made  to  the  membership,  and  the  congregation  was  in  all  re- 
spects prosperous.  George  C.  Wood  took  the  charge,  March 
I,  1846,  and  remained  till  April  20,  1850.  Eighty-six  were 
added  to  the  membership  in  those  four  years.  A  parsonage 
was  purchased  in  the  east  part  of  the  town.  Lemuel  Gros-  . 
venor  commenced  October  20,  1850,  and  remained  four  years 
and  nine  months.  In  his  time  the  first  parsonage  was  sold,. 
and  the  ground  occupied  by  the  present  parsonage  and  the 
lot  and  building  next  north  were  bought.  In  the  same  period 
the  church  building  was  enlarged,  a  bell-tower  erected  and 
furnished  with  a  bell.  Seventy-six  were  added  to  the  mem- 
bership. Joseph  S.  Edwards  labored  from  December,  1855,. 
to    December,    1858,    a    pastorate    successful    and   eventful. 


FIRST  CHURCH,  JERSEYVILLE.  I97 

Party  spirit  ran  high.     A  portion  of  the  congregation   with- 
drew and  organized   the   Second    Presbyterian   Church.     In 
the  autumn  of  1856  the  present  parsonage  was  erected  at  a  cost 
of  twenty-four  hundred  and  eleven  dollars.   Charles  H.  Foote 
commenced  Dec.  i,  1858,  as  supply  pastor,  and  was  called  to 
be  pastor  August  27,  1859.    He  held  that  position  until  Febru- 
ary 17,  1867.    This  pastorate  was  the  longest  enjoyed  by  the 
church,  and  was  throughout  harmonious.     This  was   all  the 
more  creditable  to  him  and  the  congregation,  because  it  ex- 
tended through  the  time  of  the  terrible  civil  war.     During  his 
ministry    ninety-one  were   added   to   the    church.     William 
White  Williams  labored  here  for   three   years,    commencing 
May  14,  1867.     George  I.  King,  D.  D.,  was  called  to  be  pas- 
fore  January  4,  1868,  and  continued  until  his  much  lamented 
death,  March  14,  1873.    He  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary 
intellectual   powers,  and   with  a  superior  degree  of  culture. 
Memorial  year  occurred  during  Dr.  King's  pastorate  here,  in 
which    this  congregation,   under  his   lead,  raised  ^2,093.50. 
The  study,  built  mostly  at  his  and  Mrs.  D'Arcey's  expense  and 
wholly  under  his  direction,  was  added   to  the  beautiful  and 
■commodious  parsonage.     This  study  cost  six   hundred  dol- 
lars.    Dr.  John  W.  Bailey   supplied   the   church   during  the 
summer  months  of  1873.     James  W.  Stark  commenced  his 
labors,  November  9,  1873,   and  still   continues.     The  whole 
number  in  communion  in  this  church,  up  to   1879,  has  been 
between  eight  and  nine  hundred.     The  benevolent  contribu- 
tions of  the   congregation  have  always  been  commendable, 
and  some  years  large.     For  several  years  two   of  its  mem- 
bers— A.   M.   Blackburn   and  Samuel   L.    McGill — paid,  be- 
tween them,  five  hundred  dollars  annually  to   the   cause  of 
Home  Missions.     Mr.  McGill  left  that  Board  a  legacy  of  four 
thousand  dollars. 


Robert  Stewart. 

Tlie  sketch  of  this  beloved  brother  will  be  given  pretty  much  as  he  furnished  i 
himself,  in  August,  1870. 

I  was  born  in  Mason  county,  Ky.,  not  far  from  Washing- 
ton, the  county  seat,  and  a  few  miles  from  Maysville,  May  3, 
1798.  My  father,  a  genuine  Scotch-Irishman,  soon  got  sick 
of  slavery,  pulled  up  stakes,  crossed  the  river  and  settled 
n  ear  it,  within  what  was  then  Adams,  but  is  now  Brown 
county.     I  was  then  but  two  or  three  years  of  age.     At  that 


198  ?M'>)BYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

time  the  wild  Indian  still  troubled  the  settlers.  Young  as  T 
was,  I  soon  began  to  notice  the  toil  of  clearing  away  the 
unbroken  forests  of  that  region.  There  was  true  log-cabin 
life.  My  parents,  being  Presbyterians,  united  with  the  famous 
Red  Oak  Church.  Of  this  church  Dr.  E.  H.  Gillett  says: 
"The  church  of  Red  Oak  is  one  of  the  oldest,  if  not  the 
very  oldest  Presbyterian  church  in  Ohio.  It  was  the  scene 
of  the  first  public  development  of  New-Lightism  and  of 
Shakerism  in  the  West.  Soon  after  John  Dunlavy  began  to 
preach  as  a  licentiate — he  settled  with  a  small  company  of 
Presbyterians  at  Red  Oak,  but  soon  became  openly  Unita- 
rian. When  detected  and  exposed,  he  established  a  Shaker 
community  in  the  neighborhood,  but  afterward  removed  to 
near  Lebanon.  He  was  succeeded  by  John  E.  Finley,  who- 
got  into  difficulty,  was  suspended  from  the  ministry,  and 
died  here.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  James  Gilliland." 
Upon  that  church  we,  as  a  family,  regularly  attended,  though, 
it  was  six  miles  from  our  house.  Thus  from  my  childhood 
I  was  favored  with  the  teachings  of  Rev.  James  Gilliland, 
who  was  one  of  the  ablest  divines  of  the  day.  He  was  a 
very  successful  pastor,  and  always  a  most  uncompromising 
enemy  of  slavery.  Under  his  ministry  I  professed  religion 
at  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  remained  a  member  of  his 
church  until  I  removed  to  Illinois,  in  1826,  with  my  wife 
and  four  little  ones.  We  came,  as  most  did,  with  the  view 
of  growing  with  the  growth  of  this  new  country.  But  in  a 
few  weeks  God  removed  my  companion  and  turned  me  to 
the  right  about.  Then,  when  there  were  but  three  Presby- 
terian ministers  in  the  State — Bliss,  Ellis  and  B.  F.  Spilman — 
the  work  of  the  ministry  rushed  upon  my  mind.  The  obsta- 
cles seemed  almost  insurmountable.  To  acquire  an  educa- 
tion where  there  were  no  schools,  and  with  a  family  on  my 
hands  to  care  for,  was  a  big  undertaking.  But  I  undertook 
it,  and  accomplished  it,  through  Christ  who  strengthened 
me.  I  studied  three  years  under  private  instruction  and 
alone,  as  best  I  could,  until  Illinois  College  opened.  Then 
I  entered  that  institution  and  studied  there  two  years.  I  then 
studied  theology  one  year  under  Rev.  Albert  Hale  at  Bethel. 
The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  licensed  me  in  the  spring  of  1833,, 
and  ordained  me  April  i,  1834.  During  the  period  I  was 
a  licentiate  I  labored  for  the  American  Tract  Society  as  their 
agent  in  this  State.  In  the  spring  of  1834  I  became  supply^ 
of  the   church  in  Canton,  Fulton   county.  111.,  and  remained 


GIDEON    BLACKBURN,  D.  D.  I99 

there  until  the  fall  of  1841,  United  with  Alton  Presbytery 
October  14,  1842.  About  that  time  I  took  the  regular 
charge  of  Greenville  church,  which  indeed  I  had  already 
been  supplying,  to  some  extent,  for  several  months.  Here  I 
remained  until,  in  1850,  I  was  called  into  the  service  of  the 
Presbytery  as  their  missionary.  In  that  work  I  continued 
until  1856.  Then  I  labored  for  Illinois  College  two  years — 
then  for  Ducoign  Female  Seminary  one  year.  During  the 
war  I  supplied  the  church  in  Cairo  for  two  and  a  half  years. 
Since  January  i,  1868,  I  have  steadily  supplied  the  church 
in  Troy,  Madison  county.  In  the  review  I  can  say  that, 
through  God's  grace,  my  highest  expectations  have  been  far 
more  than  realized  in  winning  souls  to  the  blessed  Redeemer. 
Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul. 

Mr.  Stewart  was  regularly  installed  as  pastor  of  the  Troy 
Church.  That  relation  continued  until  a  iew  months  since, 
when  it  was  dissolved  at  his  own  request.  He  still  continues, 
however,  though  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years,  to  act  effi- 
ciently and  successfully  as  their  supply  pastor. 

Mr.  Stewart  has  been  four  times  married.  His  last  wife, 
an  educated  New  England  lady,  is  still  living,  and  proving 
herself  an  efficient  helpmeet. 


Gideon  Blackburn,  D.  D.,  was  born  in  Augusta  county, 
Va.,  on  the  27th  of  August,  1772.  His  father  was  Robert 
Blackburn,  and  the  family  name  of  his  mother  was  Richie, 
often  spelled  Richey.  They  were  of  Scotch-Irish  extrac- 
tion, and  were  devout  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
though  in  very  humble  worldly  circumstances.  He  lived 
most  of  the  time  with  his  grandfather,  General  Blackburn, 
until  he  was  about  twelve  years  old  ;  and,  after  his  grand- 
father's death,  his  maternal  uncle,  Gideon  Richie — a  pious 
young  man  without  family — observing  he  was  a  youth  of 
much  more  than  ordinary  promise,  undertook  to  educate  him 
at  his  own  expense.  He  became  hopefully  the  subject  af 
renewing  grace  at  the  age  of  about  fifteen.  In  the  current 
of  Westward  emigration,  both  his  parents  and  his  uncle, 
shortly  after  this,  got  as  far  as  Washington  county,  Tennes- 
see, then  within  the  bounds  of  North  Carolina.  Here  his 
uncle  placed  him  under  the  care  and  instruction  of  the  ven- 
erable Samuel  Doak,  D.  D.,  the  Founder  and  Principal  of 
Martin  Academy,  which  was    only  about  a  mile  from  the 


200  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

place  where  the  Blackburns  settled.  At  this  school  he  pur- 
sued the  greater  part  of  his  literary  course.  But  when  his 
uncle  removed  some  seventy  miles  further  West,  into  Jeffer- 
son county,  Tenn.,  he  accompanied  him ;  and  there  they 
both  found  a  home  in  the  house  of  his  father's  brother,  John 
Blackburn,  a  man  of  rare  excellence.  There  he  completed 
his  literary  course,  and  also  pursued  his  theological  studies, 
under  the  instruction  of  the  Rev.  (afterwards  Dr.)  Robert 
Henderson,  who  then  resided  five  miles  distant,  near  the 
town  of  Dandridge.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Abingdon,  in  the  year  1792,  and  ordained  by  the 
same  Presbytery  ia-Sept.,  1794.  It  is  worthy  of  remark  that 
his  uncle,  to  whom  he  was  indebted  for  his  education,  instead 
of  being  in  affluent  circumstances,  was  dependent  for  his 
own  living  upon  his  daily  labor. 

The  scattered  population  of  that  region  was,  at  that  time, 
constantly  liable  to  Indian  depredations.  A  company  of  sol- 
diers was  about  to  march  from  the  neighborhood  in  which  he 
lived,  to  protect  a  fort  on  the  spot  on  which  Maryville  was 
subsequently  built.  Mr.  Blackburn  being  doubly  armed — 
having  on  one  hand  his  Bible  and  Hymn  book,  and  on  the 
other  his  hunting  shirt,  rifle,  shot-pouch,  and  knapsack — 
joined  this  company,  and  marched  with  them  to  the  fort ; 
and  there  he  commenced  his  labors  as  a  minister  of  the  Gos- 
pel. Within  sight  of  the  fort,  he  built  a  house  for  his  own 
dwelling.  Shortly  after  was  erected  a  large  log  building 
that  served  as  a  church.  He  soon  took  charge  of  the  New 
Providence  Church,  Maryville,  and  another  church  called 
Eusebia,  about  ten  miles  distant.  Besides  his  stated  labors 
in  these  congregations,  he  preached  much  in  the  region 
round  about,  and  organized  several  new  churches.  During 
the  early  part  of  his  ministry  here,  his  situation  was  one  of 
imminent  peril.  So  long  as  the  Cherokees  remained  hostile, 
no  work  could  be  done  except  by  companies — some  being 
obliged  to  stand  as  sentinels,  while  others  would  work,  with 
their  loaded  guns  so  near  that  they  could  seize  them  in  a 
moment.  As  there  were  many  forts  in  the  region,  the  young 
preacher  would  pass,  under  an  escort,  from  fort  to  fort,  and 
within  a  moderate  period  would  preach  in  them  all.  He 
very  soon  became  a  general  favorite,  and  his  preaching  com- 
manded universal  attention.  When  the  people  were  out  of 
their  forts,  the  place  of  preaching  was  generally  a  shady 
grove ;  the  immediate  position  of  the  preacher  was  beneath 


GIDEON  BLACKBURN,   D.  D.  201 

some  wide-spread  oak  ;  and  he  usually  stood  with  his  gun  at 
his  side,  and  all  the  men,  including  also  boys  who  were  old 
enough  to  use  a  rifle,  stood  around  him,  each  with  gun  in 
hand.  He  was  compelled  at  this  period  to  perform  not  a 
httle  labor  with  his  own  hands ;  and  his  preparation  for 
preaching  was  made  either  while  he  was  actually  thus 
engaged,  or  in  brief  intervals  of  leisure  which  he  was  able 
to  command.  He  kept  himself  not  only  on  familiar  terms, 
but  in  exceedingly  kind  relations,  with  all  his  people,  and 
exerted  a  powerful  and  most  benign  influence  in  forming 
their  characters. 

Mr.  Blackburn  was  an  active  participant  in  the  scenes  of 
the  great  revival  which  took  place  at  the  South  and  West 
during  the  early  part  of  this  century.  I  have  in  my  posses- 
sion a  letter  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Green  of  Philadelphia,  written 
in  1804,  in  which  he  not  only  expresses  the  utmost  confi- 
dence in  the  genuineness  of  the  revival,  but  says  of  the 
"bodily  exercise,"  or  "jerks,"  as  it  was  sometimes  called — 
"  I  have  not  only  heard  of  it,  and  seen  it  but  have  felt  it. 
and  am  persuaded  that  it  is  only  to  be  effected  by  the  imme- 
ediate  finger  of  God." 

Not  long  after  Mr.  Blackburn's  settlement  at  Maryville, 
his  attention  was  earnestly  drawn  to  the  condition  of  the 
neighboring  Indians,  and  he  soon  commenced  a  vigorous, 
and,  so  far  as  possible,  systematic,  course  of  effort  to  evan- 
gelize them. 

In  1803,  he  was  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  from  the  Union  Presbytery,  and  was 
appointed  the  same  year  to  act  during  a  part  of  the  time,  as 
a  missionary  among  the  Cherokees.  As  early  as  1806,  he 
had  two  flourishing  schools  in  the  nation,  the  second  of 
which  was  established  in  August  of  that  year,  commencing 
with  thirty  scholars.  His  health  about  this  time  was  much 
impaired  and  he  was  induced  to  go  to  Georgia  to  seek  medi- 
cal aid  ;  and  while  under  the  care  of  a  physician — not  being 
closely  confined,  he  availed  himself  of  the  opportunity  thus 
furnished,  to  do  something  toward  his  favorite  object  of 
evangelizing  the  Indians.  In  1807,  he  made  a  tour  through 
the  Northern  States,  to  collect  funds  in  aid  of  his  missionary 
operations,  and,  after  an  absence  of  seven  months,  returned 
with  $5,250,  which  had  been  contributed  for  that  purpose, 
besides  a  large  quantity  of  books  and  clothing.  The  next 
year,  (1808)  he  made  a  tour  of  six  weeks  through  the  Chero- 


202  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

kee  nation,  and  was  much  encouraged  by  the  visible  marks; 
of  progress  among  them,  though  he  was  prevented,  by  want 
of  the  necessary  means,  from  attempting  the  estabhshment  of 
any  new  schools.  In  the  latter  part  of  1809,  he  made  another 
similar  tour  among  the  Cherokees,  which  occupied  him 
twelve  weeks.  Among  other  services  which  he  performed 
on  this  tour  was  an  examination  of  a  wagon  road,  which 
the  Indians,  without  the  assistance  of  a  white  man,  had  built 
through  a  part  of  their  conntry,  crossing  two  considerable 
mountains.  This  he  regarded  as  an  evidence  of  civiliza- 
tion altogether  unprecedented  in  the  history  of  the  tribe. 

Though  Mr.  Blackburn  had  lost  nothing  of  his  inter- 
est in  the  Indian  mission,  and  would  gladly  have  con- 
tinued in  it  if  the  requisite  means  had  been  provided, 
yet,  in  view  of  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case — par- 
ticularly of  his  own  pecuniary  embarrassments,  which 
had  been  occasioned  chiefly  by  his  personal  sacrifices 
for  the  mission,  he  felt  constrained  to  retire  from  the 
field.  Accordingly,  having  disposed  of  as  much  of  his 
property  as  he  could,  he  removed  in  the  autumn  of  18 10  to 
Maury  county,  Middle  Tennessee,  but  remained  there  but  a 
few  months.  In  the  spring  of  the  next  year  he  removed 
again  and  settled  at  Franklin,  the  capitol  of  William- 
son county,  eighteen  miles  south  of  Nashville.  Here 
he  took  charge  of  Harpeth  Academy,  situated  one 
mile  east  of  the  town,  for  the  support  of  his  family,  while  he 
preached  in  rotation  at  five  different  places,  within  a  range  of 
fifty  miles.  Though  he  found  the  religious  state  of  things 
very  discouraging,  a  favorable  change  seems  very  soon  to 
have  occurred  ;  for  within  a  few  months  after  he  commenced 
his  labors,  he  had  organized  churches  at  the  several  places 
at  which  he  preached,  and  at  the  first  communion  there  were 
present  three  thousand  persons,  and  forty-five  new  members 
were  added  to  the  church.  After  his  removal  to  Franklin, 
his  health  was  greatly  improved — chiefly,  as  he  supposed, 
on  account  of  his  being  relieved  from  the  many  toils  and  ex- 
posures incident  to  his  missionary  excursions. 

He  was  honored  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity 
from  Greenville  College,  Tennessee,  in  181 8. 

He  remained  at  Franklin  about  a  dozen  years,  during 
which  time,  in  addition  to  his  other  duties,  he  superintended 
the  studies  of  several  young  men  in  preparation  for  the  min- 
istry.     In  May,  1823,   he  visited,  by  request,  the  Presbyte- 


GIDEON  BLACKBURN,  D.  D.  2O3 

rian  congregation  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  preached  several 
Sabbaths  with  great  acceptance,  the  result  of  which  was 
that,  on  the  9th  of  June  following,  the  church  unanimously 
called  him  to  be  their  pastor.  He  accepted  the  call,  and 
having  arranged  his  affairs  in  Tennessee,  returned  to  Louis- 
ville, where  he  entered  upon  his  duties  on  the  12th  of"  No- 
vember. His  labors  here  are  said  to  have  been  greatly 
blessed  to  the  edification  and  increase  of  the  church. 

For  the  following  incident  which  occurred,  as  I  suppose, 
in  connection  with  his  ministry  at  Louisville,  I  am  indebted 
to  Curran  Pope,  Esq. :  "  There  is  or  was  in  this  vicinity  a 
church     called    '  Beulah,'    erected    and    donated   by   a    Mr. 

H ,  the  deed  to  which  was  drawn  by  Dr.  Blackburn,  and 

the  gift  was  made  through  his  influence.  Mr.  H.  had  been 
an  extensive  negro  trader  to  the  South,  and  had  accumulated 
a  large  estate.  He  was  converted  by  the  preaching  of  Dr. 
Blackburn,  and  in  his  last  moments  Dr.  B.  was  with  him,  and 
wrote  his  will,  by  which  he  emancipated  all  his  negroes,  and 
provided  for  their  support  and  removal  to  Africa,  and  con- 
veyed his  real  estate  for  benevolent  objects.  The  probate 
of  this  will  was  resisted  by  the  heirs  next  of  kin — he  being 
unmarried — and  the  will  was  set  aside  by  the  Court  of  Ap- 
peals, on  account  of  the  controlling  influence  exercised  over 
the  testator  by  Dr.  Blackburn." 

In  October,  1827,  he  accepted  the  Presidency  of  Center 
College,  Danville,  Ky.  Here  he  remained,  performing,  be- 
sides the  duties  of  President,  a  great  amount  of  ministerial 
labor,  till  1830,  when  his  connection  with  the  college  ceased. 
He  then  removed  to  Versailles,  Ky.,  where  he  was  occupied, 
partly  in  ministering  to  the  church  in  that  place,  and  partly 
as  an  agent  of  the  Kentucky  State  Temperance  Society. 

In  October,  1833,  Dr.  Blackburn  removed  to  Illinois,  and 
never  afterwards  had  a  stated  charge.  In  1835  he  was  em- 
ployed by  the  Trustees  of  Illinois  College  to  raise  funds  for 
that  institution  in  the  Eastern  States.  While  thus  engaged, 
he  conceived  the  idea  of  establishing  a  Theological  Semin- 
ary in  Illinois.  The  plan  which  he  proposed  was  this — that 
individuals  should  advance  money  at  the  rate  of  two  dollars 
per  acre  for  Government  lands  in  Illinois,  for  which  he  would 
have  to  pay  but  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  per  acre, 
that  of  the  surplus,  twenty-five  cents  should  be  retained  by 
him  for  his  services  and  expenses,  and  the  remaining  fifty 
cents  out  of  each  two  dollars  advanced,  should  be  invested 


204  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

in  lands  for  founding  and  sustaining  the  proposed  seminary. 
The  plan  was  embarrassed  by  serious  difficulties;  he  did  not 
live  to  see  it  fully  carried  out,  but  the  efforts  which  he  made 
have  resulted,  since  his  death,  in  the  establishment  of  Black- 
burn University  at  Carlinville,  111. 

In  the  division  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  Dr.  Blackburn 
went,  heart  and  hand,  with  the  New  School.  I  have  seen 
letters  from  him  written  about  that  time,  which  show  that  he 
had  no  doubt  the  truth  and  right  were  upon  that  side,  and 
that  if  circumstances  had  favored  it,  he  would  probably  have 
been  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  controversy. 

As  early  as  i826,'I)r.  Blackburn  began  to  be  the  subject 
of  a  cancerous  affection,  of  which  he  writes  thus,  in  May  of 
that  year,  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  James  Richards — "  I  have  been  so 
much  afflicted  with  a  cancer  on  my  lip,  for  several  months 
past,  that  it  has  paralyzed  my  exertions,  and  rendered  me 
very  uncomfortable.  The  issue  of  it  is  yet  rather  doubtful." 
After  about  a  year  it  was  removed,  but  in  1836 — owing,  as 
was  supposed,  to  excessive  bodily  exertion — it  reappeared 
in  a  form  so  aggravated  as  to  threaten  a  fatal  and  speedy  ter- 
mination. He.  continued,  however,  to  preach  for  some 
months  after  this,  though  the  exertion  occasioned  him  great 
pain.  In  the  early  part  of  the  winter  of  1837-8,  he  fell  upon 
the  ice,  and  so  severely  injured  the  hip-joint  that  he  was  never 
able  to  walk  afterwards.  Thus  he  was  confined  to  his  bed 
for  about  six  months — suffering  intensely  at  times,  not  only 
from  the  injury,  but  especially  from  the  cancer,  which  be- 
came daily  more  painful.  Amidst  all  his  suffering  he  man- 
ifested a  cheerful  submission  to  the  Divine  will,  and  remarked 
to  one  of  his  friends,  in  his  own  impressive  manner,  that  the 
Saviour  was  at  his  side  directing  every  pang  he  felt.  In  con- 
versation with  his  wife,  he  expressed  a  hope  that  the  Lord  in 
mercy  would  send  some  other  disease,  which  would  give  him 
an  earlier  and  an  easier  dismissal  from  his  sufferings.  For 
this,  he  said,  he  often  prayed.  His  prayer  was  signally  an- 
svvered.  Two  weeks  before  his  decease,  he  was  attacked 
with  dysentery,  under  the  debilitating  influence  of  which  he 
gradually  declined.  He  died  at  Carlinville,  on  the  23d  of 
August,  1838,  in  the  sixty-sixth  year  of  his  age. 

He  was  married  on  the  3d  of  Oct.,  1793,  to  Grissella  Black- 
burn, his  second  or  third  cousin.  They  had  eleven  children 
— seven  sons  and  four  daughters.  Two  of  his  sons  were  suc- 
cessful preachers  of  the  Gospel,  and  one   died   while   fitting 


GIDEON  BLACKBURN,  D.  D.  20$ 

for  the  ministry.     One  son  and  one  daughter  still  survive. 
His  second  son,  James  Hervey,  was   a   young  man  of  re- 
markable promise.      He  was  distinguished  for  his  fine  genius, 
varied  and  extensive  acquirements,  and  elegant  and  fascina- 
ting   manners.     He    possessed    many  of  the   most  striking 
characteristics  of  his  father;  indeed,  it  was  Dr.   Anderson's 
opinion  that  of  the  two,  nature  had  cast  the  son  in  the  finer 
mould.     This  son  had  been  a  sceptic  until  he  was   eighteen 
or  nineteen  years  of  age ;  but  through  his  father's  influence 
and  prayers  had  become  a  Christian,  and  had  determined  to 
prepare  for  the  Christian   ministry.       Having   concluded  his 
classical  and  scientific  studies,  he  wished  to  obtain  a  -knowl- 
edge of  the   Hebrew.      His  father  sent  him  to  IMaryville,  in 
East   Tennessee,  to  study  the   language  with  his  old  friend. 
Dr.  Anderson.     He   had  been  there  about  six  months,  en- 
dearing himself  to   everybody,  when   he  was  attacked  with 
erysipelas,  and  in  a  few  days  died.      The  sad  intelligence  of 
his  death.  Dr.  A.  communicated  to  his  father  by  letter,  with 
a  request  on  the  back  of  the  letter  that  the  postmaster  would 
hand  it  to  him  immediately.     The   letter  arrived  on  Sunday 
morning.     The   postmaster  went  to  church,  and  when  the 
doctor  arrived,  handed  it  to  him.     He  stepped  aside  and  read 
it,  folded  it  up,  put  it  into  his  pocket,  went   into  the  pulpit, 
preached  as  usual,  did  not  make  the  remotest  allusion  to  his 
bereavement,  and  not  until  he  went  home,  and  attempted  to 
communicate  the  intelligence  to  his  family,  did  the   "great 
deep  "  of  his  grief  break  up.     Then  came,  as  I  have  heard 
him  say,  the  most  dreadful  conflict  of  his  life.     For  God,  as 
as  he  said,  had  laid  the  pride,  the  idol,  the  honor,  and  glory, 
of  his  house  in  the  dust.     "  I  did  not  know  how  to  reconcile 
it  either  with  his  wisdom  or  goodness,  nor  do  I  yet  knoiv  ; 
but  I  believe,  yes,  I  believe  it  is  all  right — all  wise — all  good 
— and  that  is  enough  to  satisfy  reason  and  piety;  and  pas- 
sion and  selfishness  ought  to  submit,  must  submit — yea  and 
I  do  submit,  rejoicing  that  the  Lord  God  Omnipotent  reign- 
eth." 


Samuel  Emmons  Blackburn  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Gideon 
Blackburn ;  was  educated  at  Danville,  Ky.,  and  came  to  Illinois 
in  1832.  He  labored  in  Carlinville  and  Spring  Cove.  He 
died  in  1 836,  on  the  Ohio  river,  of  bilious  fever,  and  was 
buried  at  Shawneetown,  111.    He  was  on  his  way  to  Kentucky 


206  PKKSBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

on  business  at  the  time  of  his  decease.  He  left  one  daugh- 
ter, Jane,  who  is  the  wife  of  P.  Y.  Stuart,  of  Bloomington, 
Ilhnois. 


Spring  Cove  Church  was  organized,  June  22,  1834,  by- 
Rev.  Dr.  Gideon  Blackburn  and  his  son,  Rev,  Samuel  E. 
Blackburn,  at  the  dwelling  house  of  the  former,  with  the  fol- 
lowing members,  viz. :  Grundy  H.  Blackburn,  John  B.  Car- 
son, A.  M.  l^lackburn,  John  J.  Brown,  S.  J.  Hamilton,  M. 
J.  Hamilton,  Elizabeth  H.  Hamilton,  Nancy  Carson,  Eliz- 
abeth C.  Carson,  Margaret  G.  B.  Carson,  Grissella  Black- 
burn, James  M.  Carson,  William  H.  Carson,  James  TuU, 
Sarah  TuU,  E.  G.  Hamilton,  Mary  Carson,  Gideon  H. 
Blackburn,  S.  W.  Blackburn,  Elizabeth  H.  Brown.  Eld- 
ers: James  Tull,  William  H.  Carson,  John  J.  Brown,  John 
B.  Carson  and  Grundy  H.  Blackburn.  The  first  place  of 
worship  was  at  Dr.  Blackburn's  house;  then  at  a  small 
meeting  house,  in  Macoupin  creek  bottom,  in  what  is  now 
N.  Challacombe's  pasture,  not  far  from  the  residence  of  R. 
W.  Odell.  This  meeting  house  consisted  of  posts  set  in  the 
ground  for  frame  and  covered.  It  was  also  used  for  school 
purposes.  Afterward  the  congregation  used  a  school-house 
on  the  N.  E.  quarter  of  N.  W.  quarter  Sec.  21,  T.  9,  R.  9  W. 
Subsequently  a  frame  house  was  erected  in  the  woods  at  the 
top  of  the  hill.  This  was  on  N.  E.  quarter  of  S.  E.  quarter 
Sec.  21,  T.  9,  R.  9  W.  It  was  built  there  to  accommodate 
that  portion  of  the  congregation  which  dwelt  in  and  about 
Chesterfield  village.  In  1847  eight  members  were  dismissed 
and  organized  into  a  Congregational  church  at  Chesterfield, 
This  left  the  building  at  one  side  of  the  parish,  and  soon  after 
it  was  removed  to  its  present  site  in  Summerville.  The  eld- 
ers elected,  since  the  first  five,  are  Peter  Brown,  E,  M.  Gil- 
more,  and  T.  L.  Blair  in  1848;  J.  F.  Roach  and  James  M. 
Carson  in  185  I  ;  Luther  P.  Palmer  and  Nicholas  Challacombe 
in  1867.  In  1872  limited  eldership  system  was  adopted.  The 
present  elders  are  Nicholas  Challacombe,  James  M.  Carson 
and  John  Ashill.  The  Sabbath-school  connected  with  this 
church  has  had  an  existence,  in  some  form,  since  1 834.  It  has 
been  and  is  an  important  means  of  good.  The  following  per- 
sons have  been  superintendents,  viz  :  Thomas  E.  Blackburn, 
W.  H.  Carson,  Allen  T.  Brown,  J,  M.  Carson,  L,  L.  Love,  Al- 
bert Eastham,  J.  J,   Gulick,  N.  Challacombe  and  G.  B,  Car- 


CARLINVILLE  CHURCH.  20/ 

ison,  who  is  the  present  superintendent.  The  following  are  the 
MINISTERS  who  liave  served  here  in  the  order  of  their  names : 
Gideon  Blackburn,  D.  D.,  Samuel  E.  Blackburn,  John  G. 
Simrall,  L.  S.  Williams,  Hugh  Barr,  William  Chamberlain, 
J.  A.  Ranney,  Hugh  Barr — second  time — W.  T.  Bartle,  S.  P. 
Lindley,  H.  D.  Piatt,  Thomas  Reynolds,  David  Dimond,  D. 
D.,  H.  D.  Piatt— second  time— H.  N.  Wilbur  and  W.  R. 
Adams.  Mr.  x^dams  is  still  in  office,  and  has  been  since  1S67, 
with  only  one  brief  interruption.  Besides  those  named  above, 
several  others  have  served  the  church  for  very  brief  periods. 
This  church  has  enjoyed  several  seasons  of  spiritual  refresh- 
ing. In  all,  until  1876,  one  hundred  and  ninety-five  have  been 
connected  with  it.  Of  these  thirty  have  died,  seventy-four 
been  dismissed  to  other  churches,  eight  have  been  expelled, 
twenty-seven  lost  and  fifty-six  remain. 


Carlinville  Church  was  organized  June  30,  1834,  by 
"Rev.  Gideon  Blackburn,  D.  D.,  with  these  members  :  Ellen 
Moore,  Lucy  Stephenson,  Julia  A.  White,  Alice  Good,  Lucy 
M.  Greathouse,  Mrs.  Parks,  Malvina  Hoxey,  Edward  Plant, 
Elijah  Harlan,  Mrs.  Harlan,  James  Parks,  John  S.  Great- 
house,  Thomas  D.  Moore,  Ruth  Holton.  Elders  :  Elijah 
Harlan  ;  James  Parks,  Thomas  D.  Moore,  John  S.  Great- 
house,  Edward  Plant,  June  30,  1834;  J.  R.  Lewis,  Bela  White, 
December  7,  1834;  David  A.  Smith,  June  21,  1838;  Orrin 
Cooley,  August,  1839;  Dr.  W.  A.  Robertson,  August 
.25,  1839;  John  Beattie,  November  27,  1841;  Charles  Dor- 
man,  November  8,  1848;  D.  T.  Patchen,  May  2,  1855  ;  Phi- 
lander Braley,  J.  M.  Brown,  Henry  Page,  February  13, 
1859;  Abner  Brown,  W.  H.  Parks,  December  18,  1870 ; 
James  Venable,  October,  1871.  May  4,  1872,  this  church 
adopted  the  plan  of  eldership  limited  to  five  years.  June  15, 
1873,  R.  B.  Minton;  June  14,  1^74,  Philander  Braley;  June 
20,  1875,  D.  T.  Patchen;  May  28,  1876,  Charles  Campbell; 
May  13,  1877,  James  Venable;  May  12,  1878,  R.  B.  Minton, 
were  elected  on  this  plan.  Ministers — names  given  in  order 
of  their  service:  Gideon  Blackburn,  Samuel  E.  Blackburn, 
John  G.  Simrall,  L.  S.  Williams,  for  four  years  and  a  half;  J, 
A.  Ranney,  one  year;  J.  S.  Graves,  Joseph  M.  Grout,  A.  M, 
Dixon,  C.  A.  Leach,  two  years ;  Edward  McMillan,  from 
1856  to  1862,  when  he  entered  the  army  as  chaplain  and  died 
in  the  service;  T.  H.  Newton,  one  and  a  half  years  ;  J.  B.  L. 


208  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Soule,  three  years  ;  John  Patchen,  one  year  and  three  months ; 
Hugh  Lamont ;  S.  A.  Whitcomb,  installed  pastor  April, 
1874;  W.  H.  Jeffries,  J.  B.  L,  Soule,  second  time,  two  years, 
and  until  August  i,  1876;  Dr.  E.  L.  Hurd  and  Prof.  Rufus 
Nutting,  jr.,  have  supplied  the  pulpit  since.  The  first  church 
building  was  erected  in  1835,  on  lots  donated  by  David  A. 
Smith  and  Isaac  McAfee,  and  cost  about  twenty-five  hun- 
dred dollars.  The  second  building  was  erected  in  1869,  and 
cost  nine  thousand  dollars.  Both  these  structures  are  of 
brick.  In  1873  a  chapel  and  parsonage  were  added,  and 
cost  thirty-five  hundred  dollars.  In  the  erection  of  all  these 
church  structures,  >Elder  Philander  Braley  has  borne  a  con- 
spicuous part,  both  in  furnishing  means  and  superintending, 
the  work. 


Kaskaskia  Presbytery  met  at  Shawneetown,  April  18,. 
1834.  Ministers  T^XQSQnt:  John  Mathews,  William  K.  Stew- 
art, B.  F.  Spilman,  Alexander  Ewing,  Roswell  Brooks.  Eid- 
ers present :  William  H.  Brown,  Vandalia ;  James  A.  Ram- 
sey, Sugar  Creek ;  William  Porter,  Gilead ;  W.  A.  G.  Posy, 
Shawneetown;  James  H.  Rice,  Sharon;  Samuel  Boyd,  New 
Haven.  Marine  Church  was  received.  James  A.  Ramsey 
was  licensed  April  19,  1834.  Theron  Baldwin  was  dismissed 
to  Illinois  Presbytery.  Benjamin  F.  Spilman,  minister,  and 
W.  A.  G.  Posey,  elder,  were  elected  Commissioners  to  the 
Assembly.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Vandalia,  October 
10.  William  Hamilton  was  dismissed  to  Muhlenburg  Pres- 
bytery. 


Marine  Church  was  organized  Nov.  2,  1833,  with  sixteen 
members.  Roswell  Brooks  preached  here  one-half  the  time 
for  one  year.  Next  succeeded,  Robert  Blake,  one-half  the 
time  for  two  years.  Then  the  church  was  vacant  until  1840, 
when  T.  Lippincott  was  employed,  and  continued,  one-half 
the  time  for  three  years.  A  plesant  revival  occurred  and 
twenty-seven  were  added  to  the  church.  Then  followed 
James  R.  Dunn.  After  eighteen  months'  labor  elsewhere, 
Mr.  Lippincott  supplied  again  for  one  year.  The  subsequent 
ministers,  named  in  their  order,  are  these :  Calvin  Butler, 
Sigmund  Uhfelder,  James  A.  Darrah,  C.  J.  Pitkin,  William 
Ellers,  A.  D.  Jacke,  H.  W.  Wood,  J.  Scott  Davis,  C.  T.  Hal- 


MARINE    CHURCH.  2O9 

sey,  the  last  from  Jan.,  1874,  to  Jan.,  1878.  Elders:  James 
Breath,  James  M.  Nichols,  Geo.  W.  Welsh,  Nov.  2,  1833  :  C. 
Lyman,  Feb.  10,  1842;  Geo.  T.  Allen,  April  30,  1843;  John 
Breath,  same;  A.  L.  Saunders,  Feb.  7,  1848;  J.  S.  Cottrell, 
same;  Joel  Simpson,  April  30,  1854;  Richard  P.  Marshall, 
same  ;  Lewis  Potter,  April  16,  1864  ;  Samuel  H.  Brown,  May 
8,  1869;  Richard  A.  Marshall,  April  21,  1872.  The  original 
members  were  these  :  James  Breath,  Elizabeth  Breath,  Geo. 
C.  Allen,  Mary  Allen,  James  M.  Nichols,  Elizabeth  Nichols, 
Geo.  W.  Walsh,  John  R.  Kerr,  Wm.  Anderson,  Eunice  A. 
Anderson,  Gertrude  Anderson,  Zilphatt  Parker,  Geo.  Foster, 
Hannah  N.  Foster,  Rebecca  L.  Breath  and  Mary  A.  Breath. 
Calvin  Butler  came  here  in  1849,  and  died  Nov.  3.  1854.  His 
house,  occupied  by  his  widow  and  family,  burned  down  in 
the  fall  of  1855.  For  several  years  past  the  Sabbath  school, 
and  indeed  the  whole  church  work  here,  has  devolved  on  Elder 
Lewis  Potter  and  his  excellent  wife.  There  is  a  good  frame 
church,  built  in  185 1.  Before  its  erection,  all  denominations 
used  the  same  buildino-. 


Sangamon  Presbytery  met  at  Sand  Prairie,  Tazewell 
county,  April  18,  1834.  Sugar  Creek  and  Lick  Creek 
churches  were  received.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Spring- 
field, Oct.  14.  Dewey  Whitney  was  received  from  the  Pres- 
bytery of  West  Lexington,  Ky. 


Sugar  Creek  Church  was  organized  Nov.  4,  1833,  by 
Revs.  J.  G.  Bergen  and  T.  A.  Spilman,  with  eighteen  mem- 
bers. Its  name  disappears  in  1857.  It  became  absorbed 
in  Auburn  and  Brush  Creek  churches. 


Lick  Creek  Church  was  organized  Nov.  18,  1833,  by  J. 
G.  Bergen,  with  fifteen  members.  It  became  mostly  merged 
in  Chatham  Church.  Its  name  disappeared  from  the  min- 
utes in  1836.  Lick  Creek  is  an  affluent  of  Sugar  Creek,  fall- 
ing into  the  latter  from  the  west,  and  north  of  Chatham. 


Dewey  Whitney  was  born 179^.  at  Marlborough, 

Vt.     His  ancestors  were    English.      In   religious  belief   he 

13 


2IO  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS, 

was  Presbyterian.  He  pursued  his  classical  studies  in  New- 
England,  his  theological  with  Dr.  Gideon  Blackburn,  Ky. 
He  was  licensed  to  preach  by  Muhlenburg  Presbytery  at 
Elkton,  Todd  county,  Ky.,  April  14,  1823.  He  joined  San- 
gamon Presbytery,  III,  April  14,  1834.  He  was  installed 
pastor  of  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  Springfield,  111.,  April 
20,  1836.  He  was  married  Aug.  28,  1827,  to  Mildred  K. 
Thornton,  of  Ky.  He  had  two  children,  Julia  O.  born  Oct. 
23,  1828,  and  William  Dewey,  born  Oct.  6,  1830.  He  suf- 
fered for  years  with  bronchical  affection,  which  rendered  it 
necessary  for  him  to  refrain  from  pulpit  duties.  His  death 
occurred  July  27,^857,  ten  miles  South  of  Brandon,  Frank- 
lin county.  Miss.,  and  was  produced  by  concussion  of  the 
brain,  occasioned  by  being  thrown  from  a  horse.  His  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Julia  O.  Allen,  resides  at  3107  Clark  Avenue,  St. 
JLouis,  Mo. 


Palestine  Presbytery  held  its  first  meeting  at  Darwin, 
Clark  county,  April  18,  1834.  Mi?dsters  present:  Stephen 
Bliss,  Isaac  Bennet,  John  Montgomery,  John  C.  Campbell, 
Enoch  Kingsbury.  Elders  present :  Thomas  Buchanan, 
Wabash;  Adriel  Stout,  Paris;  James  Smick,  Darwin.  Bru- 
lett's  Creek  Church  was  received.  Isaac  Bennet  was  chosen 
Commissioner  to  the  Assembly,  John  Montgomery  was  made 
Stated  Clerk.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Paris,  Oct.  9. 
Three  Ministers  and  four  Elders  were  present. 


Enoch  Kingsbury  was  born  in  Langdon,  N.  H.,  April  21, 
1800.  His  ancestors  were  English  and  Presbyterian,  or  Con- 
gregationalists.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Amherst  College,  in 
1827.  He  studied  theology  at  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  and  at  Prince 
Edward,  Va.  He  went  South  for  his  health.  On  his  return 
he  had  a  call  to  settle  in  Granby,  Mass.,  but  the  Missionary 
spirit  urged  him  West.  He  was  married  in  Simsbury,  Ct., 
to  Fanny  R.  Goodwin,  and  ordained  the  same  month  in 
South-Hadley,  Mass.,  sine  titulo.  He  must  have  gone  to 
Illinois  immediately,  for  he  was  in  Danville  on  the  second 
Sabbath  in  January,  183 1,  at  which  time  he  commenced  his 
labors  there.  His  first  Western  ecclesiastical  connection  was 
undoubtedly  with  Crawfordsville  Presbytery,  for  he  was,  in 
1831,  a  member  of  the   Synod  of  Indiana,  though   Danville 


JOHN  C.  CAMPBELL.  211 

Church,  to  which  he  ministered,  was  from  May,  183 1,  (when 
the  Assembly  constituted  the  Synod  of  Ilhnois)  in  the  bounds 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Sangamon.  It  was  not  until  the  Synod 
of  Illinois,  in  1833,  constituted  the  Presbytery  of  Palestine, 
that  he  or  his  church  formed  an  ecclesiastical  connection  in 
this  State.  He  was  the  father  of  eight  children :  James 
Goodwin,  born  Jan.  18,  1832;  Samuel  Lyman,  born  Dec.  31, 
1833,  died  Feb.  28,  1837 ;  Helen  Maria,  born  March  20,  1835, 
died  Nov.  15,  1836;  Edward  Beecher,  born  Oct.  20,  1836, 
died  Aug.  i8,  1864;  Nathan,  born  Nov.  ii,  1838,  died  Feb. 
10,  1841  ;  Martha  Ann,  born  May  25,  1841,  died  Sept.  23, 
1864;  Mary  Candace,  born  Dec.  27,  1842;  Samuel  Davies, 
born  July  5,  1846. 

Mr.  Kingsbury's  labors  were  very  extensive  and  arduous. 
He  was  stated  clerk  of  his  Presbytery  for  a  long  series  of 
years.  He  was  ever  an  out-spoken  abolitionist,  and  a  stren- 
uous upholder  of  the  sanctity  of  the  Sabbath.  Danville  was 
his  home  during  his  entire  residence  at  the  West.  For  more 
concerning  him,  the  reader  is  referred  to  a  sketch  of  that 
church.     He  died  there  Oct.  26,  il 


John  C.  Campbell  was  born  Dec.  27,  1802,  in  Blount 
county,  Tennessee.  He  was  of  Scotch  descent,  the  son  of 
Presbyterian  parents.  He  was  educated  at  Maryville  College, 
Tenn.,  from  whence  he  graduated  in  1829;  in  Sept.,  of  the 
same  year,  he  was  licensed,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1830,  was 
ordained.  In  1830,  he  removed  with  his  wife  to  Edgar  county, 
111.,  and  had  under  hii  charge  the  New  Providence  and  New 
Hope  churches,  situated  ten  miles  apart,  where  he  remained 
twenty-five  years.  During  this  time  he  preached  to  the  New 
Providence  Church  with  the  exception  of  about  four  years, 
when  he  was  engaged  in  preaching,  one  year  each,  to  the 
churches  at  Charleston,  Grandview,  and  Paris,  111.,  one-half 
the  time,  and  one  year  he  was  traveling  as  a  Sabbath  school 
agent,  while  he  preached  ocsasionally  at  various  other  points. 
As  a  result  of  his  labors  many  were  gathered  into  the  church. 
In  1857,  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Cerro  Gordo,  Piatt 
county,  III,  where  he  remained  until  his  death,  Dec.  31,  1862. 
He  preached  alternately  to  the  church  at  Cerro  Gordo,  and 
at  a  point  eight  miles  north.  He  was  married  in  1830  to 
Miss  Sibby  Ewing,  who  resided  near  Maryville,  Tenn.  She 
was  born  April  26,  1809,  and  was  the  daughter  of  strict  Presby- 


212  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 


terian  parents.  Their  oldest  child,  Wm.  A.,  was  born  in- 
1832,  Martha  in  1834,  Harriet  N.  in  1839,  Jennie  E.  in  1842, 
Maggie  M.  in  1844,  and  Claiborne  Y.  in  1847.  They  were- 
all  gathered  into  the  church  in  early  life.  The  three  oldest 
and  the  youngest  have  long  since  passed  away. 


Danville  Church  was  organized  March  8,  1829,  by  Rev. 
Samuel  Baldridge,  M.  D.,  with  these  eight  members,  viz  : 
Asa  R.  Palmer,  Josiah  Alexander,  Elizabeth  Alexander, 
Mary  Ann  Alexander,  Solomon  Gilbert,  Submit  Gilbert, 
Pamela  Tomlinsori  and  Lucy  Gilbert.  Of  these,  the  last 
only  is  living.  She  is  now  Mrs.  Russell.  It  seems,  though 
irregularly,  to  have  been  under  the  care  of  Wabash  Pres- 
bytery, or  Vincennes  as  it  became  in  1830,  or  perhaps  of 
Crawfordsville,  which  was  organized  in  the  fall  of  1829,  until 
the  Illinois  Synod,  in  1833,  constituted  Palestine  Presbytery. 
Dr.  Baldridge  labored  here  half  the  time  for  one  year. 
Enoch  Kingsbury  commenced  his  labors  on  the  second  Sab- 
bath in  January,  1831,  and  continued  to  supply  the  church, 
statedly  about  one-half  the  time  for  twenty-five  years,  and 
after  that  occasionally  until  1866,  a  period  of  thirty-five  years 
of  stated  and  occasional  service.  From  1838  until  Sept.,  1857, 
he  labored  in  conjunction  with  his  brother,  Rev.  Nathaniel 
Kingsbury,  Orrin  Cooley  and  Charles  H.  Palmer,  with  each 
at  different  times  and  for  different  periods.  September  i,  1857, 
Wm.  R.  Palmer  took  the  entire  charge  of  the  church  until 
Sept.  I,  1861.  He  was  succeeded  by  James  W.  Stark,  who 
supplied  regularly  for  two  years,  after  which  E.  Kingsbury 
supplied  till  April  4,  1864.  W.  A.  Hendrickson  followed  till 
July  I,  when  D.  R.  Love  took  charge  till  Oct.  i,  1865.  Then 
the  session  again  invited  Mr.  Kingsbury,  until  a  more  per- 
manent supply  could  be  obtained.  For  the  first  six  years  the 
church  was  without  any  house  of  worship.  Though  few  and 
feeble,  they  erected  the  first  church  in  Danville,  and  the  sec- 
ond Presbyterian  church  on  the  east  side  of  the  State.  They 
procured  the  first  bell  ever  brought  up  the  Wabash  above  Vin- 
cennes, and  the  second  bell  for  a  Protestant  church  that  was 
brought  into  this  State.  The  first  was  at  Vandalia.  That 
church  building  cost  ;$  1,400.  After  answering  a  variety  of 
purposes  for  twelve  years,  in  which  it  had  been  used  by 
twelve  different  denominations,  it  was  repaired  at  ^n  expense 
of  two  hundred   and  fifty  dollars,  and   used  principally  for 


DANVILLE    CHURCH.  213 

public  worship,  though  to  such  it  was  never  formally  dedi- 
cated.    In  1859,  the  congregation  fitted  up  the  basement  of 
the  new  church  and  worshipped  thereuntil  the  main  audience 
room  was  completed.     That  building  is  fifty  by  seventy-four 
feet,  the  basement  twelve  feet  high,  and  the   upper  story 
twenty-four  feet.     The  audience  room  is  one  the  best  in  the 
State,  and  furnished  with  a   large,  fine   organ.     The  whole 
structure   cost   over  ;^  12,000,   and   was   dedicated    Dec.   24, 
1865.     The   sermon  was   preached  by  Dr.  Tuttle,  President 
of  Wabash  College.     During  the  ministry  of  Rev.  S.  Bald- 
ridge,  five  were  added  to  the  original  eight.     During  that  of 
Mr.  Kingsbury  and  his   co-laborers,  one   hundred  and   six- 
teen.    Under  Mr.  Palmer,  sevent\'-five.     Mr.  Stark,  thirteen. 
Mr.  Love,  thirty-three,  and  three  between  that  time  and  the 
dedication,  making  a  total  of  two  hundred  and  fifty-three  up 
to  that  period.    The  actual  membership  at  the  time  of  dedica- 
tion was  one   hundred.     Charles  P.  Felch  was   immediately 
called  to  be  pastor  on  a  salary  of  ;^  1,200.     He  entered  upon 
his   duties  Jan.  22,  1866.     He  was  installed   in  June  of  the 
same  year,  and  continued  in  charge  until  June,  1868.     Mr. 
Kingsbury  succeeded    Mr.  Felch  as  supply  pastor,  in  July, 
1868,  and  continued  until  his  death,  Oct.,  26,  same  year.    He 
was  succeeded  by  Wm.  R.  Powers,  who  continued  but  a  few 
months.     The  present  pastor,  Asahel  L.  Brooks,  commenced 
here   Dec,  1870,  and  was  installed  in  April,    1871.     Under 
his     ministry    two    hundred    and     thirty-seven    have    been 
received.     In  all  five   hundred    and  seventy-four.      Present 
number  two  hundred  and   eighty-seven.     Elders :    Asa   R. 
Palmer,  Josiah  Alexander,  Solomon  Gilbert,  James  M.  Cul- 
bertson,  Eben  H.  Palmer,  Wm.  P.  Chandler,  James  P.  Brown, 
Benjamin  Crane.     Term  service  adopted  1870.     Since   then 
these  persons    have  been  chosen :    Wm.   P.   Chandler,  Geo. 
B.   Yeomans,   Benj.    Crane,   James    Risk,    Eben   H.    Palmer, 
James   Dougherty,  Wm.   A.    Clements,  J.    E.   Field.      This 
church  owns  a  convenient  parsonage,  bought  Nov.,  1870,  at 
a  cost  of  ^4,000.     It   celebrated   its  semi-centennial,  March 
8,  1879,  with  appropriate  and  interesting  services. 

Darwin  Church,  Clark  county,  was  organized,  July  i 
and  2,  1 83 1,  by  Revs.  Enoch  Bouton  and  John  Montgomery, 
with  these  members,  viz:  James  Welsh,  James  Smick,  Will- 
iam R.  Stewart,  Laura  Stewart,  Mary  Welsh,  Rebecca  Chen- 


214  PRE5BYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

owith,  Esther  Bouton,  George  Armstrong,  John  Welsh,  Wil- 
lis Fellows,  Elizabeth  Davidson,  Margaret  Welsh.  Elders  : 
James  Welsh,  James  Smick,  Willis  Fellows — these  were  the 
first.  Then  George  Armstrong,  July  29,  1837;  John  D. 
Mitchell,  October  20,  i860;  Robert  Williamson,  October  7, 
1871  ;  William  Marvin,  October  7,  1871.  Ministers:  Sam- 
uel Baldridge,  M.  D.,  October  22,  1832,  continued  one  year; 
John  C.  Campbell,  occasional,  in  l834and  1838  ;  Robert  Ruth- 
erford, July  29,  1837;  Isaac  Bennet,  occasional,  1839,  1840;. 
E.  W.  Thayer,  licentiate,  was  here  frequently  in  1840,  also 
as  minister  in  June,  1840,  November,  1841,  and  February, 
1844;  R.  H.  Lilly,-^t)Ccasional,  1846  and  1847;  Ellis  Howell, 
in  1857,  i860  and  1866;  R.  C.  McKinney,  1867,  1869; 
Thomas  Spencer,  two  years  from  January  I,  1871  ;  George  F. 
Davis  began  in  1875,  and  continued  two  years.  All  these 
ministers  had  one  or  more  other  preaching  places  connected 
with  this,  generally  Marshall  or  York,  sometimes  both.  The 
first  house  of  worship  was  built  by  the  Presbyterians  and 
Methodists  in  Darwin,  about  forty  years  since.  The  present 
was  finished  in  1871,  at  a  cost  of  twenty-five  hundred  dol- 
lars. It  is  in  T.  9,  R.  ii  W.,  Sec.  3,  close  by  the  eastern  line 
of  the  section  and  half-way  between  the  north  and  south 
line  thereof.  This  congregation  erected  their  house  of  wor- 
ship without  aid  from  abroad.  Dr.  John  D.  Mitchell  gave 
the  site  and  five  hundred  dollars.  The  name  of  the  church 
was  changed  from  Darwin  to  Walnut  Prairie  by  Mattoon 
Presbytery  in  the  spring  of  1871.  The  whole  number  of 
persons  who  have  been  connected  with  the  church  from  the 
beginning  is  not  far  from  seventy.  Like  Danville  and  New 
Providence,  this  church  was  connected  with  Vincennes  Pres- 
bytery until  Palestine  Presbytery  was  established. 


Brulitt's  Creek  Church,  Bromfield  postofifice,  was  or- 
ganized by  Enoch  Kingsbury,  April  16,  1834,  with  eighteen 
members.  It  was  in  the  northern  part  of  Edgar  county,  upon 
and  near  a  creek  of  that  name  which  runs  eastward  into  the 
Wabash.  Samuel  Elder  was  one  of  the  elders.  Its  existence 
was  brief. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois  met  at  Springfield,  October  16^ 
1834.     Members  were  present  from  each  of  the  five  Presby- 


THE    SYNODS.  21  5 

teries,  viz  :  Illinois,  Kaskaskia,  Sangamon,  Schuyler  and  Pal- 
estine. A  new  Presbytery,  called  Ottawa,  was  organized. 
Their  declaration  on  slavery  was  this  :  "  Synod  consider  the 
existing  system  of  holding  in  involuntary  servitude  their  fel- 
low-men as  a  crime  of  no  ordinary  character,  against  which 
they  do  hereby  most  earnestly  and  solemnly  protest."  The 
churches  of  Alton  and  Marine  were  transferred  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  to  that  of  Illinois.  The  throes  of 
the  division  earthquake  were  beginning  to  be  felt.  On 
the  question  of  approving  and  adopting  the  "  Act  and 
Testimony,"  the  vote  was  taken  by  yeas  and  nays — eight  in 
in  favor  and  twenty-six  against.  Among  the  latter  was  the 
name  of  John  G.  Bergen.  William  J.  Fraser  presented  and 
read  a  communication  from  himself  renouncing  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Synod,  while  pronouncing 
his  communication  irregular,  accepted  it,  and  declared  them- 
selves no  longer  responsible  for  his  personal  or  official  acts. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

MEETINGS  OF  PRESBYTERIES  AND  SYNOD  FROM  1 83.5  TO  1 838, 
WITH  SKETCHES  OF  THE  CHURCHES  AND  MINISTERS  BELONG- 
ING TO  THE  SEVERAL  YEARS  OF  THE  PERIOD. 

Authorities:  Same  as  as  last  chapter;  sermon  of  D.  H.  Hamilton,  D.  D., 
Rev.  S.  C.  Baldridge,  Henry  Tanner. 

"^^  YEAR    1835, 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinios  met  at  Carlinville,  March  26, 
1835.  Ministers  present:  John  Brich,  Samuel  E.  Blackburn, 
Thomas  Lippincott,  Elisha  Jenney.  Elders  present:  John 
R.  Lewis,  Carlinville ;  Wm.  H.  Carson,  Spring  Cove  ;  James 
Kerr,  Jacksonville  ;  Enoch  Long,  Alton.  Ministers  absent : 
Gideon  Blackburn,  J.  M.  Ellis,  Edward  Beecher,  J.  M.  Stur- 
tevant,  B.  Y.  Messenger,  Henry  Herrick,  Theron  Baldwin. 
Benoni  Y.  Messenger  was  dismissed  to  Litchfield  South  As- 
sociation, Ct.  Elisha  Jenney,  minister,  and  James  G.  Ed- 
wards, elder,  were  elected  Commissioners  to  the  next  As- 
sembly. William  G.  Gallaher  was  received  from  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Cincinnati.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  with  Pis- 
gah  Church,  Morgan  county,  Oct.  8.  Alfred  H.  Dasheill 
from  the  Second  (Assembly's)  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia, 
Milton  Kimball  from  the  Presbytery  of  Athens,  and  Hugh 
Barr  from  the  Presbytery  of  North  Alabama,  were  received. 
Frederick  W.  Graves,  licentiate,  was  received  from  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Geneva.  An  adjourned  meeting  was  held  at  Alton, 
Nov.  18,  at  which  Mr.  Graves  was  examined,  and  ordained 
j.astor  of  the  Alton  Church. 

William  Green  Gallaher  was  born  in  Roane  county, 
East  Tenn.,  Feb.  27,  1801.  He  is  the  sixth  child  in  a  family 
of  four  sons  and  six  daughters  of  Thonias  and  Mary  Galla- 
her, who  were  both  formerly  from  the  vicinity  of  Millerstovvn, 
Penn.  James  Gallaher,  the  grandfather  of  William  G.,  removed 
to  East  Tennessee  and  located  on  a  farm  in  Washington 
county.  The  ancestors  on  both  sides  were  Scotch-Irish, 
some  of  whom  participated  in  the  famous  siege  of  London- 


REV.    WILLIAM    G.    GALLAHER.  21/ 

■derry.  Thomas  Gallaher  removed  to  Illinois  in  1833,  locat- 
ing in  Sangamon  county,  where  he  resided  until  his  death. 
William  Green  was  in  boyhood  inured  to  farm  labor. 
Several  of  his  early  years  were  spent  in  teaching  school.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-three  he  entered  Greenville  College,  Tenn. 
He  studied  theology  under  his  elder  brotlier,  James,  and  with 
Frederick  A.  Ross.  He  was  licensed  in  1827  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Holston.  After  his  licensure  he  traveled  and 
preached  for  two  years  in  the  Southern  States,  and  two  years 
in  Winchester,  Ky.  He  labored  in  1831-32  in  the  Third 
Presbyterian  Church,  Cincinnati,  as  co-pastor  with  his  brother 
James.  In  that  city  he  married  Miss  Sarah  Kautz,  March 
12,  1833.  The  same  year  he  removed  with  his  wife  to  San- 
gamon county,  Illinois,  locating  on  a  farm  near  Berlin.  He 
soon  began  to  labor  with  the  Pisgah  Church.  In  addition 
to  his  ministerial  labors  he  gave  attention  to  agriculture. 
He  continued  with  that  church  for  more  than  thirty-one 
years,  and  saw  it  increase  from  twenty  to  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  members.  At  the  close  of  his  labors  he  was  pre- 
sented with  a  beautiful  photograph  Bible. 

Mr.  Gallaher  had  eleven  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy. His  eldest  son,  Thomas,  died  in  his  fifteenth  year, 
Oct.  26,  1852.  His  second  son,  Wm.  G.,  Jr.,  was  a  graduate 
of  Illinois  College ;  also  of  the  law  school  at  Albany,  N.  Y. 
He  was  married,  Feb.  24,  1870,  to  Miss  Jennie  E.  Boyle,  of 
Philadelphia,  and  died  the  26th  of  October  following,  at  Den- 
ver, Col.  His  youngest  son,  James  Allen,  died  in  the  Union 
army  Aug.  9,  1862.  The  names  of  the  daughters  are  Emil}^, 
wife  of  Wm.  Russell ;  Mary,  wife  of  E.  W.  Bradley ;  Marga- 
ret K.,  wife  of  Wm.  E.  Capps ;  Sarah,  wife  of  Francis  A. 
Riddle.  The  two  youngest  are  Hannah  and  Lucinda.  Mr. 
G.  resides  in  Jacksonville,  and  still  enjoys  good  health.  He 
is  one  of  the  trustees  of  Blackburn  University.  He  is  pos- 
sessed of  considerable  property,  and  is  highly  esteemed  for 
his  generous  and  Christian  benevolence. 


Alfred  H.  Dashiell,  D.  D. 

A  very  interesting  sketch  of  this  brother,  from  his  own  pen,  has  been  received. 
Its  length  forbids  its  insertion,  and  I  substitute  for  it  a  paper  from  his  son, 
Alfred  H.  Dashiell,  jr.,  pastor  of  our  church  at  Bricksburg,  N.  J. 

My  father  was  born  Aug.  2,  1793,  on  the  eastern  shore  of 
Maryland,  Kent  county.     Of  Huguenot  ancestry,  son  of  Rev. 


2l8  PRE3BYTERIANI6M  IN  ILLINOIS. 

George  Dashiell.  Graduated  at  University  of  Pennsylvania. 
He  studied  law  with  Wm,  Pinckney,  Esq.,  but  was  diverted 
to  the  ministry  by  a  desire  (  he  told  me  )  to  serve  the  Sav- 
iour and  be  useful  in  bringing  souls  to  Him.  He  was 
ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia.  He  was  pas- 
tor of  the  Mariner's  Church,  Phila.,  then  of  First  Church,. 
Jacksonville,  111.,  then  President  of  Female  Academy,  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  then  pastor  Presbyterian  church,  Franklin, 
Tenn.,  then  for  nineteen  years  at  Shelbyville,  Tenn.,  then. 
President  of  the  College  at  Rogersville,  Tenn.,  where  he 
received  the  degree  of  D.  D.  from  Maryville  College.  Since- 
the  war  he  has  bee'ri  without  charge,  occasionally  preaching 
till  infirmities  of  age  prevented.  He  is  now  residing  at 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  in  the  eighty-sixth  year  of  his  age. 

Dr.  N.,  my  father,  is  so  infirm,  being  afflicted  with  a  cancer 
which  has  eaten  through  the  roof  of  his  mouth,  that  I  have 
ventured  to  give  you  the  above  items.  I  ought  to  have  said 
that  his  ministry  at  Shelbyville  was  attended  with  one  of 
the  most  wonderful  outpourings  of  the  Spirit  that  has  occur- 
red in  my  day.  One  hundred,  at  least,  were  converted, 
sweeping  all  classes  of  the  town.  My  father  refused  to  go 
into  the  Southern  Secession  from  the  General  Assembly,  and 
remained  loyal  to  it  and  the  country,  when  several  of  his 
children  went  into  the  rebellion.  He  retains  his  faculties 
wonderfully  well ;  he  is  an  omnivorous  reader,  and  bears  his. 
bodily  afflictions  with  a  sweet  patience,  which  assures  me  that 
he  is  ripening  for  the  Lord's  garner. 

A.  H.  Dashiell,  jr. 

Dr.  Dashiell's  children  are  as  follows  :  Richard  Ridgely,. 
physician,  settled  in  Jackson,  Tenn.;  Alfred  Henry,  minister, 
Bricksburg,  N.  J.;  George,  twin,  Merchant,  Memphis,  Tenn.;. 
Robert,  twin,  dead ;  Wickliffe  Bond,  physician,  Kaufman,. 
Texas;  daughter,  dead  ;  Elizabeth,  married  James  Murrell,. 
dead ;  Ann,  married  J.  D.  Perryman,  dead  ;  Emily,  married 
in  Memphis ;  Sophia,  married  B.  Carter  Harrison,  grandson, 
of  President  Harrison  ;  Lavinia,  married  Dr.  Wm.  Lytle,. 
Murphreesboro,  Tenn. 


Milton  Kimball  was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  in  1799. 
He  was  converted  at  the  age  of  twenty,  and  immediately 
commenced  preparing  for  the  ministry.  He  graduated  at 
Amherst  College  in   1826.     He  spent  one  year  at  Andover 


F.  W.  GRAVES HUGH  BARR.  2ig 

Seminary,  and  graduated  at  Auburn  in  1829.  He  was 
ordained  by  the  Tiiird  Presbytery  of  New  York  in  July  of 
the  same  year.  He  was  sent  as  Home  Missionary  to  Meigs 
county,  Ohio,  in  Oct.,  1829.  He  labored  there  four  years, 
organized  two  churches  in  the  time,  saw  one  house  of  wor- 
ship erected,  and  great  advances  made  in  the  temperance 
cause  and  Sabbath  schools.  He  was  agent  of  the  A.  B. 
C.  F.  M.,  in  Illinois  and  Missouri,  from  1834  to  1836,  making 
his  residence  at  Jacksonville,  III.  He  preached  at  Augusta, 
111.,  for  ten  years,  from  1836  to  1846,  and  died  there  Oct.  10, 
1865,  aged  sixty-six  years. 


Frederick  W.  Graves  was  born  at  Leverett,  Hampshire 
county,  Mass.,  March  9,  1806.  Graduated  at  Amherst  Col- 
lege and  studied  theology  at  Auburn  Seminary.  He  entered 
Auburn  Seminary  in  the  fall  of  1829.  He  was  ordained  by 
Presbytery  of  Illinois  pastor  of  Alton  church,  Nov.  18,  1835. 
He  was  one  of  the  six  original  members  of  Alton  Presby- 
tery which  held  its  first  meeting  at  Alton,  April  4,  1837. 
He  was  dismissed  to  the  Third  Presbytery  of  New  York, 
April  4,  1839.  He  commenced  his  labors  with  Alton  Church 
June,  1835,  and  ceased  Nov.,  1838;  though  the  pastoral  rela- 
tion was  not  dissolved  until  April  4,  1839.  After  leaving 
Alton  his  labors  were  mostly  in  several  of  our  larger  cities 
and  generally  for  brief  periods,  and  were  principally  of  an 
evangelistic  character.  -He  died  at  Canandaigua,  New  York, 
Dec.  8,  1864,  and  was  buried  at  Corning.  He  married  Miss 
Susan  E.  Hoyt,  in  Painted  Post,  now  Corning,  N.  Y.,  April 
25,  1834.  Their  children's  names  are  Helen  A.,  born  Jan. 
7,  1837;  Edward  Payson,  born  April  27,  1840;  Mary  E., 
born  Jan.  29,  1845  ;  Frederick  William,  May  5,  1S52.  They 
are  all  living,  and  in  the  State  of  New  York.  Mrs.  Graves 
resides  at  Corning  New  York. 


Hugh  Barr  was  born  in  North  Carolinia,  May  12,  1790. 
His  parents  were  Patrick  and  Nancy  Barr.  They  emigrated 
to  Sumner  county.  Middle  Tennessee,  in  1799,  bringing  with 
them  a  family  of  eight  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom 
Hugh  was  the  youngest  but  three.  His  education  was 
begun  and  completed  in  the  school  of  Rev.  Dr.  Gideon 
Blackburn,  in  Tennessee.     This  school,  like  the  similar  ones 


220  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

under  Drs.  Doak  and  Anderson,  while  being  thorough  and 
liberal,  was  marked  for  making  men  rather  than  scholars, 
and  preachers  rather  than  theologians.  Having  completed 
his  academic  studies  he  began  life  as  a  teacher,  and  estab- 
lished a  school  at  Hopewell,  Tenn.  In  1813  he  married 
Miss  Catharine  Hodge,  daughter  of  Joseph  Hodge,  an  Elder 
in  the  Hopewell  Church.  In  the  Indian  war  of  the  South, 
he  went  as  a  soldier  under  Gen.  Jackson,  leaving  his  young 
wife  and  .home  at  the  call  of  patriotism.  He  served  through 
the  whole  of  that  struggle,  taking  part  in  its  bloodiest  bat- 
tles, particularly  that  known  as  the  "  Horse-Shoe."  At  the 
end  of  the  war,  he  resumed  his  occupation  of  teaching.  He 
had  now  been  for  several  years  a  member  of  the  church. 
Through  the  influence  of  Dr.  Blackburn,  he  had  had  his  mind 
early  directed  to  the  ministry.  Now  he  set  about  the  study 
of  theology.  He  was  licensed  about  1819,  and  preached  his 
first  sermon  in  Hopewell  Church.  He  was  ordained  and 
sent  as  a  Missionary  to  North  Alabama,  and  was  settled  at 
Courtland  in  1821.  He  remained  there  as  pastor  for  four- 
teen years.  In  this,  his  first  settlement,  he  was  eminently 
successful.  Many  and  large  revivals  were  the  fruits  of  his 
toil.  But  slavery  drove  him  away.  He  could  not  live  in  a 
land  where  labor  was  a  reproach,  and  injustice  and  immoral- 
ity a  part  of  the  organic  structure  of  society.  Liberating  his 
slaves,  with  the  offer  of  a  home  in  Liberia,  or  in  the  great 
Northwest,  he  came  to  Illinois  in  1835.  For  six  months  he 
supplied  the  church  of  Pisgah,  Morgan  county,  and  then 
settled  at  Carrollton,  the  shire-town  of  Green  county,  in 
November  of  the  same  year,  where  he  remained  until  the 
close  of  his  ministerial  labors.  His  health  gave  way  under 
the  severe  bereavement  by  which  first  he  lost  the  wife  of  his 
youth,  and  then  a  beloved  and  promising  son.  He  sank 
peacefully  to  rest  at  Jacksonville,  Aug.  i,  1862. 


Manchester  Church,  Morgan  county,  was  organized  last 
Sabbath  in  July,  1835,  with  these  members:  Robert  Hus- 
ton, Mrs.  Mary  Huston  and  Mrs.  Martha  Thomas.  Elders: 
Robert  Huston,  1835;  Robert  McCrackin,  1838;  Joel  Sugg, 
sr.,  1841  ;  William  Stryker,  1849;  James  Leighton,  1855,  ^^^ 
John  Murray  in  1867.  Ministers:  William  G.  Gallaher, 
Hugh  Barr,  George  C.  Wood,  J.  M.  Grout,  Gideon  C.  Clark, 
C.  B.  Barton,  Revs.  Messrs.  Ward,  Williamson  and   Steven- 


KASKASKIA   AND  SANGAMON  PRESBYTERIES.  221 

son.  There  has  been  a  church  edifice,  but  it  is  worn  out. 
From  deaths  and  removals  this  church  has  become  very 
small  and  feeble. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Greenville,  April 
10,  1835.  Ministers  present :  John  Mathews,  William  K. 
Stewart,  Benjamin  F.  Spilman.  Elders:  William  H.  Brown, 
Vandalia ;  William  Nelson,  Greenville;  James  H.  Rice,, 
Sharon;  James  Martin,  Gilead ;  John  Harris,  Sugar  Creek; 
David  McCord,  Bethel.  Ministers  absent:  Albert  Hale,  J. 
F.  Brooks,  Roswell  Brooks,  Alexander  Evving.  John  Math- 
ews, minister,  and  James  A.  Ramsey,  elder,  were  elected 
Commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  William  K.  Stewart  was 
appointed  Stated  Clerk.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  with 
Sugar  Creek  Church,  October  3,  1835.  Albert  Hale  was  dis- 
missed to  Illinois  Presbytery,  and  Alexander  Ewing  to  San- 
gamon. 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  met  at  Bloomington, 
April  3,  1835.  Ministers  present:  J.  G.  Bergen,  Dewey 
Whitney,  Lemuel  Foster,  Flavel  Bascom,  Thomas  A.  Spil- 
man. Elders  :  Elijah  Slater,  Springfield  ;  Samuel  Waldrow, 
Tazewell;  A.  C.  Washburn,  Bloomington;  J.  N.  Moore, 
North  Sangamon;  L.  M.  Ransom,  Farmington.  Washing- 
ton Church,  organized  November  16,  1834,  by  Flavel  Bas- 
com and  Lemuel  Foster,  with  ten  members,  was  received. 
Lemuel  Foster,  minister,  and  A.  C.  Wasburn,  elder,  were 
appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  A  called  meet- 
ing was  held  at  Springfield,  June  18,  1835,  at  which  the  Sec- 
ond Presbyterian  Church  of  Springfield  was  received.  At 
the  same  time  the  Presbytery  declared  it  to  be  their  fixed 
opinion  that  the  organization  of  a  church  without  an  order  of 
Presbytery  was  irregular  and  unconstitutional,  though  fre- 
quently done.  The  fall  meeting  was  held,  October  10,  at 
Holland's  Grove.  Alexander  Ewing  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia.  The  church  of  Chatham  was  re- 
ceived. At  an  adjourned  meeting,  held  November  25,  John 
G.  Bergen  was  installed  pastor  of  the  First  Springfield 
Church. 


222  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

The  Second  Presbyterian  Church  of  Springfield  was 
organized  by  John  G.  Bergen  May  26,  1835.  The  following 
ithirty  persons  were  the  original  members,  viz :  E.  S. 
J*helps,  Samuel  Reed,  John  F.  Ragne,  Thomas  Moffett, 
William  C,  Stevenson,  Hugh  M.  Armstrong,  Charles  C. 
f  helps,  John  B.  Watson,  Erastus  Wright,  EUphalet  B.  Haw- 
Jey,  E.  S.  Phelps,  jr.,  William  M.  Cowgill,  Isaac  A.  Hawley, 
James  R.  Phelps,  Eliza  A.  Moffett,  Lucy  Cabaness,  Ann 
Phelps,  Eliza  M.  Ragne,  Ann  lies,  Lavinia  M.  Armstrong, 
Anna  Poe,  Clementine  S.  Cowgill,  Mary  D.  Sayre,  Isabella 
G.  Hawley,  Mary  Watson,  Mary  M.  Planck,  Jane  Wright, 
Mary  Shirrell,  Naflcy  R.  Humphrey,  Jane  Reed.  Elders  : 
The  first,  E.  S.  Phelps  and  Samuel  Reed.  Since,  the  follow- 
ing:  Thomas  Moffett,  Joseph  Thayer,  John  B.  Watson, 
Charles  R.  Wells,  Eliphalet  B.  Hawley,  Bishop  Seeley,  Ros- 
well  P.  Abel,  James  C.  Conkling.  Ministers  :  Dewey  Whit- 
ney was  elected  pastor,  March  25,  1836,  entered  immedi- 
ately upon  his  labors,  and  continued  until  February,  1839. 
In  the  summer  of  the  same  year  Albert  Hale  was  elected  pas- 
tor, began  his  labors  November  15,  1839,  and  was  installed 
July  I,  1840.  He  remained  pastor  for  nearly  twenty  seven 
years,  abounding  in  labors  which  were  richly  blessed,  and 
resigned  his  charge,  September  19,  1866,  to  take  effect  the 
first  of  January  following.  In  February,  1867,  Rev.  G.  H. 
Robertson  was  elected  pastor  and  installed  on  the  21st  of 
April  following.  His  successor  is  George  H.  Fullerton.  In 
the  month  of  January,  1867,  fifty-five  persons  were  dismissed 
from  this  church  to  form  the  First  Congregational  Church  of 
.Springfield.  Upon  the  division  of  the  church  in  1837  this 
church  adhered  to  the  New  School,  It  was  always  firmly 
.arrayed  upon  the  side  of  human  freedom  and,  during  the 
great  civil  war,  was  thoroughly  loyal  to  the  country.  Its 
iirst  house  of  worship  was  dedicated  Sabbath,  August  23, 
1840.  That  was  succeeded  by  a  very  large  and  costly  struc- 
ture, to  pay  for  which  has  cost  the  congregation  long  and 
painful  efforts. 


Chatham  Church  was  organized  June  21,  1835,  at  the 
house  of  Rev.  Dewey  Whitney,  two  miles  from  the  present 
Chatham  village,  by  Revs.  D.  Whitney  and  T.  A.  Spilman, 
with  these  members,  viz  :  William  Thornton,  Judith  P. 
Thornton,  Mary  E.  Thornton,  Emma  D.   Thornton,    Martha 


CHATHAM  CHURCH PALESTINE  PRESBYTERY.  223 

W.  Thornton,  Mildred  R.  Whitney,  Jonas  Whitney,  Louisa 
Whitney,  Alonzo  How  Whitney,  Juha  M.  Whitney,  WiUiam 
•H.  Meteer,  Ehza  Meteer,  Harvey  Hall,  Rebecca  Ann  Hall. 
Elders:  June  21,  1835,  William  Thornton ;  Nov.  22,  1835, 
Luther  N.  Ransom,  Cornelius  Lyman,  William  W  Meteer; 
Feb.  3,  1 841,  William  Holland  and  Asahel  Thayer;  April  7, 
1844,  Cyrus  W.  Van  Deren,  Harvey  H.  Hall,  J.  R.  Lewis; 
Jan.  15,  1859,  John  Smith,  Henry  Thayer;  Feb.  14,  1864, 
Joseph  B.  Whitney,  James  Melvin,  John  L.Turner;  March  5, 
1876,  William  C.  Lockridge.  Ministers:  Dewey  Whitney, 
William  C.  Greenleaf,  William  Fithian,  Josiah  Porter,  A.  M. 
Dixon,  Noah  Bishop,  E.  W.  Thayer,  W.  B.  Spence,  John  H. 
Harris,  John  D.  Jones  for  four  years  ending  Sept.  1877;  H. 
G.  Pollock,  one  year.  The  church  building  was  erected 
about  1850,  and  cost  $1300.  Renovated  1876-7  at  a  cost  of 
eight  hundred  dollars.  Before  this  house  was  erected,  ser- 
vices were  held  in  a  school-house  on  the  south  side  of  the 
square.  The  parsonage  was  erected  in  1875  at  a  cost  of 
^1600.     No  debt.     Tne  present  membership  is  forty-two. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  with  Pleasant  Prairie 
Church,  April  24,  1835  ;  Ministers  present:  John  C.  Camp- 
bell, Stephen  Bliss,  Isaac  Bennet,  John  Montgomery,  Enoch 
Kingsbury.  Elders  present :  James  Ashmore,  Pleasant 
Prairie;  John  King,  Bethel  Church,  afterwards  Oakland; 
Martin  Brooks,  Paris.  Reuben  White  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Vincennes.  The  Church  of  Pisgah,  Lawrence 
county,  was  received.  The  session  of  Pleasant  Prairie  submit- 
ted these  questions  :  "  Should  we  admit  to  the  communion  of 
the  Church  an  individual  who  holds  his  fellow  being  in  per- 
petual bondage,  or  one  who  has  sold  his  fellow  being  for  gain 
as  a  bond  slave,  or  one  who  rejects  some  of  the  essential  doc- 
trines of  the  Presbyterian  Church?"  Presbytery  resolved: 
"  That  we  do  not  deem  it  within  our  province  to  give  an  effi- 
cient reply  to  these  questions;  but  that  it  is  expedient  to 
enter  into  a  free  discussion  of  them."  This  was  done.  In  the 
light  of  1880  one  can  but  wonder  such  questions  should  ever 
have  needed  formal  discussion;  or  that  any  church  judica- 
tory should  ever  have  dared  to  dodge  their  decision.  Rev. 
John  C.  Campbell  was  appointed  Commissioner  to  the  next 
Assembly.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Danville.  Samuel 
Baldridge,  M.  D.,  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Vin- 
•cennes. 


224  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Reuben  White  in  1805  was  studying  for  the  ministry  un- 
der the  care  of  Abingdon  Presbytery.  He  joined  Palestine 
from  Vincennes  Presbytery,  April  24,  1835.  He  was  resid- 
ing in  Paris,  111.,  in  1 836,  without  charge. 


PisGAH  Church  was  organized  March  15,  1835.  The 
names  of  the  original  members  are  these,  viz  :  Thomas  Buch- 
anan, Elizabeth  Buchanan,  Caroline  Buchanan,  Victor  Buch- 
anan, Rebecca  Buchanan,  Walter  Buchanan,  Jane  Buchanan,. 
Samuel  Young,  Nancy  Young,  William  Lawson,  Martha 
Lawson,  James  Lawson,  Nancy  Lawson,  Elizabeth  Lawson,. 
Margaret  Lawson,  Sarah  Lawson,  Jane  Richardson,  William 
Denison,  Margaret  Denison,  Robert  Denison,  Nancy  Deni- 
son,  Alexander  Denison,  Mary  Ann  Denison,  John  Denison, 
Calvina  C.  Miller,  Elizabeth  Melton,  Samuel  Newell,  Sarah 
Newell,  sr.,  Sarah  Newell,  jr.,  John  A.  Newell,  Margaret 
Ann  Newell,  Mary  Newell. 

The  site  of  the  church  consists  of  one  acre.  It  is  on  the 
N.  E.  corner  of  the  S.  E.  quarter  of  the  S.  E.  quarter  of 
Sec.  23,  T.  3,  N.  R.  12,  W.  of  2.  P.  M.  The  original  church 
building  is  of  logs,  twenty-four  feet  square,  with  a  gallery 
opposite  the  pulpit,  and  extending  over  about  half  the  inte- 
rior. In  front  this  gallery  is  about  seven  feet  above  the 
floor*  and  is  nearly  level.  It  is  reached  by  a  stairway  at  the 
side  of  the  building,  to  the  right  of  the  pulpit.  The  pulpit  is 
a  curiosity,  a  semi-circular  tub,  about  three  feet  six  inches 
wide  and  deep,  and  six  feet  three  inches  above  the  floor. 
It  is  the  workmanship  of  Rev.  Isaac  Bennet,  and  precisely 
like  the  one  he  built  for  the  first  church  building  in  Pleas- 
ant Prairie.  This  Pisgah  Church  is  ceiled  overhead,  and 
was  never  plastered.  It  is  now  used  as  the  wood-house  of 
the  present  church,  and  is  four  or  five  rods  back  of  it.  A 
number  of  forest  trees  stand  in  this  acre,  and  afford  a  grate- 
ful shade  to  the  many  teams  which  gather  here  on  every 
Sabbath.  It  was  erected  about  1834,  and  cost  two  hundred 
dollars. 

The  present  church  building  is  a  frame,  and  was  built  in 
1857.  It  cost  one  thousand  dollars.  This  congregation  owns 
a  parsonage  which  is  situated  in  Bridgeport.  It  was  purchased 
in  1 87 1,  and  cost  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  A  study 
has  since  been  added  at  a  cost  of  one  hundred  and  thirty 
dollars.     Two  brothers  of  Thomas  Buchanan — Walter  and 


REV.  SAMUEL    BALDRIDGE,  M.  D.  22  5 

Victor — are  still  alive  and  reside  in  the  Pisgah  congregation. 
These  Buchanans  are  from  Kentucky. 

Elders:  Thomas  Buchanan,  Samuel  Newell,  Williata  M. 
Crane,  John  B.  Maxwell,  Robert  Laughlin,  James  Watt, 
Robert  Denison,  Aaron  J.  Gould,  Daniel  Gibbs,  Hugh  Orr, 
Milton  Laughlin,  A.  H.  Laughlin,  Isaac  N.  Crane,  William  T. 
Buchanan,  William  Gillespie,  James  M,  Buchanan.  The 
whole  number  of  communicants  three  hundred  and  twenty- 
six.  Present  number  one  hundred.  Ministers:  Isaac  Ben- 
net,  from  organization  till  late  in  the  fall  of  185  i.  He  was 
installed  in  April,  1845.  D.  A.  Wallace,  supply  pastor  one 
year;  B.  Leffler  temporary  supply  in  summer  of  1855  ;  John 
B.  Saye  supply  pastor  from  October,  1855,  till  October, 
i860;  John  Mack,  December,  i86i,to  April,  1870 — April  2, 
1865,  he  was  installed;  Robert  G.  Ross,  from  May  i,  1870,  to 
April,  1876 — he  was  installed  November  25,  1871  ;  Thomas 
Smith  commenced  here  May  i,  1876,  was  installed  May  i, 
1877,  and  is  still  in  charge. 


Samuel  Baldridge,  M.  D. 

The  following  interesting  article  is  by  Rev.  S.  C.  Baldridge,  of  Friendsville, 
Wabash  county.  111.  The  reader  will  see  in  it  the  affectionate  tribute  of  a  son  to 
a  beloved  and  honored  father. 

Samuel  Baldridge,  son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Ferrel) 
Baldridge,  was  the  third  of  twelve  children,  and  was  born 
near  Guilford  Court  House,  North  Carolina,  March  21,  about 
1780.  The  family  were  Scotch-Irish.  The  family  removed 
to  Cook  county,  Tenn.,  about  1794,  and  settled  on  the  French 
Broad  river.  As  he  approached  manhood,  his  brother  James, 
the  eldest  of  the  children,  and  he  built  a  "saw  and  grist 
mill"  on  the  Clear  creek,  an  affluent  of  the  French  Broad. 
While  occupied  in  this  enterprise  he  experienced  religion. 
His  parents  were  Covenanters,  and  had  trained  him  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  scriptures  with  their  proverbial  faithful- 
ness, but  their  prejudices  were  strong,  and  when  Samuel 
announced  to  them  that  he  wished  to  join  a  Presbyterian 
church,  his  father  very  promptly  assured  him  that  if  he  did 
he  would  disinherit  him ;  and  when  he  went  on  to  follow  his 
convictions,  he  was  solemnly  informed  that  his  name  was 
stricken  out  of  the  will.  Nothing  moved  by  this,  he  began 
to  turn  his  thoughts  to  the  ministry.      In   1778  a  good  man, 

14 


226  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Samuel  Doak,  a  graduate  of  Princeton  in  1775,  had  settled 
on  the  Holston  river  among  some  Scotch-Irish  emigrants 
from  Virginia,  and  opened  a  school  in  a  log  building  put  up 
on  his  farm,  and  organized  a  church.  Thither  the  young 
convert  went,  and  in  due  time  graduated  at  Dr.  Doak's 
school,  by  this  time  chartered  as  "  Washington  College."  It 
was  some  thirty  miles  only  from  the  Baldridges. 

"First  Tuesday  in  September,  1805,  being  a  candidate 
under  the  care  of  Abingdon  Presbytery,  he,  with  Reuben 
White,  and  Alexander  M.  Nelson,  were  directed  to  turn  their 
attention  to  the  study  of  divinity  under  the  inspection  of 
some  member,  or°"rnembers  of  Presbytery,  and  they  were  al- 
lowed to  prepare  and  deliver  exhortations." 

January  23,  1806,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lucinda  Doak, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Dr.  Doak,  his  venerated  teacher.  She  was 
a  blithe  and  gentle  woman,  of  very  fair  complexion,  pleasant 
features,  golden  hair,  and   of  unusual  intelligence  and  piety. 

"October  5,  1807,  he  was  licensed  at  Salem  Church, 
Washington  county,  Tenn.,  the  pastoral  charge  of  Dr.  Doak, 
and  appointed  to  supply  within  the  bounds  of  the  Pres- 
bytery until  the  next  stated  meeting." 

October  ii,  1808,  he  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  united 
churches  of  Rock  Spring  and  Glade  Spring.  1 809  he  was 
appointed  Commissioner  from  the  Presbytery  of  Abingdon 
to  the  General  Assembly. 

Meantime  his  father  and  family  had  removed  to  Ohio,  1 808, 
and  were  living  in  Hamilton,  where  he  visited  them,  and  be- 
ing pleased  with  the  wonderful  promise  of  the  Miami  country, 
in  1 8 10  he  obtained  a  dissolution  of  the  pastoral  relation,  and 
a  dismission  from  the  Presbytery  of  Abingdon  to  the  Presby- 
tery of  Washington,  Synod  of  Kentucky.  Another  motive 
which  operated  in  inducing  him  to  leave  the  South  was  his 
growing  opposition  to  the  system  of  slavery.  Plis  family 
consisted  at  this  time  of  three — his  wife  and  two  children,  a 
son  and  daughter.  They  came  across  the  great  wilderness 
of  Tennessee  and  Kentucky  in  wagons,  with  their  household 
effects,  during  the  summer  of  18 lO,  and  reached  Lawrence- 
burg,  Ind.,  in  safety.  Among  the  Presbyterian  families  that 
welcomed  him,  was  one  named  Chambers.  He  had  been  an 
elder  in  East  Tennessee,  and  a  fellow-helper'*there,  and  this 
msLy  have  been  a  reason  for  Mr.  B.'s  locating  in  this  village. 
And  then,  too,  there  was  an  "  open  door."  The  fertile  val- 
leys of  the  Ohio  and  White  water  were  attracting  an  enter- 


REV.  SAMUEL  BALDRIDGE,  M.  D.  22/ 

prising  class  of  settlers.  But  it  was  missionary  ground.  No 
'Churches  organized — no  meeting  houses — no  salary  to  sup- 
port him — no  missionary  fund  to  secure  him  his  bread  while 
toiling  at  the  foundations  of  Zion.  How  was  he  to  sustain  him- 
self? He  was  not  of  a  temperament  to  hesitate  long.  He 
procured  a  large  house,  still  standing  in  the  oldest  part  of 
the  town,  and  opened  a  school.  He  taught  the  English 
branches  and  the  classical  languages — his  school  was  academ- 
ical in  its  grade.  Like  Dr.  Doak,  his  preceptor,  he  taught 
his  students  in  the  classics  to  converse  in  those  languages 
in  their  recitations,  and  at  his  table,  and  in  their  walks.  Be- 
fore he  had  time  to  connect  with  the  Presbytery  of  Washing- 
ton, that  Presbytery  was  divided  by  the  Synod  of  Kentucky, 
October  ii,  i8io,  and  he  and  Joshua  L.  Wilson,  Matthew  G. 
Wallace,  William  Robinson,  and  James  Welsh,  were  consti- 
tuted into  the  "  Presbytery  of  Miami."  He  w^s  appointed 
to  supply  statedly  at  Lawrenceburg  and  Whitewatev.  Thus 
he  continued  for  two  years — teaching  and  going  from  neigh- 
borhood to  neighborhood  preaching  in  private  houses,  and 
far  and  near  where  a  "  door  of  usefulness  "  seemed  to  open. 
In  this  time  he  organized  several  churches — among  them,  if 
.my  information  be  correct,  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Har- 
rison. September  12,  1812,  he  was  appointed  to  spend  two 
weeks  in  the  vacancies  above  Dayton — "the  barrens  of 
Ohio."  October  5,  181 3,  he  was  dismissed  to  the  Presby- 
tery of  Washington.  During  his  residence  at  Lawrence- 
burg he  studied  medicine  that  he  might  support  himself  in 
the  missionary  work,  and  "  go  a  warfare  "  as  a  faithful  sol- 
dier of  Jesus  Christ  "  at  his  own  charges." 

He  became  a  successful  and  highly  popular  practitioner, 
and  not  only  supported  his  family  while  doing  a  vast  amount 
of  ministerial  work,  but  also  in  a  i^w  years  accumulated  a 
handsome  property.  April  6,  18 14,  he  connected  with  the 
Washington  Presbytery  and  was  appointed  as  stated  supply 
of  Washington  for  one-half  of  his  time,  and  of  London  for 
one  fourth.  The  next  year,  18 15,  he  was  appointed  to  sup- 
ply London  and  Treacle's  Creek.  He  was  recognized  by 
his  fellow-laborers  as  a  "  natural  born  missionary,"  and  his 
zeal  and  energy  were  honored  by  his  being  freely  appointed 
to  the  most  arduous  itinerant  labors.  "  The  captains  of  the 
saints  were  cavalry  in  those  daj's,"  says  Dr.  Monfort,  and 
here  was  one  who  accepted  joyfully  the  burdens  of  the  day. 
.He  had   the  same  spirit,   the   same    sound  constitution,  the 


228  PKICSBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

same  delight  in  preaching  the  gospel  that  characterized  the 
Gallahers,  and  Nelsons,  and  Henderson,  and  that  whole- 
generation  of  evangelists  that  sprang  up  in  the  same  region 
and  went  out  from  Dr.  Doak's  wise  and  solid  training  to 
make  the  wilderness  rejoice.  I  have  heard  him  say  that  "in 
his  prime,  after  a  hard  day's  ride,  it  would  rest  him  to  preach 
in  the  evening."  As  an  example  of  what  was  often  occur- 
ing,  sometimes  by  order  of  the  Presbytery,  but  oftener  by  his 
own  enthusiasm  in  the  ministry,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  in 
September,  1815,  Presbytery  appointed  him  to  labor  ten 
days  on  Paint  creek.  Deer  creek,  Big  and  little  Darby  and 
the  head  waters  of  Miami.  While  at  London,  he  had  sev- 
eral students  in  medicine.  April  8,  1818,  he  was  dismissed 
to  the  Presbytery  of  Lancaster,  and  in  September  was  duly 
received  by  that  Presbytery.  The  next  spring  he  received  a 
call  to  take  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  churches  of  Salt  Creek 
(now  Chandlersville),  Buffalo  (now  New  Cumberland),  and 
Pleasant  Hill  (now  New  Concord),  and  the  next  June  he 
was  installed.  This  relation  continued  until  April,  1823, 
when  he  was  released  from  Buffalo  and  Salt  Creek,  but  con- 
tinued pastor  of  the  Pleasant  Hill  Church  until  the  spring  of 
1824.  He  was  thus  pastor  and  stated  supply  in  that  field  for 
six  years.  In  1824  he  removed  to  Jeromeville,  in  the  bounds 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Richland,  and  took  charge  of  the  con- 
gregation, at  that  time  a  large  one,  embracing  many  excel- 
lent families.  He  enjoyed,  too,  from  the  first  a  lucrative  prac- 
tice in  medicine.  He  was  now  in  easy  circumstances.  The 
late  Thomas  W.  Coulter,  his  son-in-law,  has  said  that  at  the 
time  of  his  settling  at  Jeromeville  he  was  worth  ;$  10,000.  He 
built  a  residence  there  and  seems  to  have  contemplated  mak- 
ing it  his  permanent  home.  But  two  blows  fell  upon  him 
that  unsettled  him.  One  was  the  death  of  his  wife.  Mrs.  Lu- 
cinda  Doak  Baldridge  died  Aug.  18,  1825.  They  had  been 
married  now  nearly  twenty  years,  and  had  had  six  children 
born  to  them,  three  of  whom  were  dead.  The  eldest  child, 
John  Witherspoon  Doak,  lived  to  enter  his  eighteenth 
year,  a  lad  of  much  promise,  and  contemplating  the  minis- 
try. He  died  Feb.  24,  1824.  At  the  time  of  Mrs.  B.'s  death, 
the  Doctor  was  near  forty-six  years  of  age.  His  family  con- 
sisted of  two  daughters — Esther,  seventeen  years  of  age,  and 
Eliza,  six,  and  a  son,  Eliphalet  Nott,  aged  ten.  His  field  of 
labor  embraced  the  churches  of  Jeromeville,  Perryville  and 
Rehoboth,   one-third   of  the  time   at  each,  and  innumerable 


REV.    SAMUEL    BALDRIDGE,  M.  D.  220 

•preaching  places  at  private  houses  through  the  country  far 
and  near,  for  he  rejoiced  to  preach,  and  never  lacked  an  au- 
dience. May  25,  1826,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mary  Coulter,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Coulter,  Esq.,  of  Perr** 
ville.  Dr.  Baldridge  continued  to  supply  this  field  until  in 
1828,  when  he  lost  his  property  by  going  security,  in  an  evil 
moment,  for  Joseph  Naylor,  of  Jeromeville.  In  the  summer 
of  1828  he  came  West  and  located  in  Eugene,  Vermilion 
county,  Indiana,  in  the  bounds  of  the  Wabash  Presbytery,  to 
which  he  was  dismissed  Sept.  9,  1828.  Oct.  15,  1829,  the 
Synod  of  Indiana  met  at  "  Shoal  Creek,"  Bond  county.  111. 
At  that  meeting,  the  Presbytery  of  Wabash  was  divided  and 
the  Revs.  Samuel  Baldridge,  John  R.  Moreland,  Samuel  H. 
McNutt,  George  Bush,  James  Crawford,  James  Thompson, 
Jeremiah  Hill  and  John  L.  Thompson,  were  set  off  to  consti- 
tute the  Presbytery  of  Crawfordsville,  April  4,  1832,  he  was 
dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Vincennes,  near  Terre  Haute, 
having  removed  to  "  Honey  Creek  Parsonage  "  and  taken 
charge  of  Honey  Creek  and  New  Hope  Churches.  The 
writer's  first  recollections  are  connected  with  that  old  par- 
sonage. It  was  a  hewed-log  building,  and  stood  in  the  edge 
of  a  grove  full  of  wild  cherry  and  mulberry  trees,  and  front- 
ing a  wide,  low  prairie,  and  looking  towards  Prairieton  (now 
Sullivan.)  The  whole  landscape  was  overflowed  in  time  of 
high  water  in  the  Wabash,  and  looked  like  a  sea.  An  un- 
paralleled June  freshet  came  once  to  within  a  few  yards  of 
the  door,  and  stood  for  such  a  time  over  the  garden  as  to 
destroy  it.  Flights  of  blackbirds  that  would  fairly  darken 
the  air,  lodged  in  the  grove.  Whether  the  property  belonged 
to  the  congregation  I  know  not.  It  was  while  we  lived  on 
that  romantic  and  secluded  place  that  the  courage  and 
energy  of  my  mother  saved  her  household  from  violence 
and  perhaps  destruction.  At  the  time,  father  was  gone,  and 
the  family  at  home  were  my  mother,  myself  and  two  of  a 
sister's  children,  Lyman  B.  Matson,  Esq.,  Mansfield,  Ohio, 
and  a  brother  of  his,  all  children.  The  evening  was  a  bright, 
moonlit  one,  and  towards  bed-time  our  house  dog  began  to 
bark  violently.  One  of  the  children,  going  to  the  door,  saw 
a  blacked  man  dodge  behind  the  stable.  Mother  became 
ceVtain  that  some  one  was  prowling  around.  She  got  in 
plenty  of  wood,  and  replenished  the  fires.  By  and  by 
she  had  prayers  with  us  as  usual  in  father's  absence,  and  the 
children  were  put  to  bed,  and  the   lonely  mother  was  left 


230  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

with  no  guardsman  but  God.  Closing  all  the  curtains  and 
barricading  the  door,  she  sat  down  at  the  table  with  her 
Bible.  She  heard  stealthy  steps  around.  She  was  aware  of 
some  one  looking  through  the  key-hole,  at  last  a  hand  was. 
laid  on  the  latch  and  a  shoulder  put  against  the  door,  and 
then  a  heavy  push.  The  slender  door  cracked  under  the 
strain.  The  heroic  mother  stood  with  the  axe  up,  ready  to 
hew  at  the  robber  when  the  door  gave  way.  She  called  on 
the  sleeping  children,  by  their  sir  names,  to  get  up  and 
defend  themselves,  as  though  they  were  sleeping  knights. 
But  by  a  merciful  Providence,  the  door  did  not  break  in,  and 
the  dreadful  mora^ent  passed.  This  was  repeated  one  or 
more  times  and  the  villian  might  have  effected  his  entrance, 
but  toward  morning  she  heard  the  clatter  of  father's  horse 
trotting  to  the  gate,  and  the  robber  ran  off  into  the  grove. 

This  was  the  place,  too,  where  the  great  calamity  of  Dr. 
B.'s  life  occurred — an  attack   of  palsy.     He  had  just  left  a 
patient  and  was  mounting  his  horse  at  the  gate,  when  the 
bolt  fell.     He  was  taken    home  in  an  unconscious  state,  and 
remained  so    for  several   weeks.     One   afternoon  he  awoke 
as  from  a  sleep.     When   he  was  able   to   sit  up,  one  day  he 
noticed  the  books  in  his    library,  and  after  surveying  them 
in  silence,  at  last    asked  what    they    were.     Mother  tried  to 
explain  and  to  recall  them  to  his  mind  by  reading  the  titles 
on  the    backs.     But    in  vain.     Still    the    poor   dazed    mind 
seemed  to  suspect  some  hidden  harmony  in  them.     At  last 
one  day  he  asked  that  one  of  the  books  might  be  laid  on  his 
lap.     But  all  was  empty.     The  letters  and  the  words  were 
meaningless  all.     My  mother  has  said  that   she  had  a    full 
sense   of  the  bitterness  of  her  grief,  when  her  husband  sat 
there  helpless,  and  his  mind  a  blank.     She  never  could  take 
a  book  and   sit   down  to  teach   him  his  letters,  in  answer  to 
his  importunities,  without  uncontrollable  weeping.     One  day, 
however,  as  she  was  going  through  the  heavy  task,  her  hus- 
band all  at  once  turned  to  her  with  dilated   eyes  and  trem- 
bling with  excitement,  and  said,  "  Mary  !  I  see  it  all."     From 
this  time   on    the  past  more  and  more   yielded  up  her  lost 
treasures.  But  his  power  was  gone.     A  wreck  of  himself,  he 
removed  to  Paris,  Edgar  county.  111.,  where  he  bought  a  farm 
and  lived  for  several  years.     At  last  he  exchanged  that  for 
a  farm  in  the  bounds  of  the  New  Providence  Church,  one-half 
way  between  Paris  and  Terre  Haute.     Here  the  family  lived 
for  some  years — a  happy  example  of  how  "  God  can  supply 


REV.    SAMUEL    BALDRIDGE,  M.  D.  23 1 

all  our  lack."  With  no  resources,  he  "  gave  us  bread  to  eat 
and  raiment  to  put  on."  Here  he  was  residing  when  he 
became  connected  with  Palestine  Presbytery.  In  about  the 
year  1840,  through  the  kindness  of  friends,  he  was  invited  to 
take  charge  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Kalida,  Putnam 
county,  Ohio.  He  had  preached  occasionally  for  years — 
could  not  live  without  preaching — but  he  had  had  no  charge 
before  since  the  wreck  of  1833.  He  preached,  too,  at  Dills- 
borough,  Dearborn  county,  Ind.  From  there,  about  1843, 
he  removed  to  Oxford,  Ohio,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Univer- 
sity for  a  son.  In  consequence  of  a  speech  in  the  Synod  of 
Cincinnati,  by  the  President  of  the  University,  Rev.  George 
Junkin,  D.  D.,  in  which  slavery  was  apologized  for  and 
defended,  he  left  Oxford  and  removed  to  Hanover,  Ind.,  in 
1844.  In  1846,  Sept.,  12,  he  had  the  great  misfortune  to 
lose  his  wife,  a  lady  remarkable  for  her  piety,  prudence, 
cheerfulness,  and  a  most  affectionate  and  equable  disposi- 
tion. This  broke  up  his  home.  In  1856,  his  son,  Rev.  S.  C. 
Baldridge,  in  charge  of  Wabash  Church,  Wabash  county, 
111.,  brought  him  from  Ohio,  and  gave  him  a  home  in  his 
age.  Feb.  29,  i860,  he  died  at  his  son's  residence.  His 
remains  were  taken  to  Hanover,  and  buried  by  the  side  of 
his  last  wife.  The  monument  that  marks  their  graves  bears 
the  following  inscription : 

"  Denique  Coelum." 

Rev.  Samuel  Baldridge,  AI.  D.,        Mary  Coulter  Baldridge, 

Born  in  North  Carolina,  Born 

March  21,  1780.  Jan.  26,  1794. 

Licensed  by  Abingdon  Presbytery,  Died, 

1807,  Sept.  12,  1846. 
Died 
Feb.  29,  i860. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois  met  at  Union  Grove,  Tazewell 
county,  Oct.  15,  1835.  The  six  Presbyteries  of  the  State, 
to-wit :  Illinois,  Kaskaskia,  Sangamon,  Palestine,  Schuyler 
and  Ottawa,  were  all  represented.  The  resolution  passed  last 
year  with  reference  to  "  Tlie  St.  Louis  Observer,''  was  rescinded, 
"Synod  believing  that  it  is  an  individual  rather  than  an  ec- 
clesiastical duty  to  sustain  religious  periodicals."  A  protest 
against  the  above  quoted  reason  for  the  act  of  rescinding  was 
presented,  with  the  signatures  of  B.  F.  Spilman,  William  K. 


232  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Stewart,  John  Brich,  Alexander  Evving,  David  Gibson  and 
Smiley  Shepherd.  The  true  reason,  in  the  minds  of  the 
Protestants,  for  the  vote  of  rescinding,  was  that  the  paper 
had  in  several  instances  published  articles  "  at  variance  with 
our  standards  and,  as  we  think,  with  the  word  of  God."  The 
churches  of  Belleville  and  Bethel  petitioned  to  be  trans- 
ferred from  Kaskaskia  to  Illinois  Presbytery.  The  petitions 
were  refused. 


YEAR    1836. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  Alton,  April  21, 
1836.  Ministers  present:  Hugh  Barr,  A.  H.  Dashiell,  F. 
W.  Graves,  Edward  Beecher.  Elders:  Enoch  Long,  Alton; 
John  B.  Carson,  Spring  Cove.  Ministers  absent:  John 
Brich,  Gideon  Blackburn,  D.  D.,  J.  M.  Ellis,  Milton  Kimball, 
J.  M.  Sturtevant,  Theron  Baldwin,  Henry  Herrick,  Thomas 
Lippincott,  Elisha  Jenney,  William  G.  Gallaher.  Albert 
Hale,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia,  Thaddeus  B.  Hurl- 
but,  from  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis,  and  Augustus  T.  Nor- 
ton, from  the  Presbytery  of  Columbia,  N.  Y.,  were  received. 
E.  P.  Lovejoy  was  present  as  corresponding  member  from 
Presbytery  of  St.  Louis.  A.  H.  Dashiell,  minister,  and  Dr. 
H.  K.  Lathy,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the 
Assembly.  Enoch  S.  Huntington  was  licensed  to  preach 
the  gospel.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Jacksonville,  com- 
mencing October  li,  1836.  Of  its  seventeen  ministers 
thirteen  were  present  and  five  elders.  John  G.  Simrall  was 
received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania,  and  Amos  P. 
Brown  from  that  of  St.  Louis.  A.  H.  Dashiell  was  released 
from  the  care  of  the  Jacksonville  church. 


Thaddeus  Beman  Hurlbut  was  born  at  Charlotte,  Vt, 
October  28,  1800.  He  graduated  at  Hamilton  College,  N. 
Y.,  in  1828,  and  at  Andover  in  1831  ;  agent  of  Am.  Tract  So- 
cietv,  Virginia,  1 831-32;  agent  American  Educational  Soci- 
ety for  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  with  residence  in  Cincinnati,  in 
1833-34;  ordained  by  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis,  September, 
1834;  agent  for  American  Tract  Society  for  lUinois  and  Mis- 
souri, 1834-37;  joined  Presbytery  of  Illinois  as  above;  an 
original   member  of  Alton  Presbytery,  April  4,  1837;  asso- 


(T/^c^^ .    c(^.    yz^^z^^to-i^ 


A.  T.  NORTON,  D.  D.  233 

ciate  editor  of  Alton  Observer,  111.,  1837-38;  supply  pastor  at 
Edwardsville,  111.,  1838-39;  Home  Missionary  and  teacher, 
Alton,  111.,  1839-43;  dismissed  to  Ottawa  Presbytery,  Sep- 
tember 13,  1845  ;  supply  pastor  St.  Charles  and  Lowell,  111., 
1843-47;  Upper  Alton,  supply  pastor,  1847-52;  pastor  1853- 
56;  supply  pastor  Concord,  Plainview,  Brighton,  etc.,  111., 
1857-60;  joined  Alton  Presbytery,  second  time,  October  13, 
1848,  and  was  dismissed,  second  time,  April  lO,  1858,  to  Illi- 
nois Association ;  supply  pastor  Congregational  churches, 
Hammond  and  West  Salem,  Wis.,  1860-65  J  residence  in 
Upper  Alton,  occasionally  preaching,  1865-79. 


Augustus  Theodore  Norton  was  born  in  Cornwall, 
Litchfield  county.  Conn.,  March  28,  1808.  The  names  of  his 
parents  were  Theodore  Norton  and  Mary  (Judd)  Norton — 
the  former  born  in  Goshen,  Ct.,  February  17,  1775,  the  latter 
in  Litchfield,  Ct.,  September  21,  1775.  They  were  married 
January  22,  1797.  The  original  ancestor  of  the  family  in  this 
country  was  Thomas  Norton  of  Guilford,  Ct.,  who  immi- 
grated to  that  colony  from  England  in  1639,  and  was  one  of 
the  first  twenty-five  planters  in  that  place.  He  had  six  child- 
ren, two  of  whom  were  sons — Thomas  and  John,  His  de- 
scendants are  numerous  and  are  settled  all  over  the  country. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  when  only  three 
months  old  was  deprived  of  his  father.  His  mother  married 
again  six  years  after,  and  he  was  brought  up  with  his  mater- 
nal grandmother,  his  mother  and  step-father  until  the  age  of 
ten.  His  early  life  was  full  of  sorrow,  hardships  and  pov- 
erty. When  a  child  he  was  sickly  and  delicate,  but  out-door 
exercise,  farm  labor  and  boyish  games  gave  him  at  length  a 
firm  constitution,  so  that  in  after  life  he  became  remarkable 
for  physical  vigor  and  strength.  At  the  age  of  ten  he  be- 
came an  inmate  in  the  family  of  Dea.  William  Collins,  of 
Litchfield,  Ct,  where  he  remained  until  the  age  of  fourteen. 
In  his  fourteenth  year  he  became  a  hopeful  subject  of  renew- 
ing grace.  He  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Lyman  Beecher,  then 
pastor  of  the  Litchfield  Church.  From  fourteen  to  eighteen 
he  was  part  of  the  time  with  his  step-father,  Joel  Millard,  in 
Cornwall,  and  part  with  Judge  Moses  Lyman,  of  Goshen, 
Ct.,  who  took  a  deep  interest  in  his  welfare,  doing  him  more 
real  service  than  all  others  combined.  At  the  age  of  seven- 
teen he  taught  a  district  school  for  several  months  at  Salis- 


234  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

bury,  Ct.  In  1826  his  preparation  for  college  commenced,, 
and  was  completed  in  less  than  two  years.  In  the  fall  of  1828 
he  entered  the  freshman  class  of  Yale  College,  and  graduated 
with  one  of  the  highest  honors  of  the  class,  Aug.  15,  1832.  He 
immediately  took  charge  of  an  academy  in  Catskill,  N.  Y., 
and  at  the  eame  time  read  theology  with  Rev.  Thomas  M. 
Smith,  paying  particular  attention  to  the  Hebrew  language 
then  and  during  his  subsequent  life.  He  was  licensed  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Columbia,  September  17,  1834,  at  Stockport, 
near  Hudson,  N.  Y.,  and  at  once  commenced  his  ministerial 
labors  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Windham,  Green 
county,  N.  Y.  j^-  April  i,  1835,  he  was  ordained  by 

the  same  Presbytery.  His  settlement  with  this  congregation 
was  rather  the  result  of  the  strong  persuasion  of  others  than 
of  his  own  choice.  His  cousin.  Rev.  Theron  Baldwin,  and 
his  old  associate,  Frederick  Collins,  who  had  been  for  sev- 
eral years  in  Illinois,  urged  him  to  come  to  them.  He  ac- 
cordingly resigned  his  pastorate  and  removed  to  Illinois, 
arriving  at  Naples,  on  the  Illinois  river,  where  Mr.  Collins 
then  resided,  October  25,  1835.  Here  he  remained  for  one 
year,  preaching  at  Naples  and  Meredosia.  In  September, 
1836,  he  passed  through  a  very  severe  sickness.  In  October 
of  the  same  year  he  removed  to  Griggsville,  Pike  county, 
and  labored  there,  at  Pittsfield  and  Atlas,  same  county,  till 
April,  1838.  At  Pittsfield  he  organized  a  Presbyterian 
church  in  January,  1838,  being  the  first  of  a  large  number 
of  churches  which  he  afterwards  gathered.  He  then  ac- 
cepted an  invitation  to  St.  Louis,  where  under  his  labors  the 
Second   Presbyterian    Church    was   organized  in  the  fall  of 

1838,  and  where  he  continued   for  one  year.     In   February,. 

1839,  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  Alton,  111.,  and  entered  upon  his  labors  there  on  the 
first  Sabbath  in  March.  On  the  ninth  of  the  next  May  he 
was  installed.  This  position  he  retained  for  more  than  nine- 
teen years,  during  all  of  which  period  his  relations  with  his 
own  flock  and  with  all  his  evangelical  fellow-laborers  were 
of  the  most  endearing  and  harmonious  character.  The  church 
flourished  greatly  under  his  leadership,  and  became  in  its 
character  and  influence  one  of  the  leading  Presbyterian 
churches  in  the  State.  In  September,  1859,  he  was  ap- 
pointed "District  Secretary  of  Church  Extension  and  Home 
Missions  "  for  the  West.  For  a  few  months  after  this  appoint- 
ment his  family  residence  was  in   Chicago,  but  in  the  spring 


A.  T.  NORTON,  D.  D.  235 

of  1 86 1  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Alton,  though  still  re- 
taining the  same  position.  After  the  union  of  the  New  and 
Old  School  Assemblies,  in  1870,  his  field  was  limited  to  the 
Synod  of  Illinois  South.  In  May,  1845,  he  orig- 

inated and  for  twenty-three  years  edited  and  published  the 
Presbytery  Reporter,  a  monthly  magazine.  In  December, 
1868,  he  transferred  the  list  of  subscribers  to  the  Cincinnati 
Herald.  His  religious  views  are,  and    ever  have 

been,  thoroughly  evangelical  and  Calvinistic.  Ecclesiasti- 
cally, he  is  a  Presbyterian  from  conviction  and  preference. 
The  degree  of  D.  D.,  or  doctor  of  sacred  theology,  was  con- 
ferred upon  him  by  Wabash  College,  Ind.,  June  22,  1868. 
This  honor  he  did  not  seek.  Indeed  no  one  of  the  important 
positions  he  has  occupied  in  life  has  come  to  him  in  any  de- 
gree or  in  any  sense  by  his  own  contrivance,  or  with  his  own 
previous  consent  or  knowledge.  He  gratefully  acknowledges 
that  God  has  led  him.  He  is  a  corporate  member  of  the 
A.  B.  C.  for  Foreign  Missions,  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  Monticello  Female  Academy,  and  of  Blackburn 
University.  In  early  life  his  political  views  were 

those  of  the  old  Federalist  party,  then  of  the  Whig,  then  Re- 
publican, and  always  anti-slavery.  Though  never  active  in 
politics,  he  has  ever  held  decided  views  and  expressed  them 
fully.  In  the  late  civil  war  he  preached  patriotic  sermons  on 
more   than  one  hundred    occasions.  November 

12,  1834,  he  married  Eliza  Rogers,  daughter  of  Dea.  Noah 
Rogers,  of  Cornwall,  Ct.  She  was  born  August  12,  1812, 
and  is  a  lineal  desendant  of  Rev.  John  Rogers,  the  first  mar- 
tyr in  the  reign  of  "bloody  Mary,"  having  been  burned  at 
the  stake  in  Smithfield,  London,  February  14,  1554.  The  re- 
sult of  this  union  is  five  children — two  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters. The  eldest,  Augusta  A.,  died  when  seven  years  old. 
The  next,  Eliza  Delphine,  is  the  wife  of  Capt.  Charles  H. 
Phinney,  of  the  ship  "  Mary  L.  Stone."  The  third  is  Wil- 
bur T.,  editor  of  the  Alton  Telegraph.  The  fourth,  Isabella 
R.,  is  at  home  with  her  parents.  The  fifth,  Edward  R.,  is  in 
Cape  Town,  South  Africa,  connected  with  the  "  Standard 
and  Mail,"  and  special  correspondent  of  several  papers  in 
this  country. 

Amos  P.  Brown. 

A  letter  from  this  brother  himself  will  furnish  the  best  account  accesible  to  us 
of  his  early  years. 

"I  was  born  in  Thornton,  Grafton  county,  N.  H.,  June  15, 


236  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

1791,  As  to  the  time  and  place  of  my  education,  permit 
me  to  make  you  my  father  confessor  and  write  ^'non  est." 
I  was  hcensed  to  preach  by  the  Plymouth  Association,  con- 
sisting of  two  ministers,  Rev.  Messrs.  Fairbank  and  Rolf,  sit- 
ting in  my  mother's  parlor  at  Thornton,  N.  H.,  Jan.  24,  18 16. 
I  was  ordained  by  a  council  at  Campton,  same  county  and 
State,  on  the  first  day  of  January,  18 17,  pastor  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church,  in  a  meeting  house  said  to  contain  the 
last  sounding  board  in  that  State.  From  1822  to  1834  I 
spent  the  time  in  western  New  York.  I  entered  upon  mis- 
sionary labors  in  Missouri,  June  18,  1834.  Within  the  year 
I  traveled  along  th^-  river  counties  nearly  from  the  north  to 
the  south  line  of  the  State.  I  assisted  Rev.  Thomas  Don- 
nell  in  organizing  a  church  on  Black  river,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  south  of  St.  Louis,  in  July,  1834.  I  attended  a 
very  interesting  meeting  with  Rev.  J.  F.  Cowan  at  Cape 
Girardeau,  where  a  church  was  organized  a  few  weeks  after- 
ward," He  became  supply  pastor  of  Jerseyville 
Church,  Illinois,  in  October,  1835,  and  so  continued  until 
1838.  Here  he  made  himself  a  home  on  the  south  edge  of 
the  village,  and  here  he  remained  in  feeble  health,  but  cul- 
tivating his  few  acres  of  land,  for  several  years  after  he 
resigned  the  charge  of  the  church.  Then  he  removed  to 
Rushville,  111.,  and  again  made  himself  a  home  and  labored 
in  the  ministry  as  much  as  his  feeble  health  would  allow. 

He  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  first 
Alton  Presbytery,  and  removed  his  relation  from  that  to  the 
Presbytery  of  Peoria,  April  20,  1850.  He  died 

at  his  home  in  Rushville,  May  16,  1859,  being  at  the  time  a 
member  of  Schuyler  Presbytery.  He  was  twice  married. 
His  widow,  Mrs.  Cornelia  H.  L.  Brown,  survived  him  several 
years,  and  left  liberal  legacies  to  several  of  our  benevolent 
societies  and  boards.  She  died  at  Minonk,  111.,  Feb.  8,  1869, 
in  the  family  of  her  step-daughter,  Mrs.  Joseph  Fowler. 
Rev.  John  M.  Brown,  now  of  Highland,  Kan.,  is  a  son  of 
Amos  P.    Brown.  In  his  days   of  feeble  health, 

when  unable  for  much  physical  exertion,  Mr.  Brown  wrote 
many  interesting  and  valuable  articles  for  the  religious 
press.  His  first  wife  was  Jane  Little,  daughter  of  Hon. 
Joseph  Little,  Boscawen,  N.  H.  They  were  married  Feb. 
II,  1817.  She  died  in  Jerseyville,  Feb.  21,  1836.  Their 
children  were  Eliza  Ann,  born  October  7,  1818;  John,  born 
October    18,    1820,    died    in   childhood;    Sarah    Jane,   born 


JAMES    STAFFORD.  23/ 

April  I,  1825  ;  John  Mills,  born  Oct.  28,  1828;  Joseph  Little, 
born  May  29,  1830.  All  these  are  dead  save  John  Mills  and 
Eliza  Ann,  widow  of  the  Rev.  Joseph  Fowler,  who  is  in 
Minonk,  Illinois.  Mr.   Brown's   second  wife  was 

Cornelia  H.  Loenard,  of  Carrollton,  Ills.,  and  previously 
of  Bound  Brook,  N.  J. 


The  Kaskaskia  Presbytery  held  their  spring  session  in 
1836  with  the  Gilead  Church,  in  Jefferson  county.  Their 
principal  action  consisted  in  the  reception  of  Wm.  J.  Frazer, 
who  had  as  related  previously,  withdrawn  from  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  Their  fall  meeting  was  held  with 
the  Sugar  Creek  Church,  commencing  Oct.  15,  1836.  James 
Stafford  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Western 
District.  William  K.  Stewart  was  released  from  the  pastoral 
charge  of  Vandalia  Church. 


James  Stafford  was  the  grandson  of  James  Stafford 
who  came  from  Ireland  more  than  a  hundred  years 
since  and  settled  first  in  Pennsylvania,  and  afterwards 
removed  to  Mecklenburg  county,  N.  C.  His  first  wife  died 
in  Pennsylvania,  leaving  one  son,  George,  who  was  the  father 
of  James  Stafford.  George  Stafford  was  married  to  Tirzah 
Alexander,  who  was  the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  notice. 
Tirzah  Alexander  was  born  about  1770,  and,  being  early  left 
an  orphan,  was  raised  by  her  uncle,  Abraham  Alexander,  an 
Elder  of  Sugar  Creek  Church,  Mecklenburg  county,  N.  C. 
This  Abraham  Alexander,  the  maternal  grandfather  of 
James  S.,  was  chairman  of  the  meeting  at  Charlotte,  held  on 
the  20th  of  May,  1775,  at  which  was  made  the  celebrated 
"  Mecklenburg  Declaration  of  Independence,"  the  fore-run- 
ner, and  to  some  extent  the  model  of  the  National  Declara- 
tion of  July  4th,  1776.  Mr.  Stafford  was  therefore  from 
patriotic  as  well  as  pious  and  honored  ancestery. 
Until  sixteen  years  of  age  he  worked  upon  his  father's  farm. 
Manifesting  an  early  and  earnest  desire  for  a  thorough  edu- 
cation, he  was  sent  to  a  classical  school  taught  by  John  M. 
Wilson,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  Rocky  Creek  Church,  Cabarras 
county.  For  more  than  two  years  he  went  from  home  daily, 
riding  over  six  miles,  to  attend  this  school.  Here  he  was  pre- 
pared  for  College  and  was  sent  to   the  University  of  N.  C, 


238  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

located  at  Charlotte,  in  his  native  county.  He  graduated  in 
1820  in  the  twenty-first  year  of  his  age.  Soon  after 

his  graduation  he  entered  upon  the  study  of  theology  with 
his  old  preceptor  Dr.  Wilson.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Concord  in  the  spring  of  1822,  or  1823 — and  was 
afterwards  ordained  pastor  of  the  churches  of  Thyatira  and 
Bethphage — the  former  in  Rowan  county,  the  latter  in  Cabar- 
ras  county.  His  ministry  here  continued  for  several  years, 
and  is  represented  to  have  been  acceptable  and  useful,  and 
his  standing  as  a  Presbyter  good.  His  residence  and  labors 
there  would  probably  have  continued  for  life,  but,  in  the 
madness  and  darki^ess  of  the  times,  the  Legislature  of  his 
native  State  passed  a  law  by  which  it  was  made  a  penal 
offence  to  teach  a  negro  to  read.  Characteristically  bold  and 
out-spoken  in  the  expression  of  his  opinions  where  he 
deemed  a  moral  principle  involved,  he  was  not  of  such  a 
nature  as  to  maintain  a  politic  and  worldly-wise  silence.  His 
protest  and  condemnation  of  the  iniquity  made  his  position 
uncomfortable.  He  determined,  against  the  wishes  of  his 
friends,  to  leave  the  South  and  find  a  home  where  the  atnios- 
phere  was  not  tainted  and  polluted  by  the  influence  of  slavery. 
He  went  first  to  Cincinnati,  O.,  and  preached  a  month  or  two 
for  Dr.  Joshua  L.  Wilson,  then  proceeded  seventy-five  miles 
farther  north.  The  severity  of  the  winter  drove  him 
thence,  and  he  located  and  found  a  field  of  ministerial 
labor  in  Paris,  Tenn.  Here  his  first  wife,  whom  he  mar- 
ried in  Carolina  in  1825,  was  buried.  He  afterwards  preached 
in  Raleigh,  Tenn.  In  1836  he  removed  to  Illinois  and  set- 
led  upon  a  small  farm  in  Bond  county,  two  miles  north  of 
Greenville  and  near  the  original  Greenville  Church.  His 
ministry  here  was  continued,  with  slight  interruptions,  through 
thirteen  years — the  principal  interruption  being  a  temporary 
removal  to  McComb,  that  he  might  aid  in  the  incipient 
efforts  to  establish  a  college  there.  He  soon  returned  to 
Greenville.  Here  his  second  wife  died.  After  leaving 
Greenville  he  labored  for  longer  or  shorter  periods  in  the 
churches  of  Carlyle,  Sugar  Creek,  Trenton,  Nashville  and 
Ducoign.  From  his  home  near  Ducoign  he  trav- 

eled to  considerable  distances,  during  the  last  years  of  his 
life,  to  preach  to  feeble  and  destitute  churches.  Thus  he 
labored  during  his  last  summer  in  southern  Missouri. 

He  was    born    in  Mecklenburg  county,  N.  C,  on  the 
8th  of  May,   1800,    and    died  very  suddenly  at    his  home  in 


JAMES  STAFFORD.  239 

Perry  county,  Illinois,  on  the  27th  of  April,  1868.  He  had 
just  returned  from  the  regular  and  adjourned  meetings  of 
Presbytery  at  Carlyle  and  Trenton,  where  he  seemed  to  be 
in  his  usual  health.  He  is  represented  to  have  been  unusu- 
ally cheerful  and  well,  and  to  have  spoken,  during  the  few 
intervening  days,  with  unwonted  liveliness  of  the  renewal  of 
old  acquaintances,  and  his  enjoyment  of  fraternal  fellowship 
and  communion  at  the  Presbyterial  meetings.  He  preached 
his  last  sermon  during  the  visit  to  the  people  of  his  former 
charge  at  Sugar  Creek  church.  By  invitation  of  friends  he 
worshiped  on  his  last  earthly  Sabbath  with  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  church  of  Ducoign,  and  seemed  devoutly  to  enjoy 
the  service.  He  died  the  next  day,  Monday.  The  circum- 
stances of  this  sudden  death  are  thus  stated  by  a  member  of 
his  family:  "  He  had  told  the  household  some  weeks  before 
that  he  felt  he  might  die  suddenly,  and  requested  to  be 
looked  for  should  he  be  absent  unusually  long.  On  Mon- 
day, the  27th  of  April,  he  had  been  taking  more  than  usual 
exercise,  ate  a  light  dinner  and  went  out  to  finish  some  sod- 
ding in  the  yard,  which  he  cut  two  or  three  hundred  yards 
from  the  house  and  drew  on  a  small  sled  to  which  a  horse 
was  harnessed.  He  had  laid  two  loads  and  had  almost 
reached  the  house  with  the  third.  A  little  girl  found  him 
lying  on  his  back,  as  she  supposed  asleep — his  horse  stand- 
ing quietly  by  him.  The  child  ran  to  a  negro  man  just  on 
the  other  side  of  the  stable,  who  did  not  go  until  urged  the 
second  time  by  the  child.  When  he  reached  the  spot  the 
body  lay  there  in  a  very  composed  attitude,  as  if  he  had 
only  fallen  asleep,  but  the  spirit  had  fled."  Mr.  Stafford 
was  three  times  married:  May  23,  1825,  to  Miss  Dovey 
Johnson,  seventeen  years  of  age.  She  died  April  28,  1833, 
at  Paris,  Tennessee.  Jan.  15,  1835,  he  married  ^liss  Isabella 
Elliott,  of  Fayette  county,  Tenn.  She  died  Feb.  13,  1846. 
June,  1848,  he  married  Mrs.  M.  E.  Wyman,  at  Springfield, 
111.  This  lady  still  survives,  and  resides  at  Portland,  ]\Iaine. 
She  was  the  widow  of  Rev.  Robert  Wyman,  a  missionary  of 
the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  Mr.    Stafford    had   six  chil- 

dren ;  three  daughters,  Harriet,  Dorcas  J.  and  Mary  E.,  by 
his  first  marriage.  By  his  second,  two  sons  and  a  daughter; 
Paschal  G.,  William  Hr  >er  and  Martha  Ann.  Harriet, 
Mary  and  Martha  have  uied.  The  others  survive.  Mr. 
Stafford  was  a  man  of  strong  intellectual  grasp  and  power, 
•  decided  and  positive  in  his  convictions,  and  bold  and  fearless 


240  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

in  his  maintenance  of  what  he  regarded  as  important  truth. 
As  a  scholar,  he  was  liberally  educated,  a  man  of 
general  reading  and  information,  and  endeavored  through  his 
life  to  keep  abreast  of  the  times  on  all  the  great  questions 
which  interest  the  intelligent,  the  patriotic  and  the  pious. 
As  a  theologian  his  orthodoxy  was  never  ques- 
tioned or  questionable.  He  was  a  diligent  student  and  ever 
ready  to  expound  and  defend  the  grand  and  distinguishing 
doctrines  of  the  gospel.  As  a  preacher  he  was 

argumentative,  forcible,  earnest  and  impressive — rather  than 
fluent  or  eloquent.  His  ministry  drew  to  him  the  men  of 
thought  and  culture  in  the  several  communities  in  which  he 
lived  and  labored."" 


The  spring  meeting  of  Sangamon  Presbytery  was  held  at 
Irish  Grove,  April  i,  1836,  by  adjournment  at  Farmington, 
April  19,  and  at  Springfield  on  the  20th.  Thomas  Gait,  a 
licentiate  of  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio,  was  received,  examined 
and  ordained  pastor  of  Farmington  church.  Dewey  Whit- 
ney was  installed  pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church 
in  Springfield,  April  20.  The  fall  meeting  was 

held  at  Hillsboro,  Oct.  15,  1836. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  with  Pisgah  Church, 
Lawrence  county,  April  28,  1836.  John  Montgomery  was 
dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Schuyler.  Isaac  Bennet  was 
appointed  stated  clerk  in  his  place.  John  McDonald  was 
received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Chillicothe,  Stephen  Bliss 
and  Thomas  Gould  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the 
next  Assembly.  The  church  of  Charleston  was  received. 
The  fall  meeting  was  held  with  New  Provi- 
dence Church. 


Charleston  Church,  Coles  county,  was  organized  June 
13.  i835>  by  Revs.  John  Montgomery  and  John  McDonald, 
with  twelve  members,  James  A.  Mitchel  and  James  Lumbric, 
elders.  The  elders  since  elected  are  Stephen  D.  Shelledy 
and  William  Coilum,  October,  1837;  James  M.  Millar  and 
Dr.  Robert  A.  Allison,  April,  1845  ;  George  S.  Coilum  and 
Dr.  James  E.  Roberts,  October  25,  185 1  ;  John  A.  Miles  in 


SYNOD    OF    ILLINOIS.  24I 

1853;  John  McNutt  and  William  Miller,  Dec.  9,  1854;  A. 
Carroll  and  Richard  Roberts,  February  27,  1864;  W.  R. 
Adams  and  T.  C.  Miles,  March  28,  1871.  Ministers:  John 
McDonald,  one-half  the  time  up  to  the  spring  of  1843,  ex- 
cept about  twelve  months  in  which  Stephen  A.  Hodgeman, 
licentiate,  officiated.  In  the  spring  of  1843  Joseph  Piatt  held 
a  meeting  at  which  twenty-six  united  on  examination.  Henry 
I.  Venable  in  1844-5.  I^  this  year  the  church  edifice  was 
finished.  Previously  to  that  the  church  had  worshiped  in 
the  court-house,  in  school  houses  and  private  residences. 
Joseph  Adams  in  1846-49.  Robert  A.  Mitchell,  licentiate, 
one-half  the  time  from  1849  to  1853.  Henry  I.  Venable 
again  in  the  spring  of  1853,  for  all  his  time  for  two  and  one- 
half  years.  R.  A.  Mitchell  was  again  employed  in  January, 
1856,  as  pastor.  The  present  house  of  worship  was  erected 
in  1857  at  a  cost  of  about  nine  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Mitch- 
ell remained  until  1870.  Robert  ¥.  Patterson  took  charge 
of  the  church  October  i,  1870,  and  was  installed  the  next 
spring.  He  remained  until  1874.  J.  A.  Piper  took  charge 
in  1875  and  still  remains.  The  total  number  received  since 
the  organization  is  about  five  hundred.  James  M.  Miller  is 
Clerk  of  the  Session,  and  was  a  very  large  contributor  to- 
wards erecting  the  house  of  worship  and  removing  its  debt. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois  met  at  Alton,  commencing  Oc- 
tober 20,  1836.  At  this  meeting  the  Presbytery  of  Alton 
was  established  with  these  boundaries :  Commencing  at 
Bushnell's  ferry  on  the  Illinois  river,  its  line  ran  east  with  the 
road  through  Carrollton  and  Carlinville,  and  from  the  latter 
point  on  the  road  southeast  towards  Hillsboro  until  that  road 
met  the  line  of  Montgomery  county ;  thence  south  with  the 
west  line  of  Montgomery  to  Madison  county ;  thence  east 
six  miles  to  the  west  line  of  Bond ;  thence  south  with  that 
line  to  the  road  leading  from  St.  Louis  to  Greenville;  thence 
with  that  road  to  a  point  due  north  of  the  northeast  corner  of 
St.  Clair  county;  thence  with  the  eastern  and  southern  lines 
of  St.  Clair  and  Monroe  to  the  Mississippi;  thence  up  that 
and  the  Illinois  river  to  the  place  of  beginning.  Thus  it  in- 
cluded the  whole  of  Monroe,  St.  Clair,  and  what  is  now 
Jersey  county,  the  half  of  Green  and  Macoupin,  and  the 
whole  of  Madison,  except  about  one  township  and  a  half  in 
the   southeastern    corner   of  the  county.     The  churches  of 

15 


242  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Carrollton  and  Carlinville  went  with  the  IlHnois  Presbytery. 
The  principle  of  "elective  affinity,"  which  had  been  croping 
out  here  and  there  for  two  or  three  years,  had  much  to  do 
with  the  drawing  of  this  line  ;  and  appeared  especially  in  the 
fact  that  Bethel  church,  in  Bond  county,  had  liberty,  if  it 
chose,  to  attach  itself  to  Alton  Presbytery,  and  West  Liberty, 
in  St.  Clair  and  Madison,  to  Kaskaskia.  Elijah 

P.  Lovejoy,  of  Missouri  Synod,  was  present  at  this  meeting 
as   corresponding  member.  Thomas  A.   Spil- 

man  and  the  church  at  Hillsboro  were  transferred  to  the 
Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia.  The  case  of  William 

J.  Eraser,  who  had'been  received  by  the  Presbytery  of  Kas- 
kaskia, came  before  Synod,  and  this  resolution  was  passed, 
viz.:  "That  the  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  be,  and  they  are 
hereby  required,  at  the  next  meeting  of  Synod,  to  produce 
their  records  in  the  case;  and  that  until  then,  the  Synod  do 
not  recognize  William  J.  Eraser  as  a  Presbyterian  minister; 
nor  at  all,  until  they  shall  have  good  reasons  to  withdraw 
their  disapprobation  of  the  manner  of  his  renouncing  our 
connection,  and  his  positive  withdrawal  from  the  Pres- 
byterian Church."  Of  that  part  of  this  resolution,  refus- 
ing to  recognize  Mr.  Eraser  as  a  Presbyterian  minister,  no- 
tice of  a  complaint  to  the  Assembly  was  given  by  John 
Brich,  B.  E.  Spilman,  John  Mathews,  Alexander  Ewing, 
John  N.  Moore,  William  White,  Hervey  McClung,  William 
K.  Stewart  and  James  Stafford. 


YEAR   1837. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  Carlinville  April  4, 
1837.  The  following  members  were  dismissed,  viz. :  Milton 
Kimball  to  Schuyler  Presbytery,  John  M.  Ellis  to  Monroe, 
and  Henry  Herrick  to  Union,  Tenn.  Dr.  Gid- 

eon BlsLckhurn,  minister,  and  David  B.  Ayres,  elder,  were  ap- 
pointed Commissioners  to  the  next  Assembly.  The 
fall  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  was  held  at  Carrollton,  com- 
mencing September  29,  1837.  Notice  was  taken  of  the  death 
of  John  Brich,  which  occurred  in  March,  1837.  A.  H.  Dash- 
iell  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Nashville,  and  Theron 
Baldwin  to  that  of  Alton.  Two  papers  were  presented  to 
the  Presbytery,  one  sustaining  the  course  of  the  New,  the 
other  that  of  the   Old  School  in   the  last  Assembly.      The 


JOHN    SILLIMAN.  243 

vote  was  taken  by  ayes  and  nays,  when  the  New  School  pa- 
per obtained  eleven  votes,  and  the  Old  School  two. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  with  Greenville 
church,  Bond  county,  March  17,  1837.  John  Silhman  was 
received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Morgantown.  John  S, 
Reasoner  was  received  as  a  licentiate  from  the  Presbytery  of 
■Cayuga,  examined  and  on  the  i8th  of  March,  1837,  ordained. 
T.  A.  Spilman  was  appointed  stated  clerk  in  place  of  VVm. 
K.  Stewart,  resigned.  Wm.  J.  Fraser  and  Wm.  K.  Stewart 
were  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Scuyler.  James  Staf- 
ford, minister,  and  George  Donnell,  elder,  were  appointed 
Commissioners  to  the  next  Assembly.  West-Libery  church 
in  Madison  county  was  received.  A  paper  on  the  state  of 
the  church,  in  which  decided  Old  School  ground  was  taken, 
was  adopted  by  an  unanimous  vote.  The  Presbytery, 
reported  to  the  Assembly  nine  ministers  and  thirteen 
churches.  The  fall  meeting  was  held   at   Hills- 

boro,   Oct.   14.     The  reform  measures  of  1836  were  unani- 
mously approved. 


John  Silliman. 

I  insert  liere  a  letter  written  by  his  daughter,  Mrs.  A.  A.  M.  Leffler,  to  Rev. 
S.  C.  Baldridge,  April  7,   1870. 

"  Rev.  John  Silliman  was  born  in  Rowan  county,  N.  C, 
Aug.  13,  1786.  His  parents  were  John  and  IsabeHa  Silliman, 
Scotch  Covenanters.  They  were  persons  of  ^exemplary 
piety  and  considerable  education ;  so  much  so  that  they 
fitted  their  five  sons  for  college  without  sending  them  to 
school.  My  father  was  their  fourth  son,  and  was  considera- 
bly over  twenty  when  his  attention  was  directed  to  the  min- 
istry. His  father  had  one  of  the  finest  libraries  in  the  land ; 
living  in  easy  circumstances,  his  sons  had  fine  opportunities 
for  improving  their  minds.  I  remember  to  have  heard  my 
father  say  that  the  knowledge  he  gained  in  the  years  he 
spent  at  home  among  those  leather-bound  books,  after  he 
attained  his  majority,  was  of  incalculable  benefit  to  him  in 
ministerial  life.  When  he  graduated  none  of  us  can  tell. 
His  diploma,  with  many  valuable  papers  of  his  own,  was 
turned  with  the  home  of  his  childhood,  about  1818  or  1819. 


244  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

He  studied  theology  with  Dr.  John  H.  Rice,  of  Virginia,  and 
was  Hcensed  and  ordained  by  East  Hanover  Presbytery,  at 
Prince  Edward,  Va.,  and  was  one  year  a  co-pastor  with  Rev. 
Matthew  Lyle.  In  i8i8hevvas  married  (Dr.  A.Alexander 
officiating  )  to  Julia  E.,  daughter  of  Maj.  Samuel  Spencer, 
of  Charlotte  county,  Va.  His  choice  of  a  wife  proved  most 
happy,  as  her  ardent  piety,  cultivated  mind  and  pleasing 
manners,  rendered  her  a  most  acceptable  pastor's  wife.  At 
the  time  of  his  marriage  he  had  in  his  possession  a  *  call '  to 
the  church  in  Morgantown,  N.  C,  and  in  January,  1819,  was 
installed,  and  continued  their  pastor  until  the  fall  of  1836, 
when  he  removed  to  Illinois.  During  that  pastorate  of 
seventeen  years  he  received  into  the  church  more  than  six 
hundred  persons  on  examination,  besides  those  received  in 
missionary  stations  among  the  mountains.  Dur- 

ing the  two  years  that  my  father  lived  in  Illinois  he  received 
many  urgent  solicitations  to  return  and  again  take  charge  of 
the  church  in  Morgantown;  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he 
had  accepted  an  unanimous  call  to  return  and  take  the  pas- 
toral work  in  his  old  charge.  When  my  mother  visited  the 
place,  with  her  children,  nine  months  after  the  death  of  her 
husband,  she  was  much  moved  to  find  a  great  part  of  the 
church  in  deep  mourning  for  their  beloved  pastor.  He  died 
Nov.  3,  1838,  aged  fifty-two  years  and  three  months.  A.  A. 
M.  Leffler."  He,  his  amiable  partner,  and  several 

of  their  children  now  rest  in  the  old  church  yard  at  Sharon. 
His  headstone  bears  this  inscription: 

la  Memory  of 

Rev.  John  Silliman,  Presbyterian  Clergyman, 

Departed  tliis  life  November  3,  183S, 

Aged  52  years. 

The  aged  people  of  Sharon  church  remember  him  as  very 
sociable  and  hospitable  ;  as  a  preacher,  doctrinal  and  rather  . 
lenghty  in  his  sermons  ;  as  a  citizen,  full  of  enterprise  and 
schemes  for  the  improvement  and  progress  of  the  country. 
He  bought  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  when  he  came,  and  soon 
had  up  a  new  house.  In  1837  he  taught  a  select  school. 
He  furnished  the  capital  for  setting  up  a  carding  machine. 
He  was  full  of  business. 


West  Liberty  church  was  organized  by  B.  F.  Spilman,  in 
the  six  mile  settlement,  Madison  county,  Oct.  19,  1836,  with 


SANGAMON  AND  PALESTINE  PRESBYTERIES.       245 

'Cleven  members,  Samuel  S.  Rankin,  elder.  The  name  of 
this  church  was  changed  to  Brooklyn  by  Presbytery,  April 
II,  1840.  Having  ceased  to  exist  its  name  was  stricken 
from  the  roll  April  14,  1845. 


Sangamon  Presbytery  met  at  Springfield  April  7,  1837. 
Erastus  W.  Thayer  was  licensed  April  lO,  1837.  Dewey 
Whitney,  minister,  and  Joseph  Thayer,  elder,  were  appoint- 
ed commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  The  fall 
meeting  was  held  at  Farmington,  October  16,  Josiah  Porter 
was  received  as  a  licentiate  from  the  Presbytery  of  Shiloh,  and 
his  request  to  be  ordained,  sine  titulo,  was  not  granted.  A 
long  paper  approving  the  course  of  the  majority  in  the  last 
Assembly  was  adopted  by  seven  ayes  to  four  nays,  thus 
placing  this  Presbytery  on  the  Old  School  side  in  the 
great  division  then  spreading  through  the  Church. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  met  at  Palestine  April  20, 
1837.  Isaac  Bennet,  minister,  and  D.  Smick,  elder,  were 
appointed  commissioners  to  the  next  Assembly.  At  an  ad- 
journed meeting  held  at  Paris,  June  2,  Robert  Rutherford  was 
received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Chillicothe.  The  fall  meet- 
ing was  held  at  Charleston,  Oct.  13.  Ministers  present: 
Samuel  Baldridge,  Robert  Rutherford,  J.  C.  Campbell,  Enoch 
Kingsbury.  Elders  present :  John  Dodds,  Wabash  ;  Cyrus 
Rice,  Shiloh;  Thomas  Buchanan,  Pisgah ;  James  Lumbric, 
Charleston  ;  James  Black,  Bethel.  The  following 

very  explicit  resolution  on  slavery  was  adopted  by  an  unan- 
imous vote,  viz :  "  Believing  that  slavery  as  it  exists  in  the 
United  States  is  a  very  aggravated  sin,  with  which  the  Great 
Head  of  the  Church  is  greatly  displeased,  and  that  all  who 
contenance  it  are  implicated  in  it ;  Resolved,  ( i )  That  such  as 
sell  their  fellow-beings  into  perpetual,  involuntary  slavery  for 
the  sake  of  gain  ought  to  be  suspended  from  a  participation 
in  the  sacraments  of  the  New  Testament  until  they  give  evi- 
dence of  repentance.  (2)  That  this  paper  be  read  publicly 
in  all  our  churches,  and  that  a  copy  be  sent  to  the  Alton 
Observer  and  the  Western  Presbyterian  Herald!' 

On  the  other  questions  then  pending  as  between  New  and 
Old  School,  this  Presbytery  did  not  at  this  meeting  take  any 
decided  ground. 


246  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Alton  Presbytery,  established  by  the  last  SyruDd,  held" 
its  first  meeting  at  Alton,  commencing  April  4,  1837.  Minis- 
ters present :  Thomas  Lippincott,  Albert  Hale,  John  F. 
Brooks  and  Amos  P.  Brown.  Ministers  absent :  Frederick 
W.  Graves  and  Thaddeus  B.  Hurlbut.  Elders  present :  A. 
Alexander,  Alton  ;  James  M.  Douglas,  Bethel.  The  licen- 
tiate, Enoch  S.  Huntington,  was  present.  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy 
was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  St,  Louis,  and  was 
appointed  Stated  Clerk.  This  office  he  held  till  his  death. 
The  first  twenty-six  pages  of  the  Records  are  in  his  hand 
writing.  Joshua  T.  Tucker,  a  licentiate,  was  received  from 
the  Presbytery  of^t.  Louis.  Upper  Alton  church 

was  received.  Tlie  churches  of  the  Presbytery  not  repre- 
sented were  South  Green,  afterwards  Jerseyville,  Spring 
Cove,  Marine,  Collinsville  and  Belleville.  F.  W.  Graves,  min- 
ister, was  appointed  Commissioner  to  the  Assembly.  A  long 
and  able  memorial  upon  slavery  was  unanimously  adopted. 
It  concluded  by  asking  the  Assembly  to  adopt  these  three 
declarations.  (  I  )  "  That  slaveholding,  or  the  buying,  sell- 
ing, or  holding  human  beings  as  property  is  sin.  (  2  )  That 
the  General  Assembly  will  not  be  responsible  for  its  perpetua- 
tion. ( 3 )  That  the  judicatories  of  the  Church  ought  to 
take  suitable  measures  to  purge  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
the  evil."  Here  there  is  no  uncertain  sound. 
The  fall  meeting  was  held  with  Bethel  church,  commencing 
Sept.  14.  Ministers  present :  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy,  T.  Lip- 
pincott and  E.  L.  Huntington.  EldI':rs:  Horace  Look, 
Collinsville ;  Enoch  Long,  Upper  Alton  ;  James  Davis, 
Bethel.  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy  was  made  Moderator.  The 
ordination  of  Enoch  S.  Huntington,  at  Bethel,  May  26, 
'^^37,  was  reported.  A  memorial  to  Synod,  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  Church's  participation  in  the  sin  of  slavery, 
drawn  up  by  Mr.  Lovejoy,  was  adopted  by  an  unani- 
mous vote.  At  an  adjourned  meeting  held  at  Upper  Alton, 
Nov.  15,  Joshua  T.  Tucker  was  ordained,  and  Charles  G. 
Selleck,  having  been  received  from  the  Consociation  of  the 
Western  District  of  Fairfield  county,  Conn.,  was  installed 
pastor  of  the  Upper  Alton  church.  Resolutions 

were  adopted  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Lovejoy.  Among  them 
was  this  one.  "  That  we  have  entire  confidence  in  the  truth 
and  final  triumph  of  those  principles  of  the  freedom  of 
speech,  the  freedom  of  the  press  and  the  freedon  of  the  slave 
in  defence  of  which  he  lost  his  life." 


UPPER  ALTON  CHURCH.  247 

Upper  Alton  Church  was  organized  January  8,  1837,  by 
Revs.  F.  W.  Graves,  T.  B.  Hurlbut  and  Thomas  Lippincott, 
with  twenty-three  jnembers.  It  appears  that  in  June  follow- 
ing a  union  was  effected  between  this  and  a  Congregational 
church  in  the  same  place.  By  this  union  twenty-six  members 
were  added.  One  article  provides  for  the  election  of  Elders 
triennially.  E.  P.  Lovejoy  was  the  first  minister.  He  labored 
gratuitously.  C.  G.  Selleck  was  installed  pastor  Nov.  16, 
1837,  and  resigned  the  charge  in  October,  1841.  Hubbel 
Loomis  succeeded  him  as  stated  pastor  until  May,  1843. 
j\Ir.  Loomis  was  succeeded  by  H.  B.  Whittaker,  who 
continued  his  labors  here  until  his  death,  Sept.  15,  1844. 
Williston  Jones  succeeded  Mr.  Whittaker,  and  remained 
until  May,  1845.  •  Lemuel  Foster,  T.  B.  Hurlbut  and  Wil- 
liam Barnes,  labored  for  different  periods.  W.  R.  Adams 
from  1861  to  1867.  Since  then  Lucius  L  Root,  Rob- 
ert Rudd,  John  Huston  and  Samuel  B.  Taggart  have  served 
this  church.  The  latter  is  still  their  minister.  Elders  : 
Enoch  Long,  Ebenezer  Dennison,  John  Manning,  Samuel 
Archer,  William  Clark,  Alfred  Cowles,  Joseph  Gordon, 
W^inthrop  S.  Gilman,  Russell  Scarritt,  William  Bates,  Wm. 
Cunningham,  Myron  Ives,  J.  J.  Hastings,  S.  W.  Ball,  J.  P. 
Burton,  T.  R.  IMurphy,  Joseph  Piatt,  W.  S.  R.  Robinson  and 
probably  some  others.  The  Records  have  been  very  imper- 
fectly kept.  The  first  church  edifice  was  erected  in  1836, 
and  occupied  the  same  site  as  the  present  one.  Previous  to 
that  the  church  worshiped  in  what  was  known  as  the 
"  Brick  School  House."  The  first  church  edifice  was  burned 
Feb.  10,  1858.  The  present  building  was  commenced  soon 
after,  but  for  lack  of  funds  went  on  but  slowly.  It  was 
finally  finished,  and  dedicated  Nov.  15,  1865.  This  church 
has  had  many  difficulties.  Among  these  were  its  semi-con- 
stitution ;  the  vicinity  of  other  strong  churches,  and  the 
exceedingly  fluctuating  character  of  the  population  of  the 
place. 

Elijah  Parish  Lovejoy. 

Henry  Tanner,  in  1837.  a  resident  of  Alton  and  now  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  has 
given  a  brief  sketch  of  Mr.  Lovejoy,  and  a  pretty  full  one  of  his  death  and  the 
events  preceeding  it.  As  Mr.  Tanner  was  personally  cognizant  of  these  events 
and  one  of  the  defenders  of  the  press  on  the  night  of  Lovejoy's  death,  I  have 
decided  to  transfer  to  these  pages  his  truthful  and  graphic  account. 

Mr.    Lovejoy  was  born    in    Albion,  Maine,  November  8, 


248  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

1802.  He  would  have  been  thirty-five  years  old  the  day 
after  he  was  murdered.  He  was  a  son  of  Rev.  Daniel  Love- 
joy,  a  Congregational  minister.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Water- 
ville  College,  and  soon  after  graduating  emigrated  to  St. 
Louis,  Mo,  where  for  several  years  he  taught  a  school.  Sub- 
sequently he  became  editor  of  the  Sf.  Louis  Times,  and  ad- 
vocated the  election  of  Henry  Clay  for  the  Presidency.  His 
writings  exhibited  talents  of  a  very  high  order  and  were  ap- 
preciated by  his  co-workers.  During  this  period  Mr.  Lovejoy 
was  what  is  denominated  a  sceptic,  though  far  from  being  an 
infidel;  but  in  a  revival  of  religion  in  St.  Louis,  in  1832,  he 
was  converted,  an^.  soon  after  entered  Princeton  Theolog- 
ical Seminary,  and,  ending  his  studies  there,  was  licensed  to 
preach  by  the  Second  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  but  was 
soon  thereafter  induced  to  return  to  St.  Louis  and  take  the  ed- 
itorial charge  of  the  St.  Louis  Observer.  His  connection  with 
that  paper  commenced  November  11,  1833.  His  course  as 
an  editor  was  bold  and  fearless,  exhibiting  great  courage  in 
what  was  to  his  mind  duty.  He  soon  found  himself  in  con- 
troversy with  Romanism,  getting  the  ill-will  of  many  of  that 
faith  in  St.  Louis,  by  his  strong  denunciation  of  the  use  of 
the  United  States  soldiers  stationed  there,  and  of  the  use  of 
the  American  flag  in  the  public  dedication  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  cathedral  of  St.  Louis.  And  by  them  he  was  in 
turn  denounced  as  an  Abolitionist,  although  at  this  time  he 
was  the  farthest  removed  from  that  faith.  But  the  cry  was 
raised  against  him,  a  Northern  man  in  a  slave  city  and  State, 
and  for  an  object,  and  it  had  its  effect.  His  office  was  for  a 
time  closed  in  consequence  of  the  excitement  growing  out 
of  this.  He  denounced  his  persecutors  and  made  a  power- 
ful, patriotic  and,  for  the  time  being,  effectual  appeal  to  the 
public  of  St.  Louis  that  produced  reaction  in  his  favor.  At 
this  time  Lovejoy  was  contemplating  removing  his  office  and 
press  to  Alton,  and  had  taken  some  steps  in  that  direction ; 
had  visited  Alton  and  held  consultations  with  citizens,  but 
no  decision  had  been  made  respecting  it.  But 

now  came  the  murder  in  St.  Louis  of  a  black  man  by  the 
name  of  Mcintosh,  who  was  a  deck  hand  on  a  steamer  lying 
at  the  levee,  and  in  retaliation  for  abuse  which  he  could  no 
longer  endure,  stabbed  and  killed  a  white  man.  For  this 
high-handed  offense  the  black  man  was  chained  to  a  tree  or 
stump  and  burned  to  death  by  the  mob  in  that  city.  This 
crime  was  justified  by  the  city  judge,  whose  name  was  Law- 


THE    BURNING    OF    M  INTOSH.  249 

less — a  good  name  for  the  occasion.  Mr.  Lovejoy  handled 
this  act  of  the  mob  and  the  charge  of  Judge  Lawless  with 
severity,  sparing  neither  language  nor  energy  in  denouncing 
both.  This  so  exasperated  the  mob  that  the  old  cry  of  abo- 
lition was  again  raised  against  him,  and  his  office  destroyed. 
Mr.  Lovejoy,  now  in  earnest  for  another  place 
to  establish  his  paper,  where  he  could  fire  into  the  enemies 
of  peace  and  good  order,  for  he  was  by  no  means  beaten, 
turned  to  Alton  as  a  base  of  operation,  being  the  nearest 
town  to  St.  Louis,  and  in  a  free  State ;  but  previous  to  re- 
moving there  he  had  a  meeting  with  a  number  of  citizens  of 
Alton,  representing  the  business  and  the  property  of  the  city 
to  a  great  degree.  They  questioned  him  as  to  his  course 
in  regard  to  slavery,  should  he  come  among  them  to  publish 
his  paper,  for  but  few  of  them  were  then  Abolitionists.  Mr. 
Lovejoy's  answers  were  characteristic  of  the  man.  He  said 
slavery  is  a  subject  that  ought  faithfully  to  be  discussed  in 
our  religious  and  political  journals,  and  as  an  editor  he  should 
never  relinquish  his  right  to  discuss  that  or  any  other  sub- 
ject he  might  think  it  his  duty  to  discuss.  "  I  do  not  know," 
said  he,  "that  I  shall  feel  it  my  duty  to  discuss  it  here  as  fully 
as  I  did  in  St.  Louis;  there,  where  its  enormities  were  con- 
stantly before  me,  I  felt  bound  to  lift  up  my  voice  against  it, 
as  in  the  murder  of  Mcintosh.  This  I  claim  as  my  consti- 
tutional right,  a  right  which  I  shall  never  relinquish  to  any 
man  or  body  of  men.  But  to  discuss  the  subject  of  slavery 
is  not  the  object  of  my  paper,  except  as  a  great  moral  sub- 
ject in  connection  with  others.  jVIy  object  is  to  publish  a  re- 
ligious journal  which  shall  be  instructive  and  profitable  to  my 
fellow-citizens.  As  to  the  subjects  I  shall  discuss,  and  the 
manner  of  doing  it,  I  shall  ever  claim  the  right  of  deter- 
mining for  myself,  always  accepting  counsel  from  others  with 
thankfulness." 

This  was  all  plain  and  well  understood,  and  Mr.  Lovejoy 
was  cordially  welcomed  as  a  citizen  of  Alton.  But  notwith- 
standing all  this,  the  night  after  the  press  was  landed  it  was 
destroyed,  it  having  been  left  on  the  bank  of  the  river  over 
night,  the  building  for  its  use  not  being  ready  to  receive  it, 
and  no  one  dreaming  of  any  trouble  towards  it.  A  public 
meeting  of  the  citizens  was  called  the  following  day,  and  the 
sentiments  expressed  on  the  outrage  committed  were  so 
strong,  and  the  noble  stand  to  defend  the  law  at  all  hazards 
so  firmly  taken,  that  the  reputation  of  Alton  as  a  law-abid- 


250  PXESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

ing  city,  both  abroad  and  at  home,  was  very  high.  At  this 
meeting  Mr.  Lovejoy  reiterated  in  substance  the  remarks 
just  quoted,  and  said  he  claimed  the  right  to  discuss  any  sub- 
ject, holding  himself  responsible  to  the  law  of  the  land.  He 
did  not  ask  the  citizens  of  Alton  to  grant  him  the  right — he 
claimed  this  as  the  right  of  an  American  citizen.  It  has  been 
charged  by  the  abettors  of  the  mob  by  which  Mr.  Lovejoy 
was  killed,  that  he  violated  a  pledge  given  when  he  came  to 
Alton,  not  to  publish  Abolition  doctrines,  but  this  is  not  true, 
Lovejoy  gave  no  pledge  beyond  what  the  language  quoted 
would  imply.  He  was  not  a  man  to  promise  he  would  not 
discuss  any  subject.  He  was  as  honest  as  he  was  fearless  in 
the  line  of  what  to  him  was  duty.  Another  press 

was  bought,  shipped  to  Alton  and  put  to  work,  the  title  of 
his  paper  being  changed  from  the  St.  Louis  Observer  to  the 
Alton  Observer.  The  progressive  interest,  however,  felt  by 
Lovejoy  in  the  subject  of  slavery,  although  yet  calling  him- 
self a  Colonizationist,  was  so  strongly  marked  in  his  expres- 
sions, that  it  raised  against  him  the  old  cry  of  Abolitionist, 
and  soon  led  to  the  destruction  of  this  second  press  in 
Alton,  on  the  night  of  the  22d  of  August,  1837.  The  author- 
ities of  the  city  made  no  serious  attempt  to  save  this  press 
or  disperse  the  mob.  John  M.  Krum  was  then  mayor  of  the 
city,  and  politely  requested  the  gentlemen  engaged  in  de- 
stroying the  press  and  property  to  please  disperse  and  go 
home,  and  he  was  answered  that  they  would  do  so  as  soon  as- 
they  had  finished  the  little  job  they  had  on  hand  ;  and  in  turn 
they  advised  the  mayor  to  go  home  himself  lest  he  might  get 
hurt,  which  order  was  obeyed  by  the  mayor.  This  act  of  the 
mob  and  the  supineness  of  those  in  authority,  and  perhaps 
the  constant  thinking  that  he  must  have  all  the  time  kept  up 
on  the  subject,  brought  Mr.  Lovejoy  to  the  front  as  an  avowed 
Abolitionist,  immediate  and  unconditional,  and  for  him  to  de- 
cide was  to  act.  He  at  once  issued  a  call  for  a  convention  to 
assemble  at  Upper  Alton,  for  the  organization  of  a  State 
Anti-Slavery  Society,  and  on  the  26th  of  October,  1837,  the 
convention  thus  called  convened  at  Upper  Alton.  I  was 
present  at  this  convention  and  amid  all  the  scenes  that  so 
rapidly  followed.  A  large  number  of  persons  not  friendly  to 
the  call  came  into  the  convention,  professing  to  adopt  the 
sentiments,  and  enrolled  themselves  as  members,  and  by  their 
number  succeeded  in  passing  resolutions  in  opposition  to  the 
intention  of  those  who  issued  the  call.     U.  F.  Linder,  a  law- 


LINDER    AND    HOGAN.  25 1 

yer,  and  then  Attorney-General  of  the  State,  and  John  Ho- 
gan,  a  Methodist  minister,  were  the  most  active  and  ac- 
knowledged leaders  of  those  who  were  bent  on  obstructing 
the  work  of  forming  a  State  Anti-Slavery  Society,  for  which 
the  call  had  been  issued.  The  meeting,  however,  came  to 
its  end,  somehow,  but  whether  by  adjournment,  or  by  all 
leaving  the  room,  I  do  not  now  recollect.  The  next  day, 
however,  the  friends  of  the  call  met  at  the  home  of  Rev.  T. 
B.  Hurlbut,  in  Upper  Alton,  and  about  sixty  names  were 
recorded  as  organizing  the  State  Anti-Slavery  Society  of  Illi- 
nois, and  elected  their  officers.  The  following  Sab- 
bath, October  29,  the  Rev.  Edward  Beecher,  then  President 
of  Jacksonville  College,  preached  one  sermon  in  Alton  and 
one  in  Upper  Alton,  with  great  plainness  of  speech,  on  the 
subject  of  slavery;  and  on  the  Monday  following,  October 
30,  several  members  of  the  late  convention  and  many  of  the 
principal  citizens  of  Alton  met  in  the  store  of  Alexander  & 
Co.,  to  consult  on  the  expediency  of  establishing  the  press 
again  in  Alton,  and  if  established,  of  defending  it.  After  much 
deliberation,  it  was  advised  that  Mr.  Lovejoy  go  on  and  re- 
establish the  press,  and  that  it  was  the  duty  of  friends  of  free 
discussion  to  stand  to  the  last  in    his  defense. 

At  a  subsequent  meeting  held  in  the  Riley  building,  the 
same  day,  but  more  publicly  called  than  the  former  one,  the 
same  U.  F.  Linder  and  Rev.  John  Hogan  were  the  promi- 
nent leaders  of  the  opposition  to  Lovejoy — the  minister 
Hogan  especially,  who  said  to  Lovejoy  that  St.  Paul  when 
persecuted  in  one  city  fled  to  another,  and  that  he  (Lovejoy) 
should,  as  a  Christian,  follow  Paul's  example  and  flee  from 
Alton.  At  this  meeting  also,  U.  F.  Linder,  Attorney-Gen- 
eral, made  a  speech  full  of  bitter  denunciation  of  Lovejoy 
and  of  all  Abolitionists,  ministers  of  the  gospel,  etc.  All 
aimed  to  stir  up  the  mob  spirit  and  to  intimidate  and  drive 
Lovejoy  from  the  city.  After  he  had  concluded  his  effort, 
Mr.  Lovejoy  obtained  the  floor.  He  went  to  the  desk  in 
front  of  the  audience,  laid  aside  his  overcoat,  and  in  the  most 
calm  and  deliberate  manner  addressed  the  meeting.  He 
repelled  the  several  charges  and  insinuations  that  had  been 
made  by  the  principal  speakers,  Linder  and  Hogan,  saying 
that  it  was  not  true  that  he  held  in  contempt  the  feelings  and 
sentiments  of  this  community  in  reference  to  the  great  ques- 
tion that  was  agitating  it.  He  respected  and  appreciated  the 
feelings   of  his  fellow-citizens,  and   it  was  one  of   the  most 


252  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

unpleasant  and  painful  duties  of  his  life  that  he  was  called 
upon  to  differ  from  them.  If  they  supposed  he  had  published 
sentiments  contrary  to  those  generally  held  in  this  commu- 
nity, because  he  delighted  in  differing  from  them  or  in  occa- 
sioning a  disturbance,  they  had  entirely  misapprehended 
him.  But  although  he  valued  the  good  opinion  of  his  fellow- 
citizens  as  highly  as  any  man  could,  yet  he  was  governed  by 
higher  considerations  than  either  the  favor  or  fear  of 
man.  He  was  impelled  to  the  course  he  had  taken  because 
he  feared  God.  As  he  should  answer  to  God  in  the  great 
day,  he  dare  not  abandon  his  sentiments  or  cease  in  every 
proper  way  to  propg^ate  them.  He  told  the  meeting  he  had 
not  asked  or  desired  any  compromise;  he  had  asked  for 
nothing  but  to  be  protected  in  his  rights  which  God  had 
given  him,  and  which  were  guaranteed  to  him  by  the  consti- 
tution of  his  country.  He  asked,  "  What  infraction  of  the 
laws  have  I  been  guilty  of?  Whose  good  name  have  I  in- 
jured? When  and  where  have  I  published  anything  injuri- 
ous to  the  reputation  of  Alton  ?  Have  I  not,  on  the  contrary, 
labored  in  common  with  the  rest  of  my  fellow-citizens  to 
promote  the  reputation  and  the  interest  of  Alton?  What 
has  been  my  offense  ?  Put  your  finger  upon  it,  define  it,  and  I 
stand  ready  to  answer  for  it.  If  I  have  been  guilty,  you  can 
easily  convict  me.  You  have  public  sentiment  in  your  favor. 
You  have  your  juries,  and  you  have  your  attorney,  (looking  at 
the  attorney  Linder,)  and  I  have  no  doubt  you  can  convict  me  ; 
but  if  I  have  been  guilty  of  no  violation  of  the  laws,  why  am  I 
hunted  up  and  down  continually  as  a  partridge  upon  the 
mountains  ?  Why  am  I  threatened  with  the  tar  barrel  ?  Why 
am  I  waylaid  from  day  to  day  and  from  night  to  night,  and 
my  life  in  jeopardy  every  hour?  "  He  also  said,  "  You  have 
made  up  a  false  issue  (as  the  lawyers  say) ;  there  are  not  two 
parties  in  this  matter  between  whom  there  can  be  a  compro- 
mise." He  planted  himself  upon  his  unquestionable  rights  ; 
said  the  question  to  be  decided  was  not  whether  a  compro- 
mise could  be  effected,  but  whether  he  should  be  protected 
in  the  exercise  and  enjoyment  of  those  rights.  ^'This  is  the 
question  :  whether  my  property  shall  be  protected  ;  whether  I 
shall  be  suffered  to  go  home  to  my  family  at  night  without 
being  assailed  and  threatened  with  tar  and  feathers  and  as- 
sassination ;  whether  my  aflflicted  wife,  whose  life  has  been 
in  jeopardy  from  continued  alarms  and  excitement,  shall 
night  after  night  be  driven    from  a  sick-bed    into  the  garret 


LOVEJOY  S    SPEECH.  2$$ 

to  save  her  life  from  the  brick-bats  and  violence  of  the  mob. 
T/iat,  sir,   is  the  question?"     (Here    his    feelings  overcame 
him  and  he  burst  into  tears.)     Many  others  in  the  room  also 
wept,  and  for  a  time  the    sympathies    of  the  meeting  were 
with  him.     He  apologized  for  having  betrayed  any  weakness 
on  the  occasion;    it   was  the  allusion,   he  said,  to  his  family 
that  overcame  his    feelings.     He   assured    them  it  was  not 
from  any  fears  on  his  part.     He  had  no  personal  fears.     Not 
that  he  felt  able  to  contest  this  matter  with  the  whole  com- 
munity— he  knew  perfectly  well  that  he  was  not — but  where 
should  he  go?     He  had  been  made  to  feel  that  if  he  was  not 
safe  in  Alton,  he  would  not  be  safe   anywhere.     He  had  re- 
cently visited  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  for  his  family,   and  was  torn 
away  from  their  embrace  by  a  mob.   He  had  been  beset  night 
and  day  in  Alton.     Now,  if  he   should  leave  Alton   and  go 
elsewhere,  violence  might  overtake  him  in  his  retreat,  and  he 
had  no  more  claim  for  protection  upon  any  other  community 
than  he  had  upon  this.     He  had  finally  come  to  the  determi- 
nation,  after  consulting  his   friends,  and  earnestly  seeking 
counsel  of  God,  to  remain  in  Alton,  and  here  to  insist  upon 
protection  in  the  exercise  of  his   rights.     If  the  civil  authori- 
ties refused  to  protect  him,  he  must  look  to  God  for  protec- 
tion ;  and  if  he  very  soon  found  a  grave  in  Alton,  he  was  sure 
he  should  die  in  the    exercise  of  his   duty.     His  manner  no 
man  could  describe.     He    was   through  it  all    calm,  serious^ 
firm  and  decided,  no  epithet  or  unkind  word    escaped  him ; 
yet,  he  knew  he  was  among  deadly  enemies.  As 

soon  as  he  left  off  speaking  he  left  the  building,  and  Linder 
again  took  the  floor.  He  treated  as  hypocritical  cant  every- 
thing Mr.  L.  had  said;  he  held  him  up  as  a  fanatic,  as  a  dan- 
gerous man  in  the  community;  he  was  violent  against  Mr.  L. 
and  his  friends  all,  as  Abolitionists.  The  chair- 

man, Hon.  Cyrus  Edwards,  arose  and  in  a  very  respectful  but 
decided  manner  expressed  his  dissent  from  the  sentiments  just 
uttered.  He  urged  the  importance  of  maintaining  peace  and 
good  order,  and  concluded  by  saying  that  he  wished  to  take  his 
stand  before  the  country  on  that.  But  the  meeting  was  carried 
on  the  side  of  Linder  and  his  followers,  and  adjourned  with  the 
evident  expressions  of  hostility  and  determination  to 
ruin  Lovejoy  or  pursue  him  to  the  death.  It  had 

already  been  published  in  the  city  that  Rev.  Edward  Beecher, 
who  has  before  been  alluded  to,  would  preach  a  sermon  in 
the  Presbyterian    church   that  evening,   October  30,    on  the 


254  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

times.  Threats  had  been  loudly  made  that  he  should  not  be 
allowed  to  do  so.  The  mayor  had  been  informed  of  those 
threats  and  asked  to  protect  the  meeting,  but  made  light 
of  it ;  but  the  friends  of  free  speech  and  good  order  did  not 
feel  so  quiet  about  it,  and  proposed  to  the  mayor  that  they 
thought  they  had  the  power  to  enforce  order,  if  with  his  con- 
sent, they  could  carry  their  guns  with  them.  This  he  objected 
to,  but  said  we  could  privately  take  them  to  some  place  near 
the  church,  and  if  needed  we  could  be  called  on,  and  he  himself 
would  attend  the  meeting  as  we  urged  him  to  do.  We  qui- 
etly took  our  guns  to  the  house  adjoining  the  church,  and 
not  willing  to  trust 'the  mayor  too  far,  put  ourselves  under 
the  orders  of  one  of  our  number,  "  him  to  obey."  When  Mr. 
Beecher  had  got  about  half  through  with  his  talk,  a  stone 
went  through  the  side  window  at  his  head,  but  missed  its 
mark.  The  stone  had  hardly  stopped,  when  the  call  of  our 
leader  was  made,  "to  arms,"  and  a  line  was,  luithout  the  order 
of  the  mayor,  almost  in  an  instant  formed  in  front  of  the 
church,  extending  beyond  the  front  far  enough  to  cover  each 
side  of  the  church.  The  result  was  to  form  the  outsiders 
into  as  orderly  a  company  of  citizens  as  those  on  the  inside 
— and  Mr,  Beecher  was  allowed  to  finish  his  discourse.  But 
when  he  had  concluded,  and  dismissed  the  congregation, 
and  the  citizens  with  arms  in  hand  were  returning  to  their 
rooms  where  they  were  in  the  habit  of  meeting,  an  alterca- 
tion took  place  between  the  foremost  of  them  and  a  company 
of  the  mobites,  in  which  the  breech  of  a  gun,  held  in  the 
hands  of  Moses  G.  Atwood,  (if  my  memory  serves  me  right,) 
was  broken,  and  the  mob  were  thereafter  willing  to  allow  the 
rest  of  the  guns  to  pass  along.  Mr.  Lovejoy  was  one  of  the 
number  who  held  those  guns,  and  on  returning  to  his  house 
from  the  rooms  that  night,  he  was  waylaid,  but  passed  with- 
out being  known,  as  he  had  exchanged  his  broad-brim  white 
hat  for  the  cap  of  a  friend  as  a  precaution.  When  the  mob 
found  that  Mr.  L.  had  passed  them,  they  attacked  his  house  ; 
but  seeing  a  rifle  in  Mr.  L.'s  hands,  they  prudently  retired. 
Agreeable  to  the  decision  at  the  Alexander 
store  meeting,  another  press  had  been  bought  and  was  on 
the  boat  shipped  from  St.  Louis  to  Alton.  Precautions  had 
been  taken  to  have  it  arrive  at  such  an  hour  as  would  most 
likely  enable  us  to  get  it  in  store  without  its  falling  into  the 
hands  of  the  mob  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  To  this  end  a 
messenger  had  been  sent  below  to  meet  the  boat  and  ask  the 


THE    PRESS    STORED.  255 

•captain  to  lay  by  at  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  till  such  time 
as  would  enable  him  to  reach  the  dock  at  Alton  about  mid- 
night. This  was  easily  done,  as  the  boat  was  owned  by 
some  of  the  parties  interested  in  having  the  press  re-estab- 
lished in  Alton. 

In  the  meantime,  a  company  of  about  sixty  volunteers 
had  enrolled  themselves  under  the  laws  as  a  military  com- 
pany and  tendered  their  services  to  the  Mayor  to  keep  the 
peace  of  the  city.  This  number  of  men  had  met  for  drill 
that  evening,  at  the  store  where  the  press  would  be  landed, 
and  they  were  armed  with  good  rifles,  all  well  loaded  with 
ball.  The  captain  of  the  boat  was  ordered  to  land  the  boxes 
containing  the  press,  and  if  any  attack  was  made  on  the 
boxes,  to  pull  his  boat  out  of  harm's  way  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble. The  sixty  men  inside  had  concluded  to  prolong  their 
•drill  till  the  press  was  landed  and  stored,  so  they  were 
divided  into  companies  and  stationed  at  points  overlooking 
the  boxes,  and  all  had  received  orders  that  if  any  unauthori- 
zed person  should  attempt  to  handle  the  boxes,  they  were  to 
shoot  at  the  boxes,  and  if  anybody  was  in  the  way,  it  would 
appear  to  be  the  fault  of  the  intruder.  A  committee  of  two 
were  sent  to  call  the  Mayor  and  have  him  at  the  store,  that, 
at  least,  he  might  see  it  well  done.  He  was  a  batchelor, 
and  slept  at  his  office  near  the  store.  To  the  first  summons 
he  promised  to  come,  but  was  so  long  in  doing  it  that  a  sec- 
ond was  sent,  with  orders  to  come  with  him  and  show  him 
the  way.  This  was  effective,  and  the  committee  and  Mayor 
came  in  together.  The  press  however  was  successfully 
landed,  no  demonstrations  of  a  mob  being  made,  unless  per- 
haps a  horn  or  two  blown  at  a  distance.  The  press  was  soon 
transferred  from  the  boat  to  the  fourth  story  of  the  ware- 
house belonging  to  Godfrey  &  Oilman,  and  our  military 
company  was  left  to  continue  their  drill  till  morning  or  go  to 
sleep  as  best  they  could.  This  brings  us  in  de- 

tail to  the  morning  of  the  7th  of  November,  1837.  All  was 
quiet  in  the  city,  the  press  was  out  of  harm's  way,  boxed  up 
and  in  the  loft  of  a  good  warehouse,  in  the  keeping  of  re- 
sponsible men,  and  no  demonstration  towards  its  being  un- 
packed or  put  in  motion.  As  night  approached,  nearly  all 
of  the  men  who  had  given  their  names  to  form  that  military 
company  went  to  the  building  containing  the  press,  one  loft 
of  which  was  our  drill  room,  and  were  drilled  there  until  nine 
■o'clock.     Then,  as  no  one  apprehended  any  trouble,  the  com- 


256  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

pany  was  dismissed,  and  each  was  about  going  quietly  home^ 
when  Mr.  Oilman,  one  of  the  owners  of  the  store,  asked  if 
some  few  of  the  number  would  not  volunteer  to  remain 
through  the  night,  as  they  could  be  made  comfortable  for 
sleeping  on  the  goods  in  the  store,  and  he  was  intending  to 
stay  himself  as  a  precaution  against  any  one  breaking  into 
the  store  and  committing  any  depredation.  Nineteen  men 
volunteered  to  stay,  and  with  Mr.  Oilman  made  twenty  in 
all  left  in  the  store.  Within  ashort  time  appearances  seemed 
to  indicate  that  the  mob  were  gathering,  but  no  one  thought 
of  any  serious  trouble  till  Edward  Keating,  a  lawyer,  and 
Henry  W.  West,^  merchant,  came  to  the  building  and 
asked  to  be  admitted  to  see  Mr.  Oilman,  the  owner.  Some 
one  not  possessed  of  much  judgment  (for  they  were  both 
known  to  favor  the  mob),  allowed  them  to  come  in.  They, 
of  course,  soon  took  in  the  small  number  left  to  guard  the 
building  and  press,  and  they  then  informed  Mr.  Oilman  that 
unless  the  press  was  given  up  to  the  gentlemen  outside,  the 
building  would  be  burned  over  our  heads  and  every  man 
killed.  Consultation  was  had  inside  and  they  were  promptly 
given  to  understand  that  the  press  and  the  store  would  be  de- 
fended. Some  of  us  were  for  keeping  these  parties  prison- 
ers till  morning,  that  they  might  share  our  fate,  if  need  be. 
Early  in  the  night,  after  the  main  body  had  left, 
the  twenty  men  remaining  in  the  building  had  elected  Dea- 
con Enoch  Long  to  act  as  their  Captain,  if  anything  should 
occur  requiring  concert  of  action ;  and  as  he  had  seen  ser- 
vice in  the  war  of  18 12-15,  we  supposed  him  the  most  fit  man 
for  such  a  case,  and  it  was  by  his  orders  that  these  two  spies 
were  allowed  to  depart.  About  as  soon  as  the  mob  could  get 
their  report,  we  understood  by  the  wild  shouts  among  them 
that  our  numbers  were  satisfactory  to  that  side,  at  least,  and 
that  we  would  have  work  to  do.  A  council  was  called  by 
the  inside  party,  to  take  measures  for  defense,  and  some 
advised  most  vigorous  defense,  and  as  severe  punishment  to 
the  mob,  if  we  were  attacked,  as  possible ;  but  our  Captain 
overruled,  saying  our  course  would  be  a  useless  sacrifice  of 
human  life,  and  if  the  mob,  whose  shot  and  stones  had  began 
to  come,  should  persist  in  their  attack,  after  being  counseled 
of  the  consequences,  then  he  would  select  some  one  man  to 
fire  into  the  mob,  and  no  doubt  they  would  instantly  disperse. 
He  was  promptly  told  by  some  that  they  would  not  be  so 
selected,  that  if  they  fired  into  that  mob,  which  they  were 


THE    SPIES    LET    GO.  25/ 

anxious  to  do,  they  should  fire  with  all  present.  And  some 
took  themselves  to  different  parts  of  the  building  to  defend 
on  their  own  account,  but  there  was  thereafter  no  concert  of 
action  by  the  defenders.  The  building  was  in  fact  two  build- 
ings with  ends  to  the  street  and  to  the  river,  and  at  one  side 
was  a  vacant  lot.  The  building  was  of  stone,  over  one  hun- 
dred feet  long  at  the  side  toward  the  vacant  lot.  The 
attacking  party  were  covered  by  this  stone  wall.  The  ends 
of  the  buildings  on  street  and  river  would  show  as  two 
stores — three  stories  on  the  street  and  four  at  the  river  end, 
owing  to  the  formation  of  the  land.  The  two  upper  stories 
were  lofts  or  garrets,  the  roofs  of  each  resting  on  the  middle 
wall,  and  no  communication  between  them  without  going 
down  the  stairs  of  one,  and  up  those  of  the  other.  In  the  loft 
of  one  of  those  stores  was  stored  stone  jugs  and  jars. 
Reuben  Gerry  had  stationed  himself  in  this  loft,  while 
the  writer  was  in  the  other.  The  mob  were  work- 
ing in  the  street  in  front  of  both,  but  more  particu- 
larly under  Gerry's  part,  for  the  door  they  were 
trying  to  force  was  more  directly  under  him.  In  his 
room,  and  my  own  also,  were  doors  fronting  the  street,  under 
the  roof,  with  small  glass  windows  in  the  doors,  but  no  other 
windows.  Mr.  Gerry  had  opened  the  door  in  his  room  over 
the  head  of  the  mob,  and  was  amusing  himself  and  them  by 
rolling  the  jugs  and  crocks  out  of  the  door  down  on  their 
heads.  From  my  standpoint  I  was  getting  the  benefit  of  the 
effect,  but  could  not  communicate  with  Gerry  nor  let  him  know 
I  was  there.  The  mob  for  a  time  tried  throwing  up  stones, 
but  they  did  not  go  up  with  the  same  effect  that  the  jugs 
went  down,  and  one  of  their  number  was  selected  to  cross 
the  street  and  shoot  whoever  might  be  throwing  down  the 
jugs  whenever  he  should  again  appear.  By  the  time  the  party 
had  got  to  his  appointed  place  where  he  could  command 
Gerry's  door,  my  rifle  was  through  the  glass  forming  the  top 
of  my  door  and  resting  on  the  sash,  perfectly  covering  the 
man  in  the  street.  I  knew  him  well,  and  saw  him  clearly, 
for  it  was  a  beautiful  moonlight  night.  Two  men  had  come 
up  to  the  room  where  I  was,  to  get  a  good  sight  of  the  mob, 
and  the  street  was  full.  They  were  asking  me  not  to  shoot, 
for  we  were  getting  the  worst  of  the  fight  already.  My 
promise  was  readily  given  not  to  shoot  unless  the  man  raised 
his  gun  to  shoot  Gerry;  if  he  did,  he  could  never  perform 
the  act.       But  Gerry  knew  of  the  preparations  to  shoot  him, 

i6 


258  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

and  did  not  know  of  my  position,  neither  could  I  let  him 
know,  so  he  kept  out  of  sight  and  saved  the  life  of  one  who 
bragged  the  next  day  that  he  was  the  one  who  shot  Love- 
joy,  perhaps  not  one  hour  later.  I  soon  heard  Mr.  Gerry  go- 
ing down  stairs  and  immediately  went  down  myself  and  we 
met  on  the  floor  below ;  and  while  we  were  discussing  the 
situation  with  the  view  of  returning  to  our  stations,  he  to  roll 
jugs  and  I  to  cover  him,  we  heard  the  report  of  a  gun  close 
to  us  from  the  inside  and  the  exclamation  that  a  man  on  the 
outside  was  shot.  Our  captain  had  put  in  force  his  saving 
theory  and  had  selected  one  man  to  fire,  and  that  shot  had 
killed  a  man  by  tffe  name  of  Bishop,  on  the  outside.  The 
ball  had  entered  the  top  of  his  shoulder  while  he  was  stoop- 
ing to  pick  up  a  stone  and  gone  nearly  through  him  length- 
ways.    I  heard  07ie  call  and  ask  "  Who  fired  that  gun  ?  "  and 

answered  "  /  didy     I  went  to  the  window  and  saw  four 

men  pick  up  Bishop,  one  by  each  arm  and  one  by  each  leg, 
and  carry  him  to  Dr.  Hart's  office,  nearly  opposite,  but  I  sub- 
sequently learned  the  man  was  dead  when  they  reached  the 
office  with  him.  The  shooting  of  this  man  seemed  to  have 
the  effect  contemplated  by  our  captain,  and  the  mob  with- 
drew. But  the  lull  was  short;  they  soon  returned  reinforced, 
and  with  savage   yells   threatened  to  fire  the  building  and 

shoot   every    "  d d   Abolitionist,"    as  we    were    all  then 

called,  as  we  might  leave  the  building.  Even  at  this  time  no 
orders  were  given  for  any  concentrated  fire  on  the  mob  ;  but 
many  shots  were  fired,  but  with  poor  effect.  The  mayor 
came  in  the  building  and  we  asked  him  to  take  us  outside  to 
face  the  mob  and  order  them  to  disperse,  or  else  in  their 
hearing  order  us  to  fire,  and  we  would  pledge  our  lives  to 
clean  them  out,  but  he  prudently  and  cautiously  declined, 
saying  he  had  too  high  a  regard  for  our  lives  to  do  that,  but 
at  the  same  time  he  justified  our  right  of  defense.  When 
he  returned  to  the  mob  from  us  he  could  do  nothing.  His 
former  acts  in  submitting  to  being  snubbed  by  the  mob,  who 
before  his  face  was  destroying  the  press  formerly  alluded  to, 
took  from  him  all  power  now,  and  he  had  to  look  on  and  see 
the  work  of  death  and  of  ruin.  About  this  time  the  mob 
had  approached  the  building  with  a  long  ladder;  and  operat- 
ing on  the  side  of  the  house  next  the  vacant  lot,  where  there 
was  no  opening  in  the  long  wall,  they  had  got  the  ladder  to 
the  roof  and  a  man  on  the  ladder  with  material  to  set  the 
house  on  fire  on  the  roof     When  volunteers  were  called  for 


STRUGGLE  AT  THE  WAREHOUSE.  259 

to  go  out  and  shoot  the  man  off  the  ladder,  the  men  on  the 
lower  floor — Mr.  Lovejoy,  Amos  B.  Roff  and  Royal  Weller 
— stepped  out  of  the  door  towards  the  river,  and  as  they 
stepped  clear  of  the  door  to  get  at  the  side  of  the  building, 
Mr.  Lovejoy  received  five  bullets  in  his  body  and  limbs  from 
behind  a  pile  of  lumber  near  by  where  men  were  concealed, 
probably  for  the  purpose.  Mr.  Roff  was  also  shot  in  the  leg  ; 
and  Mr.  Weller  was  shot  in  his  leg,  and  had  a  bullet  through 
his  hat  that  just  cleared  his  head.  Mr.  Lovejoy  walked  in 
and  up  stairs  one  story  to  the  office,  saying  as  he  went,  "  I 
am  shot !  I  am  shot !  I  am  dead  !  "  He  was  met  at  the  door  of 
ithe  room  by  all  on  that  floor,  and  died  without  a  struggle 
and  without  speaking  again.  The  two  that  were  wounded 
also  got  back  up  stairs  to  the  same  room.  Very  soon  there 
appeared  on  the  river  side  of  the  building  the  same  two  men 
who  were  in  the  beginning  admitted  and  let  out  of  the  build- 
ing— Keating  and  West — and  calling  the  attention-  of  who- 
ever was  in  sight,  displayed  a  white  handkerchief  and  called 
for  Oilman,  and  said  that  the  building  was  on  fire,  but  the 
BOYS  would  put  it  out  if  he  would  give  up  the  press  ;  that  was 
all  they  wanted,  and  would  not  destroy  anything  else,  nor 
hurt  any  one  if  the  building  was  surrendered.  Mr.  Gilman 
then  concluded  that  inasmuch  as  there  was  great  value  in 
the  building  of  goods,  and  also  the  interests  of  many  firms 
all  over  the  State  were  jeopardized,  and  Mr.  Godfrey,  his 
partner,  not  present,  that  to  save  all  these  interests  it  was  his 
judgment  the  buildings  and  press  had  best  be  abandoned  to 
the  mob.  Others,  under  the  circumstances,  could  say  noth- 
ing, and  so  it  was  resolved  to  give  it  up,  and  the  spies  were 
so  ordered  to  notify  their  fellows.  Accordingly  our  guns 
were  secreted  in  different  places,  and  all  of  the  number  left 
the  building  in  a  body,  except  Lovejoy,  dead ;  Roff  and 
Weller  wounded,  and  S.  J.  Thompson,  who  remained  till  the 
mob  entered  ;  and  as  the  men  passed  by  that  vacant  lot,  it 
seemed  as  if  a  hundred  bullets  were  shot  at  them  from  the 
mob  congregated  at  the  other  and  higher  end  of  the  lot,  and 
being  thus  elevated  the  balls  sung  harmless  by  to  the  river. 
The  escaped  congregated  in  a  hardware  store  on  Second 
street,  a  little  removed  from  the  scene  of  action,  and  after  a 
while  each  went  to  their  several  homes,  and  the  work  of  de- 
struction was  completed  on  the  press. 

The  next  morning,  on  returning  to  the  scenes  of  the  night, 
the  dead  body  of  Lovejoy  lay  where  it  fell,  and   the  dead 


260  PRESBYTEKIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

body  of  Bishop  in  Dr.  Hart's  office.  Friends  procured  a 
hearse  and  removed  the  body  of  Mr.  Lovejoy  to  his  late  res- 
idence, his  wife  being  stricken  by  the  blow  to  utter  helpless- 
ness. Owen  Lovejoy  met  the  corpse  of  his  brother  at  the 
door.  Mr.  Lovejoy  was  buried,  I  think,  the  day  following. 
Rev.  Thomas  Lippincott  made  the  prayer  at  his  funeral,  and 
never  a  word  or  intimation  but  that  the  death  was  a  natural 
one.  It  was  a  rainy,  drizzly  day — fit  one  for  such  a  funeral. 
No  word  or  allusion  to  mob  violence,  and  so  Lovejoy  was 
buried  without  inquest  or  word  to  tell  the  manner  of  his 
death.  After  the  body  was  taken  home  from  the  place  of 
death,  Owen  Lovejoy,  the  brother  of  the  martyred,  standing 
over  the  dead  body,  vowed  that  from  henceforth  he  would 
fight  the  cursed  institution  that  had  killed  his  brother.  The 
country    knows   well    how    that   vow  was  kept. 

The  names  of  the  twenty  men  that  night  in  the  building 
here  follow  :  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy,  killed  by  the  mob  Nov.  7, 
1837;  Amos  B.  Roff,  then  wounded,  since  dead ;  Royal  Weller, 
then  wounded,  since  dead  ;  Wihiam  Harned,  dead  ;  James 
Morse,  Jr.,  dead;  John  S.  Noble,  dead;  Edward  Breath,  (sub- 
sequently missionary  to  Persia),  dead  ;  George  H.  Walworth, 
dead  ;  J.  C.  Woods,  dead  ;  George  H.  Whitney,  dead  ;  Reu- 
ben Gerry,  dead  ;  Winthrop  S.  Gilman,  living  in  New  York 
City;  Enoch  Long  living  in  Sabula,  Jackson  county,  Iowa; 
George  T.  Brown,  living  in  Alton  ;  (left  the  building  early  in 
the  evening) ;  Sarjiuel  J.  Thompson,  (residence  unknown) ; 
H.  D.  Davis,  do  not  know  if  living  or  dead ;  D.  F.  Randall, 
do  not  know  if  living  or  dead;  D.  Burt  Loomis,  living  in 
Stillwater,  Minn.;  Thaddeus  B.  Hurlbut,  residence  in  Upper 
Alton ;  Henry  Tanner,  residence  in  Buffalo,  New  York. 


Enoch  S.  Huntington  was  born  at  Ashford,  Windham 
county.  Conn.,  Sept.  30,  1804.  He  graduated  at  Amherst 
College,  Mass.,  and  studied  theology  at  Lane  Seminary, 
Ohio.  He  was  ordained  by  Alton  Presbytery  at  Bethel, 
Bond  county.  May  26,  1837.  He  was  dismissed  from  that 
Presbytery  March  30,  1838,  to  Peoria  Presbytery.  After 
leaving  Bethel  he  preached  some  five  years  in  Pleasant 
Grove,  Tazewell  county,  111.  From  thence  he  went  to  Clin- 
ton, Conn.,  and  thence  to  Danbury,  Conn.,  where  he  died 
April  7,  1862.  He  was  three  times  married,  and  left  a  widow, 
Mrs.  Esther  Lyon  Huntington,  who  resides  in  Fairfield, 
Connecticut. 


C.  G.  SELLECK J.  T.  TUCKER.  26 1 

Charles  G.  Selleck   was    born  in  Norvvalk,  Conn.,  Feb. 
26,  1802.     He  graduated  at   Yale  College,  1827.      His  stud- 
ies preparatory  to  the  ministery  were  prosecuted  under  the 
care  of  Hanover  Presbytery.     Licensed  March  2,  1830,  by 
the  Consociation  of  Fairfield  West.       He  was  ordained  by 
the   same    body    pastor    of   Ridgefield  church.  Conn.,    May 
10,    1831.       Removed   to     Upper   Alton,    111.,    Oct.,    1837. 
Preached     and    taught    at     Waverly,    111.,     eleven     years. 
Removed  thence  to   Jacksonville   in  1851.     Took  charge  of 
the  Female  Academy  there,  and  preached  at  the  same  time 
at  Naples  and  to  Union  church  for  two  years.     While  here 
his  only  son,  Sylvester,  a  young   man  of  great   promise  and 
excellence,  was  removed   by  death.     Mr.  S.   next   went  to 
Plaquemine,  La.,  in  1857;  took  charge  of  a  Female  Acade- 
my and  was    installed   pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in 
that  place.     Here  he  remained  about   four  years,  until  July 
4,  1 861,  exercising    considerable  freedom  of  speech  he  was 
expelled    from  his  home  and  charge.     He  returned   to   Illi- 
nois and  settled  for  seven  years  on  a  farm  in  Jackson  coun- 
ty.    Finding  from    experience,  the  Southern   climate    more 
congenial   to   his  constitution,  he   went   thence    to  Florida, 
and  settled  at  or  near  New  Smyrna,  Volusia  county.      Here 
he  has  opened  an  orange  plantation,  and  preaches  regularly 
to  two  or  three    small  churches.     Here  his  excellent  wife 
died  Nov.  19,  1878. 


Joshua  T.  Tucker  was  born  in  Milton,  Mass.,  Sept.  20, 
1812.  He  fitted  for  college  at  Phillips  Academy,  Andover, 
Mass.;  graduated  at  Yale  College  1833  and  at  Lane  Semina- 
0^  1837.  Ordained  by  Alton  Presbytery  Nov.  15,  1837,  at 
Upper  Alton.  Dismissed  to  Schuyler  Presbytery  and  from 
thence  to  Presbytery  of  Northern  Missouri  in  1840.  Pastor 
at  Hannibal  from  1840  to  1846,  and  of  North  Presbyterian 
Church,  St.  Louis,  1846-48.  Installed  at  Holliston,  Mass., 
June  6,  1849.  Remained  there  until  Nov.  6,  1867.  Installed 
at  Chicopee  Falls,  Mass.,  April  8,  1868,  where  he  remained 
until  Oct.  1877 — ten  full  years  with  that  people. 
He  has  been  largely  engaged  in  editorial  work  in  connection 
with  the  pastoral,  for  a  time  editing  the  Boston  Recorder,  and 
owning  one  half  of  it.  He  was  one  of  the  original  founders 
of  the  Boston  Revieiv,  and  for  eight  years  one  of  its  editors. 
He  has  published  a  "  Life  of  Christ,"  a  volume   of  between 


262  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

three  and  four  hundred  pages;  also  a  journal  of  an  exten- 
sive European  tour  in  1859.  He  is  occupied  with  literary^ 
work,  and  resides  in   Harrison  square,  Boston,  Mass. 

When  he  took  charge  of  the  church  in  Holliston,  it 
numbered  one  hundred  and  seventy.  He  left  it  with  four  hun- 
dred and  thirty  members.  His  first  wife,  Mary 
Oland  Stibbs,  of  St.  Louis,  he  married  in  1837.  She  died  in 
1844.  Four  children,  of  whom  the  two  youngest  died  in  in- 
fancy. The  two  older  are  now  Mrs.  Mary  Ellen  Nettle- 
ton,  of  Boston,  and  Mrs.  Anna  Eliza  Richardson,  of  Chicago.. 
The  latter  has  a  daughter,  Edith  R.  In  1845  he  married 
Miss  Annie  D.  Sitackford,  of  St.  Louis.  One  child  by  this 
marriage,  died  in  infancy.  In  1875  Iowa  College  sent  him  a 
diploma  of  D.  D. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois  held  its  annual  meeting  at  Spring- 
field, commencing  Oct.  19,  1837.  I^  was  largely  attended. 
The  papers  presented  with  regard  to  the  then  threatened 
division  of  the  Church  and  upon  the  subject  of  slavery  were 
of  great  interest  and  ability.  The  narrative  was  of  a  very- 
encouraging  character,  and  most  elegantly  written.  The 
harassing  case  of  Wm.  J.  Eraser  was  settled  for  the  present  by 
adopting  these  two  resolutions:  (i)  "That  the  Presbytery  of 
Kaskaskia  acted  discourteously  and  unconstitutionally  in 
receiving  Wm.  J.  Eraser  without  recommendation  received 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Illinois,  and  leave  granted  by  the 
Synod  of  Illinois.  (2)  That  the  said   William  J. 

Frazer  cannot  obtain  a  seat  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  ex- 
cepting through  the  Presbytery  of  Illinois,  with  leave  granted 
by  the  Synod  of  Illinois."  The  case  was  appealed, 

to  the  Assembly. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MEETINGS  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIES  AND  SYNOD  FROM  1 838  TO 
184I  INCLUSIVE,  WITH  SKETCHES  OF  THE  CHURCHES  ORGAN- 
IZED AND  OF  THE  MINISTERS  COMMENCING  THEIR  LABORS 
HERE  WITHIN  THE  PERIOD. 

Authorities:  Records  of  Synod,  Presbyteries  and  Churches;  Rev.  S.  C. 
Baldridge;  Rev.  R.  Stewart. 

YEAR    1838. 

This  was  a  momentous  year.  It  witnessed  the  division  of 
the  Synod  of  Ilhnois  into  New  and  Old  School.  I  shall 
pursue  the  same  course  as  in  previous  chapters,  giving  the  sa- 
lient facts  in  their  order,  and  letting  those  facts  speak  for 
themselves. 


Illinois  Presbytery  met  with  Pisgah  church,  April  19, 
1838,  Ralph  W.  Gridley  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Ottawa,  and  order  taken  for  his  installation  over  the  church 
of  Jacksonville,  April  25,  1838.  The  church  in  Peccan  bottom 
was  received.  Edward  Beecher,  minister,  and  A.  H.  Bur- 
ritt,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  next  Assem- 
bly. A  pro  re  riata  meeting  of  this  Presbytery  was  held  in 
the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Jacksonville,  July  li.  Minis- 
ters present:  Hugh  Barr,  Ralph  W.  Gridley,  J.  M.  Sturte- 
vant  and  Elisha  Jenney.  Elders  present :  W.  C.  Posey, 
Jacksonville ;  Samuel  Reaugh,  Union ;  Ralph  McCormick, 
Pisgah;  Robert  Huston,  Manchester.  Ministers  absent: 
Gideon  Blackburn,  D.  D.,  Edward  Beecher,  William  G.  Gal- 
laher,  John  G.  Simrall  and  A.  T.  Norton.  The  meeting  was 
called  to  hear  a  written  report  from  the  Commissioners  to 
the  last  Assembly,  to  the  effect  that  they  approved  of  and 
had  taken  part  with  the  Assembly  which  convened  in  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church,  Philadelphia.  This  report  the 
Presbytery  approved,  and  justified  the  course  of  their  Com- 
missioners by  a  vote  of  five  to  two.  The  ayes  were  Gridley, 
Sturtevant,  Jenney,  McCormick  and   Huston.     The  nayes — ■ 


264  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS, 

Posey  and  Reaugh.  The  Moderator,  Hugh  Barr,  did  not 
vote.  Against  this  decision  Messrs.  Posey  and  Reaugh  en- 
tered their  protest.  The  fall  meeting  was  held 
at  Jacksonville,  September  20.  Andrew  L.  Pennoyer  was 
received  from  the  Congregational  Association  of  Illinois. 
A.  T.  Norton  was  dismissed  to  the  St.  Louis  Presbytery.. 


Ralph  Wells  Gridley  was  installed  pastor  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  Jacksonville,  April  25,  1838.  His  la- 
bors continued  a  httle  over  two  years.  He  died  Feb.  2,  1840, 
at  Ottawa,  111.,  at  tke  house  of  his  son-in-law,  William  H.  W. 
Cushman,  aged  forty-seven.  He  was  the  son  of  Rev.  Eli- 
jah Gridley,  near  forty  years  pastor  of  the  church  at  Granby, 
Mass.  He  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  18 14,  and  pursued 
his  theological  studies  under  President  Dwight.  He  was  set- 
tled at  Williamstown,  Mass.,  October,  18 16,  where  he  re- 
mained seventeen  or  eighteen  years.  His  ministry  there  was 
greatly  blessed.  About  six  hundred  were  admitted  to  the 
church  during  that  time.  In  the  spring  of  1834  he  left  that 
place  and  went  to  Illinois,  and  in  the  autumn  to  the  town  of 
Ottawa.  From  thence  he  went  to  Jacksonville.  During  his 
ministry  at  this  place  a  re-union  was  effected  between  the 
Presbyterian  and  Congregational  churches.  In 

1839  he  attended  the  meeting  of  the  Assembly  and  visited 
his  former  people  in  Massachusetts.  On  his  return  severe 
disease  fastened  on  his  lungs  and  throat.  He  resumed  his 
labors  at  Jacksonville,  but  was  soon  obliged  to  desist.  He 
took  a  journey  to  Ottawa  and  there  died.  His  youngest 
child,  Susan  Kellogg  Gridley,  followed  her  father  within  a 
few  weeks.  Mr.  Gridley  was  greatly  beloved  in  Jackson- 
ville, and  is  spoken  of  to  the  present  day  with  love  and  ven- 
eration. 

Peccan  Bottom  Church  had  but  a  brief  existence. 

Panther  Ceeek  Church  was  represented  in  Presbytery 
at  Jacksonville,  September  20,  1838,  by  William  Sewall.  In 
1844  he  was  still  an  elder.  By  1849  the  nameof  this  church 
had  disappeared  from  the  roll. 

The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Sharon,  White 
county,  April  13,  1838.     Cyrus  Riggs  was  received  from  the 


CYRUS   RIGGS.  265 

Presbytery  of  Schuyler.  B.  F.  Spilman,  minister,  and  W.  A. 
G.  Posey,  eldej^,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assem- 
bly. James  Stafford  was  dismissed  to  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Schuyler.  The  fall  meeting  was  held 
with  Greenville  church,  Bond  county,  September  21.  Wil- 
liam J.  Fraser  was  present  and  recognized  as  a  member,  the 
Assembly  having  decided  to  that  effect.  He  was,  at  his  re- 
quest, dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Schuyler.  This  Pres- 
bytery resolved,  "That  the  Assembly  of  1838,  which  met 
and  organized  and  continued  to  hold  its  sessions  in  the  Sev- 
enth Presbyterian  church  in  Philadelphia,  is  the  true  General 
Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church;  and  that  any  min- 
ister or  church  that  adheres  to  any  other  body  as  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  does  virtually  secede  from  the  Presbyterian 
Church."     In  this  position  the  Presbytery  were  unanimous. 


Cyrus  Riggs  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Miles  Riggs,  who 
came  from  Wales  to  America  about  1630.  He  was  the  son 
of  Joseph  and  Hannah  Riggs,  was  born  in  Mendham,  N.  J., 
Oct.  15,  1774,  and  removed  thence  with  his  father's  family 
across  the  mountains  to  the  wilderness  of  Washington  coun- 
ty. Pa,  He  became  pious  early  in  life  and  united  with  the 
Presbyterian  church.  At  the  Academy  in  Cannonsburg — 
soon  after  Jefferson  College — he  fitted  for  college.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Mary  Ross,  July  25,  1797.  He  graduated  in  1803. 
After  graduating  he  taught  in  the  college,  at  the  same  time 
studying  theology  with  Rev.  Dr.  John  McMillan.  He  was 
licensed  in  1805,  and,  after  itinerating  awhile,  accepted  a  call 
to  the  churches  of  Fairfield  and  Mill  Creek,  and  was  ordain- 
ed their  pastor  by  the  Presbytery  of  Erie  in  1806.  Thence 
in  1813,  he  removed  to  the  church  of  Scrubgrass,  and  was 
installed  pastor  of  that  and  West  Unity  churches.  While 
here  he  attempted  to  introduce  Watt's  Psalms  and  Hymns  in- 
stead of  Rouse's  version.  But  he  met  with  an  opposition  stop- 
ping only  just  short  of  actual  violence  in  the  Unity  branch  of 
his  charge.  He  therefore  left  that  part  of  his  field  in  1823, 
though  he  remained  with  the  Scrubgrass  church  some  ten 
years  longer.  About  this  time  he  started  west  and  arrived 
with  his  family  at  McComb,  111.,  in  the  fall  of  1836.  He 
labored  for  two  years  among  the  destitutions  of  Schuyler 
Presbytery.  In  1838  he  removed  to  Elkhorn — now  Nash- 
ville— church,  and  labored  there,  on  Mud  Creek  and  at  vari- 


266  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

ous  other  points  for  four  years.  He  organized,  at  a  later 
date,  Galum  church  in  Perry  county.  Thus  he  spent  the 
evening  of  his  days,  laboring  with  great  zeal,  patience  and 
energy,  until  Feb.  14,  1849,  when  he  was  suddenly  removed  by 
paralysis,  while  in  his  study  preparing  a  sermon  for  the  next 
Sabbath.  His  body  lies  with  that  of  his  wife,  who  had  died 
Aug.  17,  1845,  ir^  t^^s  retired  cemetery  of  the  Elkhorn  church. 
Mr.  Riggs  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children^ — three  sons  and  five  daughters — who  are  all 
dead  save  the  youngest  son,  Rev.  Cyrus  Riggs,  D.  D.  Their 
bodies  are  far  scattered — three  in  Kansas,  one  in  Missouri, 
one  in  Iowa  and  Uvo  in  Western  Pennsylvania.  They  were 
all  married  save  the  eldest  daughter,  Hannah,  who  spent 
eleven  years  of  her  prime  as  a  missionary  among  the  Ottawa 
Indians,  on  the  Maumee,  and  there  contracted  the  disease 
which  ended  her  days. 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  met  with  the  North  Sanga- 
mon church,  April  6,  1838.  Ministers  present:  John  G. 
Bergen,  Dewey  Whitney,  Lemuel  Foster,  Thomas  Gait. 
Elders  present :  Azel  Lyman,  Farmington  ;  Joseph  Torrey, 
First  Church,  Springfield ;  John  B.  Watson,  Second  Church, 
Springfield ;  J.  N.  Moore,  North  Sangamon ;  C.  Lyman, 
Chatham  ;  S.  McElvane,  Sugar  Creek  ;  B.  Leeper,  Bloom- 
ington ;  J.  Cantrill,  Waynesville.  The  licentiate,  Josiah 
Porter,  was  dismissed  to  Presbytery  of  Crawfordsville.  John 
W.  Little,  from  the  Central  Association  of  New  York,  and 
William  C.  Greenleaf  from  the  Association  of  Oxford 
county,  Maine,  were  received.  Also  Cyrus  L.  Watson, 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Schuyler.  Cyrus  L.  Watson,  minis- 
ter, and  Joseph  Torrey  elder,  were  appointed  Commission- 
ers to  next  Assembly.  Alex.  Ewing  was  dismissed  to  the 
Presbytery  of  Schuyler.  The  fall  meeting  was 

held  with  the  Irish  Grove  church  Sept.,  11. 


John  Wilder  Little  was  born  in  Northampton,  Mass ,, 
May  19,  181 2.  His  literary  course  was  pursued  at  the  Fel- 
lenberg  Institute,  Greenfield,  Mass.,  and  his  theological  with 
Rev.  John  Todd.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  joined  the 
church.  He  was  licensed  and  ordained  in  Central  New 
York.     He  came  to  Illinois  in  1837  and  united  with  Sanga- 


PALESTINE    PRESBYTERY.  267 

mon  Presbytery  as  above.  He  labored  with  Sugar  Creek 
and  North  Sangamon  churches,  and  died  of  pneumonia  at 
Athens,  111.,  June  2,  1 842,  He  was  married  in  Whately,  Mass., 
June  17,  1838,  to  Miss  Mary  Loomis  of  that  place.  He  had 
but  two  children,  Sarah  Frances,  born  April  29,  1839,  and 
John  W.,  born  May  20,  1842.  This  son  graduated  at  Jeffer- 
son College,  Cannonsburg,  Pa.,  in  1869,  and  at  Allegheny 
Theological  Seminary  in  1872,  and  is  now  pastor  of  Cross- 
Roads  church,  Wexford,  Pa. 


William  C.  Greenleaf  was  born  at  Newburyport,  Mass., 
Oct.  5,  1797.  He  was  of  American  parentage.  Was  edu- 
cated at  Bangor,  Maine.  Ordained  at  Andover,  Maine,  by 
a  council  of  Congregational  ministers,  in  Sept.,  183 1.  He 
labored  at  Andover,  Maine,  nearly  seven  years  ;  at  Amos- 
keag,  N.  H.,  six  months  in  1837.  From  thence  he  removed 
in  Nov.,  1837,  to  Auburn,  Sangamon  county,  111.,  where  he 
labored  six  years.  His  next  residence  was  at  Chatham, 
same  county.  February,  1847,  he  removed  to  Springfield, 
occasionally  preaching  at  Chatham  and  other  places  until  a 
few  months  previous  to  his  death.  He  married  Clara  Par- 
sons, Oct.  II,  1831,  at  Williamsburg,  Maine.  They  have 
had  no  children.  He  died  at  Springfield,  111.,  July  21,  185 1. 
His  widow  still  survives,  and  resides  in  that  city. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  held  its  spring  meeting  in 
1838,  at  Paris,  April  12,  and  its  fall  meeting  with  New  Provi- 
dence church  commencing  Sept.  19.  There  was  an  inter- 
mediate called  meeting  in  July,  at  which  nothing  was  done. 
Enoch  Kingsbury,  minister,  and  Asa  R.  Palmer,  elder,  were 
appointed  Commissioners  to  the  General  Assembly  of  1838. 
Joseph  Butler  was  received  from  the  St.  Lawrence  Presby- 
tery. As  between  the  New  and  Old  School 
Assemblies,  the  vote  was  for  the  Old  School,  one  minister 
and  five  elders  ;  for  the  New  School,  two  ministers  and  two 
elders,  and  two  excused  from  voting.  Isaac  Reed  was 
received  from  the  Crawfordsville  Presbytery. 


Joseph  Butler  was  born  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  in  1799.     He  was  hopefully  converted  at  the  age  of 


268  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

eight  years.  He  was  educated  at  Middlebury  College, 
licensed  by  a  Congregational  Association  at  Montpelier  in 
1825,  and  ordained  by  Champlain  Presbytery  in  1827.  In 
1836  he  came  West,  and  after  spending  some  time  in  Indi- 
ana, crossed  the  Wabash  and  came  to  the  home  of  Rev. 
Stephen  Bliss.  He  was  introduced  at  once  to  the  church  in 
Edwards  county,  called  Shiloh ;  and  there  labored,  with  but 
short  intermissions  for  twenty-three  years.  He  removed 
from  Illinois  to  Pawselim,  Minn.,  where  he  died  Oct.  27, 
1872,  aged  seventy-three  years.     He  was  four  times  married. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  convened  at  Collinsville, 
Thursday,  March  29,  1838.  E.  S.  Huntington  was  dismissed 
to  the  Presbytery  of  Peoria.  Daniel  E.  Manton,  a  licentiate, 
was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick, 
examined,   and,   on    Sabbath,  April  ist,  ordained,  sine  titiilo, 

The  church  at  Edwardsville  was  received. 
Albert  Hale,  minister,  and  Solomon  E.  Moore,  elder,  were 
appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  A  revival  was 
reported  in  the  church  at  Alton,  from  which  forty-nine  were 
received  on  the  first  Sabbath  in  March — forty-seven  of 
whom  were  by  examination.  At  a  called   meet- 

ing held  at  Alton,  July  5,  1838,  Theron  Baldwin  was  received 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Illinois.  Owen  Lovejoy  was  taken 
under  care  of  Presbytery  and  licensed.  The  Presbyter}'  by 
an  unanimous  vote   placed   itself  on   the   New  School  side. 

The  regular  fall  meeting  which  was  to  have 
been  held  at  Bethel,  failed  for  want  of  a  quorum.  A  called 
meeting  convened  at  Alton,  Oct.  30,  1838,  at  which  Joseph 
Fowler,  a  licentiate  of  the  Presbytery  of  Cincinnati,  was 
received. 


Edwardsville  Church — the  second  one — was  organized 
sometime  in  the  winter  of  1837-8,  by  a  Committee  of  Alton 
Presbytery.  It  was  received  under  the  care  of  that  Presby- 
tery, March  30,  1838,  Joseph  M.  McKee  being  present  as 
elder.  Another  elder  was  Matthew  B.  Torrance.  This 
church  was  supplied  from  October,  1843,  to  April,  1845,  by 
Rev.  Thomas  Lippincott,  in  connection  with  Troy.  A  little 
before  Mr.  Lippincott's  labors  closed  at  Edwardsville,  Dr. 
James  Spilman,  an  elder  brother  of  Rev.  B.  F.  Spilman,  and 


SYNOD    OF    ILLINOIS.  269 

a  staunch  Old  School  elder,  came  there  to  reside.  He  was 
friendly,  but  not  disposed  to  unite  with  a  New  School  or- 
ganization. The  church  being  weak,  wishing  to  secure  his 
influence  and  seeing  little  to  choose  between  New  and  Old 
School  went  over  to  him  and  connected  with  Kaskaskia  Pres- 
bytery, which  had  organized  an  Old  School  church  there, 
June  22,  1845.  For  one  year  Rev.  B.  F.  Spilman  was  their  min- 
ister. He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Alexander'Ewing  until  his 
death,  Aug.  12,  1848.  At  that  time  the  church  occupied  the 
Baptist  house  of  worship.  In  1856,  Dr.  Spilman  leased  the 
Episcopal  house.  Rev.  L.  P.  Bates  was  minister  from  1856 
to  1859.  After  Mr.  Bates'  death  and  Dr.  Spilman's  removal, 
the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  at  Edwardsville,  which  be- 
gan as  New  School,  then  became  Old  School,  ended  in  death, 
and  its  name  was  erased  from  the  roll  of  Presbytery. 


Daniel  Eddy  Manton  was  born  in  Kinderhook,  N.  Y., 
in  1 811  or  18 12.  He  graduated  at  Amherst  College  in  1831  ; 
studied  theology  at  Princeton  and  Andover;  was  stated  sup- 
ply at  Fayetteville,  N.  Y.,  in  1836  and  at  Redding,  Ct.,  in 
1836-7;  he  preached  at  Edwardsville,  111.,  in  the  winter  of 
1837-8,  and  was  ordained  by  Alton  Presbytery  as  mentioned 
above.  He  soon  after  returned  East,  went  to  the  West  In- 
dies, and  remained  a  few  months.  With  health  not  perma- 
nently improved,  he  returned  to  his  mother  at  Kinderhook, 
and  died  there  from  consumption,  March  5,  1 841,  in  his  thirti- 
eth year. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois  met  at  Peoria,  September  26, 
1838.  At  this  meeting  was  consummated  the  division  of  the 
Synod  into  New  and  Old  School.  For  the  Moderator's 
chair  two  candidates  were  put  in  nomination — John  Blatch- 
ford  and  John  Mathews.  Mr.  Blatchford  was  chosen  by  a 
vote  of  forty-seven  to  twenty-three.  After  various  futile  at- 
tempts to  bring  about  a  vote  of  adherence  to  the  Old  School 
Assembly,  the  minority  organized  in  another  place,  and 
chose  John  Mathews  their  Moderator.  They  numbered  fif- 
teen ministers  and  ten  elders — in  all  twenty-five.  The  New 
School  numbered  forty-five  in  all.  The  minority  claimed  to 
be  the  Synod  of  Illinois.  The  majority  made  no  declara- 
tion on  that  subject,  but  took  it  for  granted  as  they  were  the 


2/0  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

majority,  held  the  organization  and  retained  the  records. 
On  the  then  very  agitating  subject  of  slavery  the  New  School 
were  substantially  a  unit — holding  slaveholding  to  be  a  sin. 
On  this  subject  the  Old  School  were  divided. 
The  Old  School  Synod  altered  the  bounds  of  Kaskaskia 
Presbytery,  making  it  to  include  all  the  State  lying  south  of 
the  north  lines  of  Green,  Macoupin,  Montgomery,  Fayette, 
Effingham  and  White,  thus  embracing  the  whole  of  the  ter- 
ritory of  Alton  Presbytery.  From  this  period 
the  two  Synods  moved  on  as  two  distinct  denominations 
until  1870,  when  the  dissevered  body  was  again  re-united. 
Here*-'Commence  the  real  troubles  of  the  histo- 
rian whose  aim  and  wish  is  to  be  entirely  impartial.  Shall 
he  treat  the  two  bodies  as  one,  only  having  an  increased 
number  of  Synods,  Presbyteries  and  churches;  or  shall  he 
speak  of  them  as  two  distinct  denominations,  each  claimxing 
to  be  itself  and  the  other  also,  taking  up  first  one,  then  the 
other?  Either  course  has  its  objections  and  difficulties.  He 
will  try  to  combine  the  two,  so  as  to  bring  out  the  real  un- 
derlying unity  arising  from  oneness  of  doctrine  and  polity, 
and  with  only  so  much  of  difference  as  the  O.  S.  and  N.  S., 
which  letters — as  interpreted  by  what  went  before,  what 
happened  in  the  interim,  and  what  is  now  following  — 
are  reduced  from  capitals  to  small  letters,  o.  s.  and  n.  s.  This 
seems  like  a  happy  thought.     I  will  follow  it. 

YEAR   1839. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Manchester, 
April  3,  1839.  Loring  S.  Williams  was  received  from 
the  Presbytery  of  Arkansas.  John  G.  Simrall  was  dismissed 
to  the  Presbytery  of  West  Lexington.  Ralph  W.  Gridley, 
minister,  and  Alexander  H.  Burritt,  elder,  were  appointed 
Commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  A  special  meeting  was 
held  at  Jacksonville,  July  18,  1839.  The  church  of  Winches- 
ter was  received.  Charles  E.  Blood  was  received 
as  a  candidate  from  the  Presbytery  of  Cincinnati,  examined 
and  licensed.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at 
Jacksonville,  September  19.  George  C.  Wood  was  received 
from  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Charles. 


Winchester  Church  was  organized  April  24,  1839,  with 


L.  S.  WILLIAMS — G.   C.  WOOD.  2/1 

eleven  members.  At  one  time  it  numbered  eighty  members. 
Its  ministers  have  been  George  C.  Wood,  W.  H.  WiUiams, 
Josiah  Porter,  A.  L.  Pennoyer,  and  others.  It  has  never 
had  an  installed  pastor.  Elders:  Stephen  Scales,  Edwards 
Pond,  John  Moses,  W.  P.  Goldsmith.  It  has  had  repeated 
revivals  and  great  fluctuations  in  its  condition.  It  has  a  de- 
cent and  sufficiently  capacious  house  pf  worship.  Is  at  pres- 
ent— 1879 — vacant  and  depressed. 


LoRiNG  S.  Williams  was  born  in  Pownal,  Bennington 
county,  Vt.,  June  28,  1796.  He  was  educated  at  Fairfield 
Academy,  N.  Y.  Sent  out  by  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  as  a  teacher 
to  the  Choctaw  Indians.  Was  licensed  by  the  Mississippi 
Presbytery,  December  20,  1828.  Ordained  by  Tombigbee 
Presbytery,  March  27,  1830.  Joined  Illinois  Presbytery  as 
above;  Alton  Presbytery,  September  12,  1845,  ^^^  was  dis- 
missed, October  13,  1848,  to  St.  Louis  Presbytery.  He  has 
been  for  some  years  in  Glenwood,  Iowa,  where  he  has  been 
occupied  with  Bible  work,  missionary  service,  and  for  four 
and  a  half  years  as  county  Superintendent  of  schools.  In 
Iowa  he  joined  the  Congregational  church.  He  is  still  living 
at  Glenwood,  and  with  his  third  wife  who  is  twenty-four 
years  his  junior.  His  daughter,  Matilda,  has  taught  for 
many  years  in  Chesterfield,  Macoupin  county,  111.  His 
youngest  daughter  is  wife  of  Rev.  Marshall  Tingley,  Sioux 
City,  Iowa.  One  son  is  residing  in  Summerville,  Macoupin 
county.  111.  A  son  and  two  daughters  are,  or  lately  were, 
with  their  father  at  Glenwood. 


George  C.  Wood  was  born  in  New  York  City,  May  20, 
1805.  He  was  sent  from  home  to  attend  school  in  early  life, 
principally  at  Blooming  Grove  and  Newburgh,  N.  Y.  He 
graduated  at  Williams  College  in  1827,  and  at  Auburn  Semi- 
nary, N.  Y.,  in  1830.  He  was  licensed  by  Mendon  Associa- 
tion, Livingston  county,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  26,  1830;  ordained  by 
the  same  body,  June  i,  1830.  From  Auburn  he  started  for 
Missouri,  accompanied  by  Rev.  B.  F.  Hoxsey  and  others, 
and  after  a  tedious  journey  of  six  weeks,  by  land  and  water, 
in  wagons  and  stages,  in  steamboats  and  flat-boats,  and  not 
very  unfrequently  on  foot,  he  and  his  company  arrived  safely 
at    St.  Louis,    Oct.  20,    1830.     I    now  quote  from   a  letter 


2/2  PRE3BYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

of  Mr.  Wood  to  myself:  "My  first  field  of  labor 
was  at  St.  Charles,  Mo.  During  the  two  years  of  my  resi- 
dence there  that  church  was  blessed  with  two  precious  re- 
vivals and  from  a  small  beginning  became  a  strong  body. 
The  church,  however,  became  divided  in  the  choice  of  a 
pastor,  a  part  being  for  Rev.  James  Gallaher  and  a  part  for 
Rev.  Hiram  Chamberlain.  The  influence  of  that  division  and 
strife  is  felt  to  this  day.  Before  leaving  St.  Charles  I  was 
prevailed  upon  by  Dr.  David  Nelson  and  the  trustees  of  Ma- 
rion College,  to  accept  a  position  in  that  institution.  I  was 
soon,  however,  convinced  of  the  impracticability  of  the 
scheme,  and  in  gogA  time  left  the  ship  and  did  not  sink  with 
it.  I  labored  in  Missouri  eight  years,  and  during  that  time 
preached  statedly  to  the  churches  where  I  was  located,  and 
spent  much  time  in  destitute  places,  holding  protracted 
meetings  and  organizing  churches.  Some  of  these  are  to- 
day among  the  most  promising  in  northern  Missouri.  In 
September,  1869,  I  visited,  by  special  invitation,  one  of  these 
churches — that  of  New  Providence.  It  was  on  the  occasion 
of  the  re-union  of  that  church.  And  what  a  glorious  sight 
we  were  permitted  to  behold  !  Instead  of  the  little  band, 
thirty-five  years  before  organized  into  a  church,  we  had  rep- 
resentatives from  five  churches  who  had  met  to  celebrate 
their  mother's  birth  day.  I   resided  at  Manches- 

ter, 111.,  seven  years,  and  next  preached  at  Winchester  and 
Whitehall.  At  each  of  these  places  we  were  permitted  to 
rejoice  in  the  displays  of  God's  grace.  In  1842  there  were 
added  to  the  church  at  Whitehall  forty-five  on  profession  of 
their  faith.  At  Jerseyville  and  Greenville,  where  I  after- 
wards labored,  we  had  frequent  seasons  of  spiritual  refresh- 
ing. I  was  a  member  of  the  Synod  of  Illinois  at  its  first 
meeting  in  September,  183 1,  at  Hillsboro,  Illinois — being 
then  connected  with  the  Presbytery  of  Missouri." 
Mr.  Wood  joined  the  Presbytery  of  Alton  April  3,  1846. 
For  two  or  three  years  he  labored  in  Homer,  Mich.  He  re- 
turned to  Illinois  and  was  installed  pastor  of  Greenville 
church,  Bond  county,  July  23,  1853.  He  was  dismissed  from 
the  same,  Sept.  26,  1857.  Since  1857  he  has  resided  in 
Jacksonville,  111.,  in  a  pleasant  home  of  his  own,  laboring  as 
Presbyterial  missionary  and  acting  as  stated  clerk  of  the  Illi- 
nois Presbytery,  and  then  of  the  Central  Synod.  For  five 
years  before  his  death  he  was  afflicted  with  paralysis.  To- 
ward the  close  his  sufferings  were  extreme.     His  groans,  ex- 


KASKASKIA    PRESBYTERY.  2/3 

torted  by  his  terrible  agonies,  could  be  heard  in  the  streets. 
His  tender,  faithful  wife  watched  over  him  to  the  last,  and 
went  down  with  him  to  the  edge  of  the  river.     He  died  Jan. 

5,  1879.  He  married  Frances  Emeline,  daughter 
of  Gurdon  Bulkley,  Aug.  3,  1830,  at  Williamstown,  Mass. 
Henry  Hoxsey  Wood,  son  of  Mrs.  Wood's  sister,  Mrs.  Hox- 
sey,  was  born  Sept.  17,  1831.  He  lost  his  mother  when 
seven  months  old,  and  was  adopted  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wood 
as  their  son,  and  by  request  of  his  mother.  Henry  married 
Miss  Fanny  R.  Jackson,  of  Jerseyville,  who  died  in  five  years, 
leaving  a  son,  Henry,  who  lives  with  his  father  and  grand- 
mother. His  own  son,  George  Gridley  Wood, 
was  born  January  14,  1842,  graduated  at  Illinois  College  in 
1862,  entered  the  Union  army  the  same  year,  and  died  at 
Memphis,  Tenn.,  aged  twenty-one,  wanting  one  month.  He 
was    a   noble,  patriotic,  Christian  young   man. 

Rosa  Frances,  Mr.  Wood's  only  daughter,  was  born  October 

6,  1848,  and  married  William  H.  Covert,  Esq.,  State's  Attor- 
ney, of  Quincy,  111.  They  have  one  son  and  one  daughter. 
Mrs.  George  C.  Wood  was  born  July  31,  1810,  and  united 
with  the  Congregational  church  at  Williamstown,  Mass., 
under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  Ralph  W.  Gridley,  in  1825. 
Her  Bible  verse  is  Prov.  31:31  :  "  Give  her  of  the  fruit  of  her 
hands ;  and  let  her  own  works  praise  her  in  the  gates." 


Kaskaskia  Ppesbytery,  o.  s.,  met  at  Vandalia  April   12, 
1839.  B.    F.    Spilman,    minister,  and    James  A. 

Ramsey,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assem- 
bly. The  report  to  the  Assembly  showed  six  ministers,  one 
licentiate  and  fourteen  churches.  An  adjourned 

meeting  was  held  at  Greenville  commencing  June  13,  1839. 
The  church  of  West  Liberty  was  received.  Cyrus  C. 
Riggs,  licentiate,  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Alle- 
gheny. Wm.  J.  Fraser  was  put  upon  trial  for  slandering 
some  of  his  ministerial  brethren  and  for  certain  questiona- 
ble pecuniary  transactions.  On  the  last  of  these  he  was 
convicted  and  deposed  from  the  ministry.  Mr.  Fraser 
appealed  to  the  Synod  from  this  sentence.  The 

fall  meeting  of  this  Presbytery  was  held  at  Hillsboro,  com- 
mencing Oct.  12,  1839,  Mud  Creek  church,  in  St.  Clair 
county,  was  received.  John  Mathews  was  dismissed  to  the 
Presbytery  of  St.  Louis. 

17 


274  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Mud  Creek  Church  was  organized  by  Rev.  Cyrus  Riggs, 
Sept.  28,  1839,  with  seven  members.  There  were  two  Bid- 
ders. One  of  these  was  Ephraim  Hill.  This  church  was 
afterwards  merged  in  that  of  Sparta,  and  Sparta  became 
Jordan's  Grove,  and  is  now  Baldwin. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  at  Palestine,  April  11, 
1839.  Walnut  Grove  church  was  received.    The 

•division  of  this  Presbytery  into  n.  s.  and  o.  s.  was  accom- 
plished at  this  meeting.  The  minority — consisting  of  Enoch 
Kingsbury,  John-C  Campbell  and  Joseph  Butler,  with  the 
•churches  of  Danville,  new  Providence  and  Shiloh — adhered 
to  the  n.  s.  The  majority  consisting  of  Robert  Rutherford, 
John  McDonald,  Isaac  Bennet,  Stephen  Bliss,  Isaac  Reed 
and  Samuel  Baldridge,  M.  D.,  with  the  other  churches  of 
the  Presbytery,  adhered  to  the  o.  s. 


Walnut  Grove  Church,  in  Shelby  county,  was  organized 
in  1839,  by  Rev.  John  McDonald,  with  Amos  P.  Balch  and 
Tobias  Rainer,  elders.  The  name  was  changed  to  Mc- 
Cliiskey  by  Presbytery  Sept.  28,  1843.  It  was  in  T.  ii,  R.  5 
E.  Robert  Rutherford  ministered  to  this  church  for  a  time. 
It  has  long  been  extinct. 


Palestine  Presbytry,  n.  s.,  met  with  New  Providence 
church,  Aug.  29,  1839.  Ministers  present:  Joseph  Butler, 
Enoch  Kingsbury,  John  C.  Campbell.  Eldkrs:  John  Mc- 
CuUoch,  New  Providence;  Truman  Gould,  Shiloh.  Nathan- 
iel Kingsbury,  of  Union  Association,  N.  H.,  was  received. 
Enoch  Kingsbury  was  made  Stated  Clerk. 


Nathaniel  Kingsbury  was  dismissed  from  Palestine  Pres- 
bytery, June  3,  1842,  to  the  Presbyterian  and  Congrega- 
tional Union  of  Wisconsin.  He  was  a  brother  of  Enoch 
Kingsbury,  and  about  four  years  older.  He  was  settled  at 
Mt.  Vernon,  N.  H.,  before  he  came  West.  He  was  twice 
married.  He  died  in  1843.  He  had  several  children  all  of 
whom  are  dead. 


OKAW    CHURCH.  2/5 

Palestine  Presbytery,  o.  s.,  met  at  Paris,  Oct.  lo,  1839. 
Present,  Ministers:  Isaac  Reed,  Isaac  Bennet,  Robert  Ruth- 
erford, John  McDonald.  Elders  :  John  Bovell,  Paris  ;  Find- 
ley  PauU,  Palestine;  James  Walker,  Okaw;  Tobias  Rainer, 
Walnut  Grove ;  James  Black,  Bethel,  or  Oakland  ;  Thomas 
Buchanan,  Pisgah.  The  churches  of  Okaw,  Newton,  and 
Mt.  Carmel  were  received. 


Okaw,  in  Coles  county,  was  organized  first  in  1839  by  a 
Committee  of  Palestine  Presbytery,  with  eleven  members, 
and  one  elder,  James  Walker.  This  organization  was  in  ex- 
istence until  1846,  when  it  was  dissolved  by  Presbytery. 
Another,  by  the  same  name,  was  made  at  Fillmore,  June  17, 
1854 — Fillmore  was  half  way  between  Hermitage  and  Bour- 
bon Point — by  Revs.  H.  I.  Venable  and  R.  A.  Mitchell  and 
Elder  Israel  J.  Monfort,  with  these  members,  viz. :  Richard 
W.  Hawkins,  Jane  Hawkins,  Mary  Logan,  Amanda  Moore, 
William  H.  Randolph,  Dorcas  Rice,  Mary  Kingry,  Robert 
McCaig,  Noble  J.  Braun  and  Elizabeth  Welch.  Elders  : 
William  H.  Randolph  and  Richard  W.  Hawkins.  Elders 
since  appointed :  James  Walker,  John  A.  Magner,  David 
H.  Campbell,  William  M.  Richey,  B.  H.  Burton,  John  T. 
Reed,  R.  P.  Burlingame,  Ripley  A.  Clisby,  Thomas  Rankin. 
Ministers  :  Henry  I.  Venable  ;  J.  W.  Allison,  who  was  in- 
stalled;  R.  M.  Roberts,  1 869-1 873;  W.  H.  Jeffries;  John 
Locke  Martin,  student;  J.  W.  Cecil.  This  church  has  held 
its  meetings  at  different  places,  as  Flat  Branch — a  stream 
-west  of  Humboldt,  which  runs  west  into  the  Kaskaskia — 
Bourbon  Point.  Fillmore  and  Areola.  At  the  last  place  they 
met,  June  18,  1858,  received  eleven  members  and  held  com- 
munion. Rev.  John  A.  Steele  was  present  with  Mr.  Vena- 
ble. This  church  was  first  called  Arcola  in  the  records, 
January  9,  1859.  Under  Mr.  Roberts'  ministry,  in  the  win- 
ter of  1 87 1-2,  there  was  an  interesting  revival — more  than 
forty  persons  being  added.  The  church  never  had  but  one 
house  of  worship,  the  present  building,  erected  in  1862,  cost- 
ing about  twelve  hundred  dollars.  Elder  David  H.  Camp- 
bell donated  the  site.  Previously  the  congregation  had  wor- 
shipped in  school  houses  in  different  neighborhoods — as 
Fillmore,  Bourbon,  Flat  Branch  (in  the  Methodist  house 
there),  and  at  Arcola  in  vacant  warehouses  after  the  con- 
struction of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  in  1855. 


276  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Newton  Church,  Jasper  county,  was  organized  in  1839 
by  a  Committee  of  Palestine  Presbytery,  with  six  members, 
Benjamin  Harris,  elder.  This  organization  went  down.  An- 
other was  made,  by  the  same  name,  September  18,  1852, 
with  these  members:  Mrs.  Elizabeth  P.  Harris,  Mrs.  H.  V. 
Harris,  A.  S.  Harris,  Joseph  Wilson,  Mrs.  Ann  Wilson,, 
Robert  Delzell,  Mrs.  Dorcas  Delzell,  Mrs.  Martha  Max- 
well, Mrs.  Elizabeth  Maxwell  This  organization  was  made 
by  Revs.  Robert  Simpson  and  W.  P.  Thompson.  It  had 
no  elder  until  June  5,  1853,  when  A.  S.  Harris  was  chosen. 
Other  ELDERS :  Hiram  Wade,  Adrian  F.  Aten,  James  R, 
Jackson,  Calvin  "G.  Chariot,  Samuel  Cowman,  Henry  Van- 
derhoof,  Francis  M.  Ross.  Ministers  :  Robert 

Simpson.  H.  I.  Venable,  Thomas  M.  Chesnut,  Ogden  Hen- 
derson, James  Brownlee,  George  W.  NicoUs,  the  present  sup- 
ply pastor.  This  church  has  never  had  an  installed  pastor. 
There  have  been  several  considerable  periods  in  which  they 
were  vacant.  Before  the  erection  of  the  church  edifice 
meetings  were  held  at  the  court-house,  or  at  the  Methodist 
church.  The  dedication  of  their  house  took  place  July  19,^ 
1868.  Its  cost  was  about  three  thousand  dollars.  It  is  a 
plain  frame  building,  with  cupola  and  bell.  There  is  an  in- 
teresting Sabbath  school  under  the  management  of  D.  E, 
Robuck. 


The  Church  of  Mt.  Carmel,  Wabash  county,  was  or- 
ganized. May  5,  1839,  by  Revs.  Stephen  Bliss  and  Isaac 
Bennet,  Committee  of  Palestine  Presbytery,  with  these  mem- 
bers, viz. :  William  Eldridge,  Paulina  Eldridge,  Anna  E. 
Page,  Elizabeth  Bell,  Elizabeth  P.  McDowell,  Rachel  R. 
Cook,  Elijah  Harris,  Elizabeth  Harris,  William  H.  Miller, 
James  D.  Knapp,  Sarah  Knapp,  Martha  Harris,  William 
Mudge,  Mary  R.  Mudge,  Alvin  S.  Sturgis,  Anganet  Sturgis,. 
Margaret  Mahon,  William  H.  Swain,  Abigail  Swain,  Rebecca 
Galloway.  Robert  H.  Lilly  was  installed  pastor,  June  1 3,  1 840, 
A  church  building  of  brick  was  erected  in  1838-9,  the  finest 
church  in  town,  and  at  that  time  in  the  Presbytery.  This  house 
was  totally  destroyed  by  a  tornado,  June  4,  1877,  by  which 
much  other  injury  was  done  to  property  in  the  place,  and 
seventeen    lives    lost.  Ministers:    Blackburn 

Leffler  in  1847,  and    P.   W.    Thomson  from    1848  to  1852; 
John    L.    Hawkins,   1852-56;  next  and  until    1859,   Charles 


PRESBYTERY  OF  SANGAMON.  2/7 

Spinning;  J.  C.  Thompson,  1860-63;  William  S.  Heindel, 
1875  ;  Thomas  C.  Winn,  now  a  missionary  in  Japan,  while  a 
student  of  Union  Theological  Seminary  spent  vacation  here 
in  1876.  Elders:  William  Eldridge,  Elijah  Harris,  James 
TMcDowell,  Isaac  Ogden  and  Charles  Roedel — all  dead  ex- 
cept the  last.  This  congregation  will  build  a  new  church  ed- 
ifice soon. 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon,  o.  s.,  met  at  Springfield, 
April  5,  1839.  William  G.  Gallaher,  a  member  of  "  the  late" 
Presbytery  of  Illinois  was  received  without  a  letter.  Four 
churches,  to-wit:  Union,  Jacksonville,  Providence  and  Pis- 
gah,  attached  by  Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s.,  to  this  Presbytery, 
were  represented  by  elders.  Andrew  Todd  was  received 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Ebenezer.  J.  G.  Bergen,  minister, 
and  I.  R.  Kincaid,  elder,  were  appointed  to  the  next  Assem- 
bly. The  report  to  the  Assembly  showed  seven  ministers 
and  eight  churches.  The  fall  meeting  was   held 

at  Jacksonville,  commencing  Sept.  13,  1S39,  and  an  adjourn- 
ed meeting  at  the  same  place,  Oct.  5,  1839.  The 
Pisgah  Session,  church  and  minister,  Rev.  Wm.  G.  Gallaher, 
announced  that  they  had  reversed  their  former  action  seeking 
connection  with  Sangamon  Presbytery  and  should  remain 
with  that  of  Illinois.  Mr.  Todd  reported  that  he  had  formed 
a  church  at  Winchester  consisting  of  about  ten  members. 
The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  had  received  the  church  of  Win- 
chester under  their  care  the  preceding  April.  Here  is  an 
illustration  of  the  ecclesiastical  partisanship  of  the  time. 


Andrew  Todd  was  born  Jan.  13,  1800,  at  Paris,  Bourbon 
county,  Ky.  He  was  a  son  of  Andrew  Todd,  an  eminent 
physican,  whose  death  occurred  in  May,  18 16.  This  Dr. 
Todd  was  a  surgeon  in  our  revolutionary  war,  a  gentleman 
of  high  attainments  in  hi§  profession,  of  ardent  patriotism 
and  deep  piety.  Rev.  Andrew  Todd's  grandfather  was  Rev. 
John  Todd,  of  Louisa  county,  Va.,  a  Presbyterian  minister  of 
high  character  and  attainments.  His  mother  was  a  woman 
of  uncommon  piety  and  excellence.  Mr.  Todd's  collegiate 
education  was  at  Washington  and  Jefferson  Colleges,  Wash- 
ington county.  Pa.  He  graduated  in  18 17.  He  united  with 
the  Presbyterian  Church  at   the   age    of   eighteen.      After 


2/8  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

graduating,  he  spent  one  year  in  the  study  of  medicine.  He 
entered  Princeton  Seminary  in  i8i8,  and  passed  through  tlie 
entire  course.  He  was  hcensed  by  the  New  Brunswick  Pres- 
bytery, April  26,  1 82 1.  Dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of 
Ebenezer,  Jan.  30,  1822.  Ordained  by  that  Presbytery, 
July  25,  1823,  sine  titido.  He  married  Miss  Catharine  Wil- 
son, Aug.  26,  1826,  at  Washington,  Pa.  He  was  installed 
(  I  )  pastor  of  Cherry  Spring  and  Hopewell  churches,  Ky., 
first  Wednesday  in  Feb.  1824.  Dismissed  April  8,  1826. 
(2)  Flemingsburg,  first  Friday  of  May,  1826.  Released 
Oct.  4,  1838.  (3  )  Jacksonville,  111.,  in  the  autumn  of  1838 — 
released  by  death;  Sept.  2,  1850.  His  decease  took  place 
at  Casa  Bianca,  Florida,  of  bronchial  consumption.  His 
ministry  was  marked  by  revivals — his  manner  very  tender 
and  earnest — his  preaching  remarkably  adapted  to  convince 
the  judgment  and  enlist  the  affections  of  his  hearers.  About 
five  hours  before  his  death  he  wrote  on  a  slate,  "  Most  done 
mourning."  In  reply  to  the  question,  "  Are  you  at  peace  ?" 
he  replied,  "As  much  so  as  is  possible."  The  Prcsbytci'ian 
Herald  ?,2\^  of  him,  Oct.  1850.  "  We  have  known  him  from 
our  earliest  recollection,  and  can  truly  say  that  we  have 
never  known  a  more  unblemished  character  than  his.  His 
distinguishing  characteristics  were  strong  common  sense, 
ardent  and  devoted  piety,  and  universal  good-will  to  all  his 
fellow  men."  He  left  two  children,  one  of  whom 

is  Mrs.  Belle  T.  Waugh,  wife  of  Rev.  Joseph  Waugh,  Ph.  D., 
of  Washington,  Pa.  His  active  ministry  at  Jacksonville,  111., 
continued  eleven  years,  during  which  one  hundred  and 
eighty-two  were  added  to  his  church. 


Central  Presbyterian  Church,  Jacksonville,  111.  The 
history  of  this  church  is  identical  with  that  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  church,  Jacksonville,  down  to  September  28, 
1838,  which  has  already  been  given.  From  that  time  for- 
ward its  history  will  be  told  mostly  in  the  words  of  its  pres- 
ent pastor,  Rev.  W.  W.  Harsha,  D.  D.,  taken  from  his  sermon 
preached  at  the  dedication  of  their  present  church  edifice. 
The  Jacksonville  Presbyterian  church  was  rent  in  twain  by 
this  division — that  of  1837-8.  There  were  three  elders  in 
the  church  at  the  time — William  C.  Posey,  David  B.  Ayres 
and  Daniel  C.  Pierson.  Mr.  Posey  and  a  minority  of  the 
church,  sympathizing  with   the  Old  School  Assembly,   ad- 


CENTRAL    CHURCH.  2/9 

hered  to  that  body  and  carried  their  cause  before  the  Synod 
of  Illinois,  which  met  in  Peoria  in  September,  1838.  The 
Synod,  Old  School,  took  this  action :  "  Peoria,  September 
28,  1838.  On  motion  resolved  (in  accordance  with  the  act 
No.  I  and  its  sections,  of  the  late  Assembly),  that  the  mi- 
nority of  the  session  and  church  of  Jacksonville  be,  and 
they  are  hereby  declared  to  be  the  session  and  church  of 
Jacksonville. 

A  true  copy  of  the  record  of  the  Synod  of  Illinois. 

J.  G.  Bergen,  Stated  Clerk." 

The  majority  of  the  church,  with  its  elders,  was  of  course 
recognized  by  the  courts  adhering  to  the  New  School  As- 
sembly, and  thus  there  were  here  in  existence  two  churches, 
each  tracing  its  origin  to  the  original  act  of  organization,  and 
having  a  common  history  from  1827  to  1838.  The  records 
and  property  were  surrendered  without  litigation  to  the  party 
which  adhered  to  the  New  School  Assem.bly. 
This  church  retained  the  old  name — "  The  Presbyterian 
church  of  Jacksonville,"  until  the  j^ear  1870,  when  upon 
the  re-union  of  the  two  Assemblies,  it  took  the  name  of 
"  The  Central  Presbyterian  church  " — the  other  church  hav- 
ing adopted  some  years  ago  the  name  of  "The  First  Pres- 
byterian." This  church  was  found,  after  the  di- 
vision, to  embrace  forty-two  members.  It  secured  the  servi- 
ces of  Rev.  Andrew  Todd,  of  Flemingsburg,  Ky.,  who  en- 
tered upon  his  labors  with  them  in  the  autumn  of  1838. 
They  worshiped  first  for  a  few  months  in  a  frame  building 
which  stood  on  the  north  end  of  the  lot  on  which  the  Park 
House  now  stands,  the  use  of  which  was  given  by  Governor 
Duncan  without  charge.  Afterward  the  Congregational 
church  edifice  was  secured  at  a  nominal  rent.  This  building 
now  forms  the  rear  portion  of  the  edifice  on  the  east  side  of 
the  city  square,  used  by  Messrs.  Johnson  &  Son  as  a  furni- 
ture store.  In  the  mean  time  preparations  were 
made  for  the  erection  of  a  sanctuary  for  themselves,  and  in 
the  year  1840,  about  two  years  after  the  division  of  the 
church,  the  frame  building  on  West  State  street  was  comple- 
ted— the  lot  having  been  donated  by  Col.  John  J.  Hardin. 
In  this  sanctuary  the  congregation  worshiped  for  nearly 
thirty  years,  leaving  it  only  a  few  months  before  entering  the 
lecture  room  of  the  present  building,  in  1871. 
Since  the  division,  in  1838,  this  church  has  had  four  settled 
pastors.     Andrew  Todd  labored  with  great  zeal,  earnestness 


280  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

and  self-denial  from  November,  1838,  until  failing  health 
compelled  him,  in  the  autumn  of  1849,  to  seek  a  warmer  cli- 
mate. But  he  continued  to  fail,  until  on  the  2d  day  of  Sep- 
tember, 1850,  in  the  fifty-first  year  of  his  age,  he  fell  asleep 
in  Jesus,  at  Casa  Bianca,  near  Monticello,  Fla. 

Mrs.  Todd,  his  widow,  yet  lives,  spending  her  last  days 
with  her  daughter,  the  wife  of  Rev.  Joseph  Waugh,  at  Wash- 
ington, Pa. 

After  the  death  of  this  gifted  man,  J.  V.  Dodge  was  called 
to  the  pastorate.  Mr.  Dodge  continued  his  labors  four  years 
and  a  half,  from  the  autumn  of  1850  until  the  spring  of  1855, 
when  the  pastoral  relation  was  dissolved. 

After  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Dodge,  John  H.  Brown,  D. 
D.,  acted  as  stated  supply  for  one  year.  From  Sept.,  1856, 
until  the  following  spring,  the  pulpit  was  supplied  chiefly  b}' 
Dr.  Bergen  of  Springfield.  In  1857,  R.  W.  Allen,  took 
charge  of  the  church  as  supply  pastor.  Having  received  a 
call  to  the  pastorate,  Mr.  Allen  was  installed  Dec.  5th,  1858, 
and  continued  until  May,  1867.  Mr.  Allen's  pastorate 
embraced  the  period  covered  by  the  late  civil  war — a  period 
most  distracting,  and  highly  unfavorable  to  church  growth. 
After  Mr.  Allen's  resignation  the  church  was  without  a  pas- 
tor for  two  years,  with  the  exception  of  six  months,  when 
they  enjoyed  the  labors  of  R.  J.  L.  Matthews,  formerly  of 
Vandalia,  111.  In  1869,  W.  W.  Harsha  was  called 

from  the  South  Presbyterian  church,  Chicago.  His  labors 
among  you  are  still  continued — 1879 — There  were  received 
during  Mr.  Todd's  active  ministry  of  eleven  years,  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-two  members.  During  Mr.  Dodge's  labors, 
extending  through  four  and  one-half  years,  ninety-two  were 
received.  In  the  one  year,  in  which  Dr.  Brown  acted  as  sup- 
ply pastor,  forty-two  were  received.  During  Mr.  Allen's 
pastorate  of  ten  years,  including  the  unpropitious  era  of  the 
war,  one  hundred  and  twenty-three  were  admitted.  During 
the  ministry  of  Mr.  Matthews,  eleven  were  added.  During 
the  last  five  years,  two  hundred  and  thirty-eight  have  been 
received — one  hundred  and  fifty-two  of  these  upon  profession 
their  of  faith.  To  sum  up  these  results :   In  the 

thirty-eight  years  that  this  church  has  maintained  its  separ- 
ate existence,  six  hundred  and  eighty-eight  persons  have 
connected  themselves  with  it.  Of  these  three  hundred  and 
forty-two  have  been  brought  to  Christ  through  its  instru- 
mentality. 


ALTON    PRESBYTERY.  28 1 

Since  the  division,  the  following  elders  have  been  chosen  : 
John  M.  Hill,  Nov.  17th,  1838;  Robert  Brown  and  James 
M.  Duncan,  Feb.  12th,  1842;  Stephen  M.  McClain,  March 
nth,  1843  ;  Thomas  White,  April  26th,  1846,  died  July  6th, 
i860;  Dr.  O.  M.  Long,  Aug.  27th,  1847.  Dr.  Long  still 
lives  and  represents  our  government  abroad,  though  now  a 
member  of  another  communion.  Robert  Officer  acted  with 
the  session  for  a  few  months  in  1853,  ^^^  then  removed  from. 
the  city.  Thomas  Officer,  Dr.  N.  English,  Stephen  Sutton, 
Wm.  Stover,  J.  V.  D.  Stout,  Nov.  8th,  1854.  Dr.  Gad- 
■dis,  Valentine  S.  McCormack  and  John  A.  Russell,  May 
nth,  1862.  Dr.  Gaddis  went  to  his  reward  Dec.  1st,  1863. 
Mr.  McCormack  was  dismissed  to  the  Westminster  church 
of  this  city,  and  last  year  was  called  from  earth  by  a  sud- 
den and  terrible  accident  upon  the  railroad  in  the  vicinity, 
and  Mr.  Russell  has  been  laid  aside  by  sickness.  Elliott 
Stevenson,  Thomas  G.  Taylor  and  Joseph  N.  Taylor,  Aug. 
8th,  1869.  The  present  acting  eldership  consists  of  Messrs. 
Sutton,  Stout,  Stevenson,  Thomas  G.  and  Joseph  N.  Taylor. 

A  successful  Sabbath  school  has  been  maintained  in  con- 
nection with  this  church  from  the  first.  The  present  beauti- 
ful church  edifice  was  dedicated  April  19,  1874.  It  cost 
with  the  lot,  ^33,000. 

Alton  Presbytery  met  with  Bethel  church,  Bond  county, 
April  3,  1839.  Greenville  church  was  received.  F.  W. 
Graves  was  dismissed  from  his  pastoral  relation  to  the  Alton 
church,  and  from  this  Presbytery  to  the  Third  Presbytery  of 
New  York.  Joshua  T.  Tucker,  minister,  and  Owen  Love- 
joy,  licentiate,  were  dismissed  with  general  letters.  The 
name  of  South  Green  church  was  changed  to  Jerseyville. 
F.  W.  Graves,  minister,  and  John  Coggswell,  elder,  were  ap- 
pointed Commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  Joseph  Fowler 
was  ordained  April  4,  1839.  An  adjourned  meet- 

ing was  held  at  Alton,  May  9,  1839,  at  which  A.  T.  Norton 
was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis  and  installed 
pastor  of  the  Alton  church.  Theron  Baldwin  preached  the 
sermon  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Jerseyville 

September  12. 

Greenville  Church,  Bond  county,  n.  s.,  was  organized  by 
Revs.  Thomas  Lippincott  and  T.  C.  Lansing,  D.  D.,  Novem- 


252  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS; 

ber  24  and  25,  1838,  with  these  members,  viz.:  John  Green- 
wood, John  Coggswell,  John  G.  Lovett,  WiUiam  Nelson^ 
Chauncy  L.  Eldridge,  Henry  Briggs,  Warren  Chapman, 
Elizabeth  Briggs,  Lucy  Wait,  Roxaland  Lovett,  Lusalla 
Chapman,  Clarissa  Eldridge,  Elizabeth  Wait,  Ruth  Ann 
Berry,  Polly  A.  White,  Elizabeth  Blanchard.  Elders  :  Wil- 
liam Nelson,  Warren  Chapman.  Afterwards — A.  L.  Saund- 
ers and  Seth  Fuller.  The  reasons  for  establishing  this  church 
are  these:  March  10,  1819,  as  related  elsewhere  in  this  vol- 
ume, a  church  was  formed  in  Bond  county  called  "Shoal 
Creek  church,"  embracing  all  the  Presbyterians  in  the  county. 
The  center  of  this^congregation  was  in  what  was  called  the 
"  Ohio  Settlement,"  about  six  miles  north  of  Greenville.  In 
1825  Shoal  Creek  was  divided  into  three.  Bethel,  Shoal  Creek 
and  Greenville  churches.  In  1832  Shoal  Creek  and  Green- 
ville were  united  under  the  name  of  Greenville.  Up  to  this 
time  Greenville  was  without  a  house  of  worship.  Now  they 
built  about  two  miles  north  of  Greenville  village,  on  the  left- 
hand  side  of  the  Hillsboro  road.  This  church  enjoyed  the 
labors  of  Messrs.  Hardy,  Ewing,  W.  K.  Stewart  and  James 
Stafford  up  to  April,  1838,  when  Mr.  Stafford  removed  to 
McDonough  county.  This  left  that  church  without  a  minis- 
ter from  1838  to  1840.  Their  house  was  two  miles  away, 
with  no  prospect  of  building  in  the  village.  At  this  time, 
1838,  Dr.  T.  C.  Lansing  removed  to  Greenville,  expecting  to 
make  the  place  his  home.  Dr.  Lansing  was  strongly  New 
School.  Others  in  Greenville  and  the  neighborhood  sym- 
pathized with  him.  By  organizing  a  n.  s.  church  it  was 
thought  Dr.  Lansing's  services  could  be  secured  as  minister, 
and  the  spiritual  necessities  of  the  rising  county  seat  be 
much  better  cared  for  than  by  the  then  vacant  church  whose 
house  was  two  miles  away.  Hence  the  new  organization 
was  made.  They  commenced  a  house  of  worship  in  1839 
and  dedicated  it  January  i,  1843.  ^^  1846  this  church  be- 
came Congregational  in  its  internal  government,  though  still 
retaining  its  exterior  Presbyterian  connections.  In  1870 
those  of  the  members  who  preferred  the  complete  Presbyte- 
rian polity  united  with  the  Old  School,  which  had  many 
years  before  erected  a  house  of  worship  in  Greenville.  The 
remainder  took  the  entire  Congregational  order,  and  have 
still  a  bare  existence. 


JOSEPH    FOWLER.  283 

Joseph  Fowler  was  born  in  Blanford,  Mass.,  August  9, 
1809.  He  removed  with  his  parents  when  he  was  eight  years 
old  to  Central  Ohio,  where  he  remained  until  he  was  nine- 
teen. He  then  returned  to  Massachusetts  and  prepared  for 
college  at  the  Academy  in  Westfield.  He  graduated  at 
Yale  College  in  1834,  and  at  Lane  in  1837.  He  then  spent 
one  year  traveling  and  preaching  in  Missouri.  He  then  went 
to  Jerseyville,  111.  He  was  ordained  by  Alton  Presbytery, 
April  4,  1839,  sine  titnlo.  He  left  Jerseyville  in  the  summer 
of  1840,  and  spent  a  year  in  teaching — preaching  also  most 
of  the  time.  He  then  removed  to  Northern  Ohio,  where  he 
took  charge  of  the  church  in  York,  Medina  county,  about 
May  I,  1842.  At  that  time  "  Oberlinism  "  was  running  wild 
through  the  churches  in  that  region,  causing  distractions 
and  divisions.  He  could  not  bear  to  labor  amidst  dissen- 
tions,  and  felt  confident  he  could  do  more  good  in  another 
field.  He  returned  to  Illinois,  taking  charge  of  the  church 
in  Lacon,  in  October,  1845.  Here  he  remained  eight  years. 
In  August,  1853,  he  removed  to  Astoria,  Fulton  county,  tak- 
ing charge  of  the  small  church  there,  but  giving  part  of  his 
labors  to  destitute  places  in  the  vicinity.  This  was  within 
the  bounds  of  Schuyler  Presbytery.  After  leaving  Astoria 
he  spent  a  year  with  the  church  in  Rushville,  commencing 
there  about  September,  1855.  He  removed  to  Magnolia, 
Putnam  county,  November  15,  1856.  This  was  his  last 
charge,  for  before  one  year  was  ended  he  received  his  release 
from  earthly  labor.  He  died,  September  6,  1857.  His  was 
a  life  of  earnest,  efficient,  self-denying  labor.  He  married 
Eliza  Ann  Brown,  daughter  of  Rev.  Amos  P.  Brown,  at  Jer- 
seyville, 111.,  March  23,  1841.  Their  children  were  Ellen  Phi- 
lena,  born  July  17,  1842;  Calvin  Amos,  born  December  2, 
1844,  died  aged  one  year;  Frances  Josepha,  born  September 
22,  1846;  Theodore  William,  born  November  14,  1848,  and 
Cornelia  Leonard,  born  September  29,  185 1. 

The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Jacksonville,  Sept. 
19,  1839.  Members  were  present  from  six  Presbyteries. 
Rev.  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher  was  a  corresponding  member  and 
preached  the  opening  sermon. 

The  Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s.,  met  at  Springfield  Oct.  17, 
1839.     Members   were  present  from   five   Presbyteries.     In 


284  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

the  case  of  the  appeal  of  Wm.  J.  Fraser  from  the  action  of 
Kaskaskia  Presbytery,  in  suspending  him  from  the  ministry, 
the  decision  of  the  Presbytery  was  affirmed  by  a  vote  of  six- 
teen to  five.  Mr.  Fraser  gave  notice  of  an  appeal  to  the 
Assembly.  Three  ministers  belonging  to  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  n.  s.,  were  present.  In  the  record  of  their  invitation 
to  sit  as  corresponding  members  they  are  called  "  ministers 
of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ."  To  this  language  the  Assem- 
bly took  this  exception  :  "  The  bodies  to  which  these  minis- 
ters respectively  belong,  not  being  mentioned."  A  resolu- 
tion on  the  subject  of  slavery  having  been  indefinitely  post- 
poned, seven  members  protested  against  the  decision,  to-wit : 
John  McDonald,  Thomas  Gait,  Robert  Rutherford,  Robert 
B.  Dobbins,  James  L.  Lamb,  Adriel  Stout  and  John  W.  Little. 


YEAR  1840. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Winchester, 
Scott  county,  April  10,  1840.  Robert  Kirkwood,  from  the 
Classis  of  Cayuga,  and  Luke  Lyons,  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Kalamazoo,  were  received.  Andrew  L.  Pennoyer, 

minister,  and  Wm.  A.  Robertson,  elder,  were  appointed  Com- 
missioners to  the  Assembly.  The  name  of  Apple  Creek 
church    was   changed    to    Whitehall.  The    fall 

meeting  was  held  at  Whitehall,  Green  county,  Oct.  2,  1840. 
Charles  E.  Blood,  licentiate,  was  dismissed  from  this  to  Al- 
ton Presbytery.  Charles  B.  Barton  and  Joseph 
H.  Buffington  were  licensed  to  preach,  Oct.  5. 


Robert  Kirkwood  was  born  in  Paisley,  Scotland,  May 
25,  1793.  He  was  converted  in  his  twenty-fifth  year.  Shortly 
after  he  entered  college.  In  1824  he  commenced  the  study 
of  theology  under  Dr.  Dick,  in  the  University  of  Glasgow. 
He  was  licensed  in  1828.  Came  to  the  United  States  the 
same  year.  Supplied  the  pulpit  of  an  absent  minister  in  the 
city  of  New  York  the  first  winter.  He  united  with  the 
classis  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church.  His  first  settlement 
was  at  Cortland,  N.  Y.,  where  his  labors  were  blessed  to  the 
ingathering  of  an  hundred  souls.  His  next  settlement  was 
at  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  in  1836.  In  1839  he  removed  West,  as  a 
Home  Missionary,  and  united  with  the  Presbytery  of  Illinois, 


LUKE    LYONS.  285 

April  10,  1840.  Having  relatives  in  Plum  Creek  neighbor- 
hood, Randolph  county,  Mr.  Kirkwood  commenced  preach- 
ing there  in  December,  1843.  O"  the  26th  of  Feb.,  1844,  he 
and  Rev.  Wm.  Chamberlain  organized  the  Plum  Creek 
church,  of  which  he  was  installed  pastor  by  a  committee  of 
Alton  Presbytery,  June  9,  1844.  This  relation  was  dissolved 
April  3,  1846.  He  was  dismissed  from  the  Alton  Presbytery 
to  the  Fourth  Presbytery  of  New  York,  Oct.  19,  1847.  After 
his  return  East  he  engaged  in  Bible  and  Tract  agencies  until 
185  I,  when  he  removed  to  Yonkers,  Westchester  county,  N. 
Y.,  and  engaged  in  writing  for  the  press.  This  he  continued 
until  stricken  down  by  paralysis,  one  year  before  his  death. 
He  died  Aug.  26,  1866,  aged  seventy-three  years  and  three 
months.  His  widow  and  son,  Alexander,  reside  in  Yonk- 
ers, N.  Y. 


Luke  Lyons  was  born  in  Coleraine,  Franklin  county, 
Mass.,  Oct.  2,  1 79 1.  He  went  from  there  to  Albany,  N.  Y., 
where  he  engaged  in  teaching  and  in  preparing  for  the  minis- 
try. He  received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  from  Williams  Col- 
lege ;  completed  his  course  at  Princeton,  N.  J.,  in  182 1,  and 
was  licensed  by  Albany  Presbytery,  Sept.  20,  1821.  Was 
ordained,  sine  titulo,  by  Albany  Presbytery,  Oct.  8,  1822. 
Supplied  Esperance,  N.  Y.,  and  was  installed  pastor  in  Aug., 
1824.  Left  there  Oct.  i,  1827,  was  installed  in  Cortland-' 
ville,  N.  Y.,  July  30,  1828,  remained  there  about  four  years. 
Installed  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  March  12,  1833:  remained 
there  about  six  years.  Was  then  a  pastor  in  Michigan  two 
years.  Joined  Alton  Presbytery,  Oct.  12,  1843.  Installed 
pastor  in  Jerseyville,  111.,  Dec.  18,  1843.  ^^e  died  January 
II,  1845.  His  funeral  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  A. 
T.  Norton.  He  was  a  faithful,  devoted,  interesting  and  suc- 
cessful minister.  The  young  were  his  peculiar  care.  He 
was  singularly  successful  in  discovering  and  developing  tal- 
ent, in  finding  hands  for  all  work  and  work  for  all  hands. 
Mr.  Lyons  married  Miss  Aurelia  Fobes,  at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  in 
18^24.  They  had  ten  children,  seven  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters. Of  these  three  only  are  living — the  eldest  son,  Henry 
M.,  at  Chicago,  and  Mrs.  Rev.  Geo.  R.  Moore  and  Mrs.  John 
N.  Crawford.  Mrs.  Lyons  died  in  the  summer  of  1875,  at 
the  residence  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Moore,  in  Philadelphia. 


286  PXESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Whitehall  Church,  the  first,  is  Apple  Creek  continued. 
Elders:  Henry  Tunison,  John  Morrow,  in  1842.  Richard 
Fulkerson  in  1844.  In  1849  it  withdrew  from  IHinois  Pres- 
bytery and  united  with  that  of  Sangamon.  It  was  foolish 
enough  to  become  a  partner  in  an  Union  church  edifice  ; 
but  the  other  partner  or  partners  managed  to  get  and  keed 
the  control  pretty  much,  and  our  interests  did  not  flourish 
under  the  arrangement.  A  Dutch  Reformed  minister  com- 
ing to  the  place,  our  people  fell  in  with  him  and  tried  that 
isjn  a  while.  This  likewise  came  to  naught.  The  Presby- 
terians finally  determined  to  organize  afresh,  and  build  a 
house  to  live  in,  the  title  deeds  to  which  should  be  in  their 
own  pockets.  The  organization  was  made  Sept.  ii,  1870, 
by  Revs.  S.  H.  Hyde  and  A.  T.  Norton,  D.  D.  Twenty- 
four  persons  became  members.  James  Cochran,  Dr.  J.  B. 
Steere  and  J.  C.  Tunison,  elders.  An  excellent  brick  church 
was  erected,  at  a  cost  of  about  ^8,000  in  1871.  The  church 
has  since  moved  forward  with  good  courage,  efficiency  and 
success. 

Kaskaskia  Presbytery  met  with  Elkhorn  church,  April 
10,  1840.  The  name  of  West-Liberty  church  was  changed 
to  Brooklyn.  Cyrus  C.  Riggs  was  ordained,  sine  titiilo,  April, 
13.  Benj.  F.  Spilman,  minister,  and  W.  A.  G.  Posey,  elder, 
were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  The  church 
of  Pisgah  was  received.  The  Presbytery  reported  to  the 
Assembly  seven  ministers,  sixteen  churches  and  one  licenti- 
ate. This  Presbytery  held  z.  pro  re  nata  meeting  at  Carmi, 
Aug.  28,  1840.  Benj.  B.  Brown  was  received  from  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Troy. 

The  sentence  of  deposition,  passed  by  this  Presbytery 
and  confirmed  by  the  Synod,  upon  Wm.  J.  Eraser,  having 
been  reversed  by  the  last  Assembly,  a  general  letter  of  dis- 
mission was  granted  him.  Andrew  M.  Hershey,  licentiate, 
was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Washington  and 
ordained.  The   fall   meeting  was  held  at   Hills- 

boro,  Oct.  9.  James  Stafford  was  received  from  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Schuyler.  The  Carlinville  church,  o.  s.,  was 
received.  The  name  of  the  "Kaskaskia"  church  was 
changed  to  that  of  the  "  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Ches- 
ter." 

Cyrus  C.  Riggs,  D.  D.,  third  son  of  the  Rev.  Cyrus  Riggs, 


CYRUS    C.  RIGGS.  28/ 

sketched  on  a  preceding  page,  was  born  April  13,  18 10,  in 
Mercer  county,  Pa.  He  removed  with  his  father  to  Scrub- 
grass,  Venango  county.  Pa.,  in  181 3,  and  spent  his  early 
youth  laboring  upon  a  farm.  In  his  seventeenth  year  he 
was  visited  with  a  violent  sickness  which  brought  him 
near  the  grave,  and  left  him  with  a  constitution  perma- 
nenly  impaired.  On  recovering  sufficiently  he  entered  upon 
preparatory  studies  with  his  father.  He  graduated  at  Jeffer- 
erson.  College  in  1836.  He  took  his  theological  course  in 
Allegheny  Seminary,  Pa.,  and  was  licensed  April  4,  1839,  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Allegheny.  Receiving  a  commission 
from  the  Board  of  Home  Missions,  he  came  immediately  to 
his  father's  house  in  Elkhorn,  111.  Making  that 

his  headquarters,  he  spent  the  summer  itinerating  among  the 
vacant  churches  in  that  region.  The  next  winter  he  spent 
with  the  old  Kaskaskia  church  in  the  village  of  Chester. 
At  that  time — winter  of  1839-40 — Chester  had  no  church  of 
any  denomination.  The  magistrate  of  the  village,  a  liberal- 
minded,  public-spirited  citizen,  in  belief,  a  Universalist, 
opened  his  office,  furnished  it  with  seats  and  acted  as  sexton 
the  whole  winter,  all  without  charge.  April  13,  1840,  Mr. 
Riggs  was  ordained,  sine  titulo,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Kaskas- 
kia. He  soon  gathered  thirteen  members  of  the  Kaskaskia 
church,  then  called  the  First  Church  of  Chester,  and  held  with 
them  regular  services  in  that  village  one-half  the  time.  The 
other  half  he  preached  in  Liberty  and  at  Shiloh  school- 
house.  May  13,  1840,  he  married  Mary  C.  Todd,  only 
daughter  of  Rev.  Nathaniel  and  Elizabeth  Todd,  of  Alle- 
gheny City,  Pa.  She  was  in  every  way  a  help- 
meet for  him.  In  1841  an  interesting  revival  was  experi- 
enced which  added  numbers,  life  and  vigor  to  the  Chester 
church.  Soon  after  he  organized  the  church  at  Liberty,  now 
Rockwood,  and  in  1843  that  of  Sparta.  In  1845  he  led  the 
Chester  people  in  the  work  of  building  a  sanctuary.  Need- 
ing change  of  climate,  he  visited  Western  Pennsylvania,  and 
was  soon  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  churches  of  Annapo- 
lis and  Richmond,  Stubenville  Presbytery,  Ohio,  and  installed 
over  them  in  the  spring  of  1846.  He  continued  there  to  the 
fall  of  1849,  when  having  organized  a  church  in  East  Spring- 
field, he  gave  up  Annapolis  and  devoted  himself  to  the  two 
others.  He  was  appointed  also  President  of  Richmond 
College.  But  finding  the  charge  of  the  churches  and  the  Col- 
lege duties  too  much  for  his  strength,  he  gave  up  the  field  in 


288  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

the  fall  of  1 85 1,  and  became  pastor  of  the  church  of  Sewick- 
ly,  Redstone  Presbytery,  Pa.  He  occupied  this  field  for 
nine  years.  His  next  charge  was  Sharon  and  Clarksville, 
Mercer  county,  Pa.  Severe  labor  in  a  great  revival  brought 
on  great  prostration,  leaving  him  unequal  to  a  pastoral 
charge.  In  1868  he  removed  to  Beaver,  Pa.,  and  took 
charge  of  a  Female  Seminary.  Dr.    Riggs  had 

four  children,  one  son  and  three  daughters.  The  eldest,, 
Elizabeth  B.,  is  married  to  Dr.  L.  R.  Webster,  and  resides  in 
Grass  Valley,  Nevada  county,  Cal.  The  second,  Elliott 
Swift,  is  unmarried  and  a  physican  in  Allegheny  City,  Pa. 
The  third,  Mary  -Content,  is  married  to  Thomas  P.  Dickson,, 
and  resides  near  Clarksville,  Mercer  county,  Pa.  The  young- 
est, Achsah  Jane,  is  unmarried  and  resides  with  her  parents 
at  Beaver  Falls,  Pa. 

PisGAH  Church,  Gallatin  county,  was  organized  by  B.  F. 
Spilman,  March  17,  1840,  with  nine  members  and  two  elders, 
one  of  whom  was  John  Douglas.     It  has  long  been  extinct. 


Andrew  M.  Hershey  came  from  the  Presbytery  of  Wash- 
ington, Ky.,  to  that  of  Kaskaskia,  as  a  licentiate,  July  29, 
1840,  and  was  ordained  the  same  day,  sme  titulo.  He  was 
supply  pastor  of  Carmi  church  in  1840,  and  so  continued  for 
about  two  years.  He  was  a  man  of  polished  manners,  a 
good  preacher,  and  sustained  a  good  character  for  scholar- 
ship and  ministerial  deportment.  He  wrote  and  read  his- 
sermons.  While  in  Carmi  he  spent  a  portion  of  his  time  in 
teaching.  In  1862  he  was  supply  pastor  of  Greenwood 
church,  a  member  of  Potomac  Presbytery,  and  his  postoffice 
address  Brentsville,  Va.  Subsequently  his  name  stands  as 
a  member  of  the  same  Presbytery,  but  W.  C,  until  1866,. 
when  it  appears  for  the  last  time.  Whether  he  went  with 
the  Southern  church,  or  went  up  higher,  I  know  not. 


Carlinville  Church,  o.  s.,  was  organized,  December  8,. 
1839,  by  Rev.  T.  A.  Spilman,  with  these  members,  viz. : 
George  Harlan,  Margaret  Harlan,  David  Nevius,  Jane  Nev- 
ius,  Rainey  L.  Berry,  Mary  Jane  Berry,  Sarah  S.  Barrick,. 
Mary  M.  Fishback,  Mary  P.  Parks,  Elizabeth  Brown,  Julia 
Winchester,  Lucy  Stevenson.     George  Harlan,  elder. 


CARLINVILLE    CHURCH,  O.  S.  289 

Ministers  :  Thomas  A.  Spilman,  A.  C.  Allen,  P.  D,  Young, 
Peter  Hassinger,  and  several  others  who  give  the  church  oc- 
casional supply.  August  10,  1844,  twelve  members  of  this 
Carlinville  church  were  organized  by  Rev.  A.  C.  Allen  into 
a  distinct  body,  called  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Dry 
Point,  and  the  Carlinville  church,  o.  s.,  ceased  to  exist  under 
that  name.  The  elders  of  this  new  organization  were  George 
Harlan,  Elijah  Harlan  and  Henry  Fishback.  Elders  subse- 
quently appointed  were  William  Robinson,  W.  H.  Edwards, 
George  W.  Quigley  and  Dr.  James  F.  Spilman.  The  latter 
was  appointed  February  i6,  1868.  This  church  was  subse- 
quently called  Bayless,  and  is  still  known  by  that  name,  but 
is  nearly  extinct.  The  last  elder,  Elijah  Harlan,  Esq.,  died 
at  Bunker  Hill,  January  6,  1879.  It  has  still  a  small  frame 
house  of  worship  at  Baylesstown,  on  the  railroad  near  Dor- 
chester, Macoupin  county.  Several  of  its  families  have  united 
with  the  Plainview  church.  Two  or  three  members  reside  in 
Bunker  Hill. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  n.  s.,  met  at  Danville, 
April  3,  1840.  Ministers  present:  Nathaniel  Kingsbury, 
Enoch  Kingsbury,  John  C.  Campbell.  Elders  :  Dr.  A.  R. 
Palmer,  Danville;  John  McCullock,  New  Providence;  Joseph 
Allison,  Pleasant  Prairie.  N.  Kingsbury,  minister,  and  A.  R. 
Palmer,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assem- 
bly. The  fall  meeting  was  appointed  with  the  Pleasant  Prai- 
rie church,  September  4,  1840,  but  failed  from  waV*  of  a 
quorum. 


Palestine  Presbytery,  o.  s.,  met  at  Palestine,  May  8,  1840. 
Henry  I.  Venable,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania ;  R. 
H.  Lilly,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Muhlenberg,  and  Erastus 
W.  Thayer,  licentiate,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Sangamon, 
were  received.  Mr.  Thayer  was  ordained,  May  9,  1840,  sine 
titido.  A  called  meeting,  held  at   Paris,  July   i, 

1840,  dismissed  Samuel  Baldridge,  M.  D.,  to  the  Presbytery 
of  Sidney.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at   Dar- 

win, commencing  September  17.  The  new  church  of  York 
was  received.  Isaac  Bennet  resigned  as  Stated  Clerk,  and 
R.  H.  Lilly  was  appointed  to  take  his  place. 

18 


290  PRESBYTERI'ANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Henry  Isaac  Venable  was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Ky.,  June 
28,  1811,  and  died  in  Paris,  111.,  May  22,  1878.  He  united 
with  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Danville,  Ky.,  at  the  age  of 
seventeen,  while  pursuing  his  studies  in  Center  College,  where 
he  graduated  July  2,  1830.  He  pursued  the  first  part  of  his 
theological  studies  in  Princeton  Seminary,  N.  J.,  but  com- 
pleted his  course  in  the  Union  Theological  Seminary  of  Vir- 
ginia. He  received  his  Master's  degree  from  Hampden  Sid- 
ney College,  September,  1833,  was  licensed  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  West  Hanover,  April  19,  1834.  After  several  months 
Mr.  V.  was  commissioned  as  a  missionary  to  South  Africa 
by  the  AmericanHBoard  of  Missions.  October  10,  1834,  he 
was  ordained  to  the  ministry  by  the  Presbytery  of  Transylva- 
nia in  session  at  Danville,  Ky.  October  21,  1834,  he  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Miss  Martha  A.  Martin.  Mrs.  V. 
and  four  of  her  sisters  became  the  wives  of  Presbyterian  min- 
isters, and  her  only  three  brothers  are  now  active  and  most 
useful  ministers— Rev.  W.  A.  P.  Martin,  D.  D.,  LL.D.,  of  the 
Imperial  University  of  Pekin,  China;  Rev.  C.  B.  H.  Martin, 
D.  D.,  of  Evansville,  Ind.,  and  Rev.  S.  N.  D.  Martin,  Kan- 
sas. In  November,  1834,  Mr.  V.  and  wife,  with 
ten  other  missionaries  sent  out  by  the  same  Board,  sailed  for 
Africa.  Of  these  twelve,  three  only  survive — Rev.  Alden 
Grant,  Rev,  Daniel  Lindley,  and  Mrs.  M.  A.  Venable.  For 
more  than  four  years  Mr.  and  Mrs.  V.  labored  among  the 
heathen  tribes  of  Africa.  But  the  work  was  twice  arrested 
by  the  native  wars,  and  with  impaired  health  they  were 
oblig-^j^^  to  suspend  their  labors  and  return  to  America, 
cherishing  a  fond  hope  that  they  might  be  permitted  to 
to  resume  their  chosen  work.  A  hope,  in  their  case,  never 
to  be  realized.  Soon  after  his  return  to  the  United  States, 
Mr.  V.  became  minister  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Paris, 
111.  This  charge  he  served  until  1841,  when  he  resigned  it, 
and  soon  after  laid  the  foundation  of  Edgar  Academy,  which 
he  conducted  with  great  energy  and  success  for  about  nine 
years.  During  this  period  about  eight  hundred  pupils  of 
both  sexes  received  their  education,  in  whole  or  in  part, 
under  his  training.  About  1850,  with  a  view  to  a  wider 
range  of  usefulness,  Mr.  V.  made  a  tender  of  his  school  to 
the  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  retaining  the  position  of  Princi- 
pal. While  engaged  in  energetic  efforts  to  carry  out  these 
enlarged  plans,  he  was  thrown  from  his  buggy  and  received 
an  injury  which  arrested  his  labors  in  this  sphere  and  well- 


HENRY    I.  VENABLE.  29 1 

nigh  ended  his  hfe.  Those  who  knew  him  in  his  prime 
freely  assert  that  he  did  more  than  any  ten  men  of  his  day 
to  give  a  generous  impulse  to  the  cause  of  education  in 
Eastern  Illinois.  And  it  may  safely  be  said  that  but  for 
this  distressing  casualty,  Mr.  V.  would  have  occupied  a  rank 
among  the  foremost  educators  in  the  West.  His  recovery 
was  slow.  But  as  soon  as  able  he  was  again  in  the  harness, 
as  an  untiring  worker  for  the  Master.  He  supplied  the  fee- 
ble «,nd  destitute  churches,  and  performed  missionary  labor, 
for  which  he  possessed  rare  talent ;  hunting  up  scattered 
members  of  the  flock,  and  gathering  them  into  the  fold. 
During  this  period  of  twenty-five  years  the  churches  of  New- 
port, Eugene  and  Carpenterville,  Ind.,  enjoyed  his  labors. 
He  supplied  the  church  of  Charleston,  Coles  county,  three 
years  ;  was  pastor  of  the  church  of  Oakland,  111.,  nine  years  ; 
and  the  churches  of  Newton,  York,  Pleasant  Prairie  and 
Wakefield  enjoyed  his  ministrations  for  shorter  periods  of 
time.  His  last  labors  were  in  a  mission  Sabbath  school  and 
preaching  station,  in  a  destitute  ward  of  Paris,  111.,  and 
occasional  supplies  of  the  pulpits  of  his  brethren.  For  about 
a  month  before  his  death  he  had  suffered  greatly  from  an 
attack  of  acute  rheumatism,  but  was  better.  On  the  2ist, 
he  was  up  most  of  the  day,  conversed  with  his  friends,  and 
wrote  letters.  About  8  p.  m.  the  messenger  came.  He  was 
stricken  with  paralysis,  and  suddenly  was  oblivious  to  all 
around,  and  before  the  dawn  on  the  22d  his  soul  had  entered 
into  the  everlasting  rest.  Rev.  R.  D.  Van  Deursen,  the  pas- 
tor, assisted  by  Rev.  Messrs.  R.  A.  Mitchell,  of  Kansas,  111., 
S.  J.  Bovell,  of  Ashmore,  and  J.  Crozier,  of  Athens,  the  last 
two  former  pupils  of  Mr.  V.,  conducted  the  funeral  services  ; 
while  six  of  his  old  students  bore  the  remains  of  their 
revered  preceptor  and  friend  to  their  final  resting  place. 


Robert  Hervey  Lilly  was  born  in  Kentucky,  studied 
theology  at  Princeton,  was  stated  supply  at  Franklin,  Tenn., 
was  pastor  of  the  churches  of  Bethany  and  Livingston,  and 
supply  pastor  of  Princeton,  Ky.,  pastor  at  Mt.  Carmel,  111., 
in  1840,  supply  pastor  of  Palestine,  Crawford  county,  1845, 
and  missionary  in  different  places  in  the  state  1849-64.  He 
died  at  Champaign,  III.,  Jan.  14,  1874,  aged  sixty-nine,  be- 
ing a  member  of  Bloomington  Presbytery. 


292  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Erastus  W.  Thayer  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  gradua- 
ted at  Amherst  College  ;  studied  two  years  at  Andover  ;  was 
ordained  by  Palestine  Presbytery  May  9,  1840;  stated  sup- 
ply and  supply  pastor  at  Palestine,  Crawford  county,  eight 
years;  W.  C.  at  Paris  1851-53,  Springfield,  111.,  1853-55,  and 
Decatur,  111.,  1857-60;  supply  pastor  Chatham,  111.,  1862;  W. 
C.  Springfield,  III,  1879. 


The  Church  of  York  was  organized  June  27  and  28,  1840,. 
by  Rev.  E.  W.  Tli^yer  and  Elder  Willis  Fellows,  at  the  school 
house  in  ^own,  with  these  members,  viz. :  Martin  Sparks,  Mrs- 
Ann  Sparks,  Misses  Harriet  Ann  and  Mary  Jane  Sparks, 
Matthew  Hughes,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hughes,  Miss  Julia  Rich- 
ardson, Mrs.  Harriet  Ketchum,  Miss  Mana  Ketchum,  Wm. 
H.  Nelson,  Mrs.  Lydia  Nelson,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Fitch,  Miss. 
Hannah  M.  Fitch,  Mrs.  Sophia  M.  Graves,  Mrs.  Esther  P. 
Williamson,  Lucy  Ann  Wood  and  Miss  Nancy  Richardson. 
Of  these,  one  member — Mrs.  Harriet  Ketchum — continues 
to-day  on  the  ground.  Rev.  Erastus  W.  Thayer 

says:  "I  commenced  labor  in  York  in  1837,  and  preached 
two  years  without  being  invited  to  any  house,  paying  a  bill 
at  the  tavern  every  appointment.  This  I  did  on  account  of 
one  old  man,  Willis  Fellows — he  was  an  elder  in  Darwin 
church — who  desired  it  with  many  tears.  No  other  minister 
of  any  denomination  ever  officiated  in  the  town  until  the 
interest  began  to  appear,  when  a  proselyting  and  ignorant 
Baptist  preacher  came  and  drew  away  seventeen  of  the  con- 
verts. Mr.  Fellows  presided  at  the  organization  and  re- 
ceived the  first  company  of  converts,  being  able  to  hear 
their  examination  perfectly.  He  had  been  stone  deaf  for 
many  years,  but  at  the  last  his  ears  were  opened.  In  a  day 
or  two  after  the  organization  he  fell  dead.  But  he  left  suc- 
cessors." Rev.  John  Crozier,  of  Palestine,  supplied  the 
church  in  1854  one  Sabbath  in  the  month.  Rev.  John  A. 
Steele  preached  here  in  1855;  Rev.  E.  Howell  every  other 
Sabbath  from  1857  to  1865  or  1866;  Rev.  R.  C.  McKinney, 
1867-8;  Rev.  Thomas  Spencer,  1870-73:  Rev.  Geo.  F. 
Davis,  1876-78. 

Elders:  Martin  Sparks,  1840;  D.  O.  McCord,  M.  D., 
Robert  Nichol,  William  Kelley.  A  house  of  worship  was 
erected  in  1858,  at  a  cost  of  ^1,300,  besides  bell  and  furni- 
ture. Previously  services  were  held  in  the  school-house,  the 
the  town  hall,  or  in  the  Methodist  church. 


BELLEVILLE    CHURCH.  293 

The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  met  April  3,  1840,  with 
Sugar  Creek  church.  Thomas  Gait,  minister,  and  James  L. 
Lamb,  elder,  were  appointed  to  the  Assembly.  The  fall 
meeting  was  held  with  North  Sangamon  church,  commenc- 
ing September  25,  1840.  They  reported  to  the  Synod  five 
ministers  and  nine  churches. 


Alton  Presbytery  met  at  Upper  Alton,  April  11,  1840. 
Albert  Hale  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Sangamon. 
The  church  of  Belleville  was  received.  A.  T.  Norton,  min- 
ister, and  W.  S.  Oilman,  elder,  were  elected  Commissioners 
to  the  Assembly.  A.  T.  Norton  and  Theron  Baldwin  were 
appointed  a  Committee  to  procure  an  Evangelist  to  labor  in 
the  Presbytery. 


The  Belleville  Church  was  organized,  December  14, 
l^39>  by  Revs,  Thomas  Lippincott  and  A.  T.  Norton,  with 
these  nine  members :  William  E.  Chittenden,  Thomas  H. 
Kimber,  Alonzo  Dewey,  Mrs.  Sarah  Dewey,  Miss  Sarepta 
Elder,  Miss  Esther  C.  Dewey,  David  Miley,  Mrs.  Phoebe  Mi- 
ley  and  Charles  T.  EUes,  Elders  :  William  E.  Chittenden, 
Thomas  H.  Kimber.  The  ministers  who  have  served  the 
church  are  these:  Thomas  Lippincott  for  about  one  year 
after  the  organization ;  William  Chamberlain  preached  here 
for  awhile,  every  alternate  Sabbath,  then  every  fourth  Sab- 
bath. When  he  was  not  present  the  meetings  were  conducted 
by  Elder  Chittenden.  Henry  B.  Whittaker  labored  from 
August  I,  1842,  to  April,  1843;  Wilham  E.  Chittenden  was 
ordained  as  pastor  April  21,  1844,  and  remained  until  Sep- 
tember 13,  1846.  His  services  were  of  great  value.  It  was 
mainly  through  his  efforts  that  the  second  house  of  worship 
was  built.  James  R.  Dunn  for  six  months  in  1845  ;  B.  Y. 
Messenger  for  six  months  in  1846-7;  Joseph  A.  Ranney  com- 
menced as  supply  pastor  November,  1847,  was  installed  May 
19,  1848,  and  dismissed  September  3,  1854.  During  his  min- 
istry the  church  had  a  steady  growth.  John  Gibson  was 
with  this  church  from  April  to  November,  1855  ;  W.  W.  War- 
ner about  a  year  in  1855-6;  B.  F.  Cole,  E.  Barber  and  W. 
F.  P.  Noble  were  here  for  very  short  periods  ;  Andrew  Luce 
commenced  November,  1857,  '^^^^  installed  October  2,  1859, 
and  dismissed  by  Presbytery  October  11,  1865.     The  latter 


294  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

part  of  this  period  he  was  absent  as  Chaplain  in  the  Uniorr. 
army;  Ovid  Miner  during  1864,  in  Mr.  Luce's  absence.  John 
H.  DilHngham  commenced  here  May  15,  1866,  and  contin- 
ued three  years;  James  Brownlee  one  year;  Gerret  Huyser 
one  year;  Henry  W.  Woods  labored  here  one  year  and 
three  months.  Elders  :   Besides  the  first  two — 

W.  E.  Chittenden  and  T.  H.  Kimber — Thomas  Osborn  was- 
elected  in  1842  ;  Henry  Batz  and  David  Swyer  in  1843.;  Wil- 
liam Underwood  in  1848;  Charles  T.  Elles  and  Russell 
Hinckley,  April  7,  1850;  Edward  W.  West,  January  2,  1876; 
Joseph  Small  an(^James  McQuilkin,  April  30,  1879. 

The  places  of  worship  have  been  these  :  (i)  The  build- 
ing erected  and  owned  by  Thomas  H,  Kimber,  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Jackson  and  Second  North  streets,  of  brick,  plain  and 
small.  It  is  still  standing,  with  alterations  and  additions, 
and  is  owned  by  John  Hamner.  (2)  Miss  Esther  C.  Dew- 
ey's school-room.  (3)  The  court-house,  and  not  unfrequently 
a  grove.  (4.)  A  rented  room  in  High  street,  opposite  Mr. 
Brooks'  school-house.  (5)  The  brick  church,  dedicated  No- 
vember 9,  1844,  It  cost  twenty-five  hundred  and  thirtj^-two' 
dollars.  Large  repairs  were  made  upon  it  at  different  times,, 
amounting  in  all  to  five  thousand  three  hundred  and  forty- 
eight  dollars.  This  building  was  sold  to  the  City  Council  for 
forty-five  hundred  dollars.  The  present  beautiful  brick 
edifice  was  dedicated  July  9,  1876.  It  cost,  including  lot, 
$21, 4.^2.  The  organ  cost  in  addition  eighteen  hundred  dol- 
lars. O.  S.  Thompson  began  his  labors  here  as  supply  pas- 
tor, May  2,  1875,  and  was  installed  pastor  October  21,  1877.. 
The  church  has  received  altogether  three  hundred  and  fifty- 
nine  members — over  one  hundred  of  these  have  been  re- 
ceived under  Mr.  Thompson's  ministration. 

Since  1852  this  congregation  has  been  self-supporting.  It 
has  ever  maintained  a  large  and  remarkable  well-conducted' 
Sabbath  school.  In  the  midst  of  a  population,  two-thirds 
or  more  of  whom  are  Germans,  and  of  these  a  great  part 
Romanists ;  the  Sabbath  school  has  been  perhaps  the  most 
efficient  means  of  usefulness.  It  has  taken  forty 

years  to  get  this  church  fairly  on  its  feet.  But  now  it  is  a 
power  for  good  m  Belleville,  St.  Clair  county,  and  in  the 
whole  of  South  Illinois, 


The   Presbytery  of   Alton  met  at  Alton,  Oct.  8,  1840. 


MEETINGS    OF    SYNODS.  295 

The  Committee,  Revs.  Norton  and  Baldwin,  reported  that 
they  had  employed  Rev.  William  Chamberlin  to  labor  in 
this  Presbytery  as  an  Evangelist,  on  a  salary  of  four  hun- 
dred dollars  per  annum,  for  which  the  Presbytery  is  respon- 
sible, either  by  collections  or  by  the  aid  of  the  A.  H.  M.  S., 
who  had  commissioned  Mr.  Chamberlin,  guaranteeing  his 
salary,  but  with  the  expectation  the  amount  would,  if  pos- 
sible, be  raised  in  the  bounds  of  the  Presbytery.  They  also 
reported  that  they  had  raised  and  paid  Mr.  C.  ninety-six 
dollars.  The  Missionary  submitted  a  report  of  his  labors  up 
to  this  time.  Charles  E.  Blood  was  received  as 

a  licentiate  from  the  Presbytery  of  Illinois,  examined,  and  a 
committee  appointed  to  ordain  him. 


Charles  Emerson  Blood  was  born  in  Mason,  N.  H., 
March  i,  1810.  Graduated  at  lUinois  College  1837,  and  at 
Lane  Seminary  1840.  Ordained  pastor  of  Collinsville  church 
Nov.  4,  1840,  by  Presbytery  of  Alton,  through  its  committee. 
Dismissed  from  that  pastoral  charge  April  24,  1847.  He  was 
in  Collinsville  twelve  years,  the  five  last  engaged  in  teaching. 
Dismissed  from  Alton  to  Illinois  Presbytery,  April  23,  1853. 
Preached  to  Farmington  church,  eight  miles  west  of  Spring- 
field, one  year.  In  1854  he  removed  to  Manhattan,  Kas. 
He  remained  there  seven  years.  Returned  to  Illinois  in 
1861,  and  was  stationed  at  Wataga,  near  Galesburg,  having 
charge  of  a  Congregational  church  there  and  of  another 
small  one  in  Ontario.  He  died  march  25,  1866,  at  Wataga,  III, 
of  typhoid  pneumonia.  His  last  words  were,  "  Home,  home 
with  Jesus  in  heaven  "  !  !  His  widow,  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Blood, 
resides  at  Galesburg.     They  had  no  children. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Canton,  commenc- 
ing Oct.  15,  1840.  Members  were  present  from  eight  Pres- 
byteries. Nothing  was  done  save  the  usual  routine  duties. 
The  Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s.,  met  at  Rushville, 
Oct.  15,  1840.  Members  were  present  from  four  Presby- 
teries. Rev.  W.  J.  Eraser,  after  having  been  deposed  by 
two  Presbyteries,  whose  decisions  had  been  confirmed  by  two 
Synods,  had  been  restored  by  the  Assembly,  o.  s.,  and 
appeared  in  this  meeting  of  Synod  as  a  member  of  Peoria 
Presbytery  in  good  standing.  Most  of  the  busi- 


296  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

ness  of  this  meeting  of  Synod  related    to  those  portions  of 
IlUnois  outside  the  limits  which  this  volume  is  designed   to 
cover  and   is   therefore  not   here  noticed.  This 

resolution  is  general  and  worth  recording,  viz  :  "Whereas 
the  Synod  of  Illinois  some  years  since  considered  it  best  to 
dispense  with  agents  for  the  benevolent  institutions  of  the 
church,  the  same  was  reconsidered,  and  it  was  resolved,  as 
the  result  of  our  experience  that  it  is  not  expedient  to  deprive 
our  churches  of  their  services,  but  to  invite  tJieir  aid  and 
co-operationr 

■^  YEAR  1 841. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  was  to  have  held  its  spring 
meetino-  this  year  at  Carlinville,  but  failed  to  do  so  for  want  of 
a  quorum.  A  meeting  was  therefore  called  at  Whitehall,  July 
23,  1 84 1.  On  account  of  this  mid-summer  meeting  the 
usual  fall  meeting  was  omitted. 

Kaskaskia  Presbytery  met,  April  9,  1841,  with  the  Gilead 
church.  Alex.  Ewing  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Schuyler.  Andrew  M.  Hershey,  minister,  and  W.  A.  G. 
Posey,  elder,  were  chosen  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly. 
Benj.  B.  Brown  was  granted  a  general  letter  of  dismission. 
The  report  to  the  Assembly  showed  eight  ministers  and 
eighteen  churches.  This  Presbytery  held  its  fall 

session  with  Greenville  church,  commencing  Oct.  16,  1841. 
The  churches  of  Carlyle,  Mt.  Vernon  and  Crab  Orchard 
were  received.  James  Stafford  was  installed  pastor  of  Green- 
ville church,  April  24,  1841. 


The  Church  of  Carlyle,  Clinton  county,  was  organized 
Tune  19,  1 841,  by  Rev.  James  Stafford,  with  these  nine  mem- 
bers :  James  Rankin,  Nicholas  Laughrey,  Emma  Webster, 
Thomas  McNeal,  O.  B.  Nichols,  George  Ravens,  Elizabeth 
J.  Rankin,  Sarah  Mitchell  and  Jane  Affick.  Elders  :  Nicho- 
las Laughrey,  the  first ;  since  appointed,  O.  B.  Nichols,  Adam 
Yingst,  John  Ross,  E.  B.  Lockwood,  John  O.  Yingst,  Jacob 
Youno",  C.  F.  Putney.  Ministers  :  James  Stafford,  William 
Gardner,  J.  S.  Howell,  Francis  H.  L.  Laird,  pastor;  Ovid 
Miner,  a    Congregationalist,  Peter  Hassinger,   S.    D.    Loug- 


PALESTINE  PRESBYTERY.  29/ 

head,  W.  W.  Williams,  F.  G.  Strange,  J.  Rogers  Armstrong. 
The  present  house  of  worship  is  old  and  small,  and  is  doubt- 
less the  only  one  they  ever  possessed.  This  church  has  no 
great  hold  of  the  community  which  is  largely  German  and 
Romanist. 

The  Church  of  Mt.  Vernon,  o.  s.,  Jefferson  county,  was  or- 
ganized by  B.  F.  Spilman,  with  ten  members  and  two  elders, 
in  1 84 1.  It  was  dissolved  at  its  own  request  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  Kaskaskia,  April  lO,  1852,  and  its  members  attached 
to  Gilead. 

Crab  Orchard  Church,  so  called  from  the  stream  of 
that  name  in  Williamson  and  Jackson  counties,  was  organ- 
ized, June  19,  1841,  by  Rev.  B.  F.  Spiiman,  with  these  mem- 
bers, viz. :  William  Richart,  James  Richart,  Joseph  Magin- 
nis,  Jane  Richart,  Rebecca  Maginnis,  Elizabeth  Ann  Rich- 
art,  Oliver  M.  Dickinson,  Maria  Dickinson,  William  S.  Rich- 
art,  Margaret  B.  White.  Elders  :  William  Richart  and 
Joseph  Maginnis.  This  church,  known  at  first  as  "  Crab 
Orchard  "  church,  was  taken  under  the  care  of  Alton  Pres- 
bytery in  the  fall  of  1845,  ^^^  was  thereafter  known  as 
"Eight-Mile  Prairie"  church.  Through  deaths  and  remov- 
.als  it  Ions:  since  became  extinct. 


Palestine  Presbytery,  n.  s.,  held  no  meeting  in  1841. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  o.  s.,  met  at  Charleston, 
April  15,  1841.  Erastus  W.  Thayer,  minister,  and  Findley 
Paull,  elder,  were  elected  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly. 
John  S.  Reasoner  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Kas- 
kaskia. An  adjourned  meeting  was  held  at  the 
meeting  house  near  Herekiah  Ashmore's,  June  17,  1841. 
Shiloh  church,  Lawrence  county,  was  received.  Arrange- 
ments were  made  to  organize  Hebron  church,  on  June  19, 
inst.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  with  Pleasant 
Prairie  church,  October  14,  1841. 


Shiloh  Church,  Lawrence  county,  was  organized  in  1841, 
hy  Isaac  Bennet,  with  thirteen  members,  John   Wright  and 


2gS  PRESBYTERIAN  ISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

James  Wright,  elders.  The  school-house  which  this  church- 
occupied  for  religious  services  was  one  mile  south  of  an  old 
village  site  called  Charlottesville,  which  was  ten  miles  north- 
west of  Lawrenceville,  and  near  Crawford  county  line.  The 
membership  at  the  highest  was  only  about  fifteen. 

After  the  Lawrenceville  church  was  opened  the  Shiloh  or- 
ganization was  abandoned  and  dissolved  by  Presbytery,  May 
2,  185 1,     Its  members  were  attached  to  Lawrenceville. 


Hebron  Church,  Ashmore  post  office,  Coles  county,  111.,, 
was  organized  June' 19,  1841,  at  an  union  meetinghouse  near 
Herekiah  J.  Ashmore's,  one  and  an  half  miles  west  of  the  pres- 
ent village  of  Ashmore,  with  these  members,  viz. :  Robert 
Brooks,  Mary  Boooks,  James  H.  Bovell,  Jane  M.  Bovell,  Al- 
fred J.  L.  Brooks,  Mary  Brooks,  Robert  A.  Brooks,  Samuel 
Hoge,  Letitia  Hoge,  Sarah  Moffitt,  Thomas  C.  Mitchell,  Isa- 
bella A.  Mitchell,  Margaret  J.  Mitchell,  Cynthia  Moffitt,  James 
Moffitt,  Martin  Zimmerman,  Sarah  Zimmerman  and  Mary 
Brooks.  Elders  :  Thomas  C.  Mitchell  and  Robert  Brooks. 
The  organisers  were  Revs.  Isaac  Bennet  and  John  S.  Reasoner, 
and  Elders  James  Balch  and  William  Collum.  Ministers  : 
John  McDonald;  John  A.  Steele,  from  1844  to  1848;  Joseph 
Adams:  James  Cameron;  R.  A.  Mitchell,  1854  to  1859; 
James  W.  Allison ;  Stephen  J.  Bovell  commenced  December, 
1865,  and  is  still  supply  pastor.  Elders  since  the  first  two — 
William  W.  S.  Brooks,  1844;  Alfred  J.  L.  Brooks  and  Allen 
Brooks,  1852  ;  S.  J.  Wright  and  J.  M.  Moffitt,  1866;  Thomas 
J.  Bull,  1873.  The  members  of  Hebron   church 

built  a  house  of  worship  in  1844,  two  miles  west  of  the  pres- 
ent village  of  Ashmore  It  was  twenty-two  by  thirty,  and  a 
very  rude  affair — frame,  never  painted,  and  never  received 
but  one  coat  of  plaster.  The  pulpit  was  a  curiosity.  It  con- 
sisted of  a  chamber,  four  by  six,  enclosed  by  substantial 
plank.  To  enter  it  the  minister  must  ascend  a  flight  of  stairs 
which  landed  him  on  a  platform  four  feet  above  the  floor  of 
the  church.  When  he  sat  down,  and  closed  the  door  through 
which  he  entered,  he  was  eflectually  hidden  from  the  congre- 
gation. When  he  stood  up  his  head  was  in  close  proximity 
to  the  ceiling.  This  house  was  used  until  1867.  The  pres- 
ent house  of  worship,  in  the  village  of  Ashmore,  was  dedi- 
cated October  20,  1867.  It  is  thirty-six  by  fifty,  and  cost 
three  thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.     Of  this  three 


DAVID    D.  M  KEE.  299- 

hundred  dollars  was  received  from  the  Board  of  Church  Erec- 
tion ;  fifteen  hundred  dollars  were  paid  by  persons  not  mem- 
bers of  the  church.  This  church  has  never  had  an  installed 
pastor.  The  present  minister.  Rev.  S.  J.  Bovell,  resides  in 
the  village  of  Ashmore  in  a  home  of  his  own. 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon,  o.  s.,  met  at  Springfield, 
April  2,  1 841.  David  D.  McKee  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia.  The  Presbytery  reported  to  the 
Assembly  six  ministers  and  nine  churches.  John  G.  Ber- 
gen, minister,  and  James  M.  Duncan,  elder,  were  appointed 
to  the  Assembly.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at 

Jacksonville,  September  24. 


David  Davies  McKee  gives  the  following  sketch  of  him- 
self: "I  was  born  in  Harrison  county,  Ky.,  August  14,  1805. 
My  ancestors  on  both  sides  were  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians, 
and  emigrated  to  this  country  in  the  beginning  of  the  1 8th 
century.  My  parents  were  among  the  earlier  settlers  in 
Kentucky.  In  my  twentieth  year  I  united  with  the  Mt. 
Pleasant  Presbyterian  church.  In  my  twenty-second  year  I 
entered  upon  studies  preparatory  to  the  ministry.  I  fitted  for 
college  in  a  classical  school,  taught  by  Rev.  Robert  Stuart, 
in  Fayette  county,  Ky. ;  entered  the  freshman  class  in 
Center  College  in  1828,  and  graduated  in  1832.  After  spend- 
ing a  year  at  home  on  the  farm,  I  returned  to  Danville  in 
1833  and  spent  a  year  in  the  study  of  theology  with  Drs.  J, 
C,  Young  and  S.  W.  Green.  In  the  fall  of  1834  I  entered 
the  second  class  at  Princeton  Seminary,  and  remained  there 
until  May,  1836,  I  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Phila- 
delphia at  Salem,  N.  J.,  in  October,  1835,  and  was  ordained 
by  the  same  Presbytery,  in  August,  1836,  as  co-pastor  with 
Rev.  Ethan  Osborn  over  the  church  of  Fairfield,  N.  J.  That 
church  has  since  been  divided,  forming  the  three  churches  of 
Fairton  and  first  and  second  churches  of  Cedarville,  In  the 
fall -of  1838  I  went  to  Kentucky  and  supplied  the  church  of 
Russellville  until  the  spring  of  1840,  when  I  accepted  an  in- 
vitation to  supply  the  churches  of  Winchester  and  Union,  the 
former  in  Scott  and  the  latter  in  Morgan  county.  III.  In 
1841  I  gave  up  the  church  in  Winchester  and  took  charge  of 
the  Providence  church,  in  the  north  part  of  Morgan  county. 


300  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

This  church  then  embraced  the  field  now  occupied  by  the 
two  churches  of  Providence  and  Virginia.  In  the  fall  of 
1844  I  accepted  an  invitation  to  Vandalia,  111.  The  summer 
of  1845  is  memorable  in  that  region  for  the  prevalence  of  mal- 
arial disease.  Scarcely  a  family  escaped,  and  often  entire 
families  were  prostrated.  This  was  the  case  with  my  own. 
In  the  spring  of  1846  I  left  that  region,  went  to  Western 
Pennsylvania  and  took  charge  of  the  churches  of  Freeport 
and  Buffalo.  In  the  spring  of  1848  I  found  it  necessary  to 
bring  my  motherless  children  to  Greensburg,  Ind,,  to  find  a 
home  with  a  widowed  sister.  After  spending  a  year  as  a  mis- 
sionary in  the  netvly  formed  Presbytery  of  Whitewater,  I 
took  charge  of  the  churches  of  Bath  and  Billingsville  in 
Franklin  county.  In  1858  I  removed  to  Hanover  for  the  pur- 
pose of  educating  my  children,  and  at  dift'erent  times  sup- 
plied the  churches  of  Hanover,  Graham,  New  Philadelphia 
and  Walnut  Ridge.  In  1864  I  accepted  a  chaplaincy  in  the 
U.  S.  army,  and  continued  in  the  service  until  June,  1865. 
For  the  last  few  years  I  have  been  in  feeble  health  and  have 
had  no  charge.  I  was  married  to  my  first  wife, 

Miss  Lucy  Ann  Kerr,  Oct.  20,  1836,  in  Bowling  Green,  Ky., 
and  to  my  second  wife,  Mrs.  Jane  Butler  Patterson,  in  Han- 
over, Ind,  April  2,  1849.  I  have  had  seven  children.  Mary, 
born  October  16,  1837;  Sarah  C.,  born  June  23,  1842;  Har- 
riet J.,  born  November  30,  1844;  Mary  E.,  born  Feb.  2,  1850 ; 
Noble  B.,  born  September  23,  1852;  Rachel  Anna,  born 
May  I,  1854;  Sophia  P.,  born  May  i,  1857." 

The  Presbytery  of  Alton  held  its  spring  meeting  with 
Bethel  church,  Bond  county,  commencing  April  8,  i84i,and 
its  fall  meeting  at  Jersey ville,  beginning  October  13,  1841. 
Joseph  Fowler  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Marion, 
Ohio.  Lemuel  Foster  was  received,  October  13,  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Sangamon.  William  Chamberlain  was  re- 
ceived from  the  Presbytery  of  North  Alabama  Charles  G. 
Selleck  was  dismissed  from  the  pastoral  care  of  Upper  Alton 
church. 

William  Chamberlin. 

The  following  biographical  sketch  of  this  brother  is  extracted  from  his  funeral 
■sermon,  preached  at  Monticello,  April  i,  1849,  by  Rev.  A.  T.  Norton. 

He  was  born  at  Newbury,  Orange  county,  Vermont,  Feb. 


WILLIAM    CHAMBERLIN.  3OI 

29,  1 79 1.  The  next  year  his  parents  removed  to  Bradford, 
in  the  same  county,  where  they  resided  until  Mr.  C.  was  twelve 
years  of  age.  The  family  then  removed  to  Greensboro,  in 
Orleans  county,  where  they  continued  three  years.  Their  next 
place  of  residence  was  Hardwick,  in  Caledonia  county. 

At  this  place,  when  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  Mr.  C.  ex- 
perienced that  great  change,  without  which  no  one  can  "  enter 
into  the  Kingdom  of  God."  He  has  left  in  his  own  hand- 
writing a  very  full  account  of  his  conversion,  and  subsequent 
exercises.  He  says — '  'I  was  from  a  child  very  light,  and 
much  inclined  to  put  serious  thoughts  from  my  mind  ;  but 
God  by  his  Spirit  used  frequently  to  warn  me,  and  some- 
times my  fears  were  almost  unbearable."  In  Hardwick,  he 
formed  acquaintance  with  a  company  of  young  people, 
whom  he  speaks  of  as  very  agreeable  ;  and  as  desiring  to 
appear  respectable  in  the  world,  while  greatly  attached  to 
vain  amusements.  They  were  all  alike  thoughtless  and 
secure  in  sin,  until  God  in  mercy  interposed.  As  the  cir- 
cumstance which  awakened  him  was  not  a  little  remarkable, 
I  give  it  pretty  much  in  his  own  language.  He  says — "  In  the 
spring  of  18 10,  I  was  tending  a  saw-mill  on  River-la-Moille. 
The  banks  were  more  than  full,  and  the  stream  rushed  down 
the  craggy  rocks  with  the  greatest  impetuosity.  When  the 
saw  had  gone  through  the  log,  and  I  was  prepared  to  cut 
another  board,  I  hoisted  the  gate  in  vain.  The  mill  would 
not  start.  I  knew  not  the  cause  then,  nor  do  I  know  now, 
unless  God  designed  it  to  bring  me  to  a  sense  of  my  danger. 
When  I  found  the  mill  would  not  start,  I  engaged  a  man  to 
to  assist  me  in  searching  for  the  cause.  We  stopped  the 
water  from  the  floom,  and  I  went  down  to  see  if  anv  thing- 
had  gotten  between  the  wheel  and  the  apron.  I  found  noth- 
ing. I  then  went  down  upon  the  wheel  and  began  my 
search  there.  While  l>'ing  upon  the  wheel,  I  heard  suddenly 
a  roaring  of  water,  which  sounded  differently  from  the  ele- 
ment about  me,  and  felt  it  dash  in  my  face.  I  was 
not  alaxmed,  but  perfectly  self-possessed.  I  am  con- 
scious of  no  agency  of  my  own  in  removing  from  that 
wheel.  The  first  I  can  remember  of  my  own  exertions 
in  the  matter,  I  was  standing  clear  of  the  wheel, 
from  which  I  had  but  that  instant  escaped,  holding  on 
to  some  timbers,  while  the  wheel  itself  was  revolving  with 
the  greatest  velocity.  My  neighbor  was  over  my  head  wit- 
nessing the  scene.     He    heard  the  noise,  and  looking  down^ 


302  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

saw  the  floom  full  of  water ;  then  looking  at  me  saw  my  last 
foot  leave  the  wheel  the  moment  it  started.  The  upper 
gates  had  given  way ;  the  floom  was  filled  at  a  dash ;  and 
the  gate  over  the  wheel  being  open,  a  full  head  of  water 
was  instantly  precipitated  upon  it,  causing' it  to  fly  round 
with  frightful  speed."  In  this    case  we   see  that 

-our  brother  was  just  as  near  death  as  he  could  be  and  escape. 
I  was  once  conversing  with  him  on  the  agency  of  angels. 
The  passage,  Heb.  I,  14: — "Are  they  not  all  ministering 
spirits,"  etc.,  was  repeated.  He  expressed  his  full  conviction 
that  they  were  not  only  ministering  spirits  to  achial  saints, 
but  to  those  destined  to  become  such — "to  them  who  shall  be," 
■etc.  He  said  he  fully  believed  they  ministered  to  those  who 
had  been  given  to  Christ  in  the  covenant  of  redemption,  not 
only  after,  but  before  their  conversion.  He  then  related  the 
circumstance  I  have  just  repeated.  He  said  he  kiiezv  he  had 
himself  no  voluntary  agency  in  escaping  from  that  wheel — 
that  he  had  no  intention  of  escaping,  and  that  he  knew  not 
his  danger  until  he  was  safe  from  it.  He  believed,  he  said, 
that    God's    angels    rescued    him  To  go  oh 

with  his  narrative — "  While  looking  at  that  wheel  I  felt  that  I 
was  a  miserable  sinner,  and  that  there  was  a  God  in  heaven 
whom  I  determined  to  seek,  I  thought  on  the  privileges  I 
enjoyed,  and  resolved  within  myself  to  have  religion."  He 
thought  that  by  making  one  prayer  he  could  become  a 
Christian.  That  prayer  he  determined  to  offer  .  that  night, 
and  accordingly  retired  for  that  purpose.  But  to  his  amaze- 
ment, he  found  he  had  no  lieart  to  pray.  He  felt  ashamed 
and  confounded ;  and  after  much  difficulty  and  many 
struggles,  got  upon  his  knees ;  but  even  then  was  ashamed 
'  to  pray,  and  finally  retired,  having  offered  no  prayer.  Then, 
from  having  felt  that  it  was  an  easy  thing  to  get  religion,  and 
that  he  could  have  it  when  he  chose,  he  was  tempted  to 
to  think  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  be  a  Christian,  and  that 
he  had  better  go  on  in  his  former  sinful  course.  His  serious- 
ness, however,  continued.  But  soon  he  began  to  entertain 
.a  good  opinion  of  himself — to  think  he  was  not  so  wicked  as 
many  others;  and  found  it  impossible  to  realize  he  was 
.a  sinner.  A  singular  delusion  seized  him.  He  fancied  he 
must  commit  some  atrocious  crime  in  order  to  feel  that  he  was 
a  sinner.  While  thinking  one  day  what  act  of  sin  to  commit 
in  order  to  bring  upon  himself  a  sense  of  guilt,  "All  at  once," 
2ie  says,   "  my  sins  stared  me  in  my  face.     I  saw  I  was  fight- 


WILLIAM    CHAJIBERLIN.  3O3 

ing  against  God  and  all  holy  beings;  and  that  I  had  already 
committed  sins  enough  to  sink  me  to  everlasting  ruin.  From 
this  time  my  convictions  became  more  pungent."  He  saw 
that  he  "  must  be  born  again  ;  "  and  that  he  had  no  inclination 
to  seek  Christ  in  the  way  the  gospel  required. 

Up  to  this  time  he  had  confined  his  feelings  to  his  own 
breast.  He  now,  however,  unbosomed  himself  to  a  pious 
friend  and  received  his  counsel,  from  which  he  derived  great 
benefit.  After  great  struggles  with  himself,  and  feeling  at 
times  the  burden  of  his  sins  almost  too  great  to  be  borne,  he 
at  length  entertained  hope  that  he  was  indeed  born  of  God. 
Still  he  says  distinctly  that  he  knew  not  the  precise  period  in 
which  the  change  took  place.  Soon   alter  this, 

he  worked  with  a  Quaker,  who  sought  to  teach  him  that  the 
Old  Testament  was  of  little  or  no  binding  authority.  He 
also  frequented  the  religious  meetings  of  various  denomina- 
tions. The  effect  was,  that  he  became  much  confused  and 
perplexed  in  regard  to  doctrinal  points.  He  then  came  to  a 
somewhat  singular  determination.  It  was  to  give  up  all  his 
preconceived  notions,  and  as  he  expressed  it,  "  look  to  Christ 
for  doctrine,  as  well  as  right  feelings."  He  compared  hi3  state 
of  mind  to  a  full  cup,  which  was  emptied,  and  then  refilled 
with  something  different.  While  in  this  state  of  mind,  he  at- 
tended his  own  church — the  Congregational.  When  a  person 
was  received  as  a  member,  as  the  articles  of  faith  were 
read  over,  he  found  to  his  surprise  and  joy  that  they  exactly 
coincided  with  his  own  views.  From  that  hour  he  never 
seems  to  have  wav^ered  at  all  in  regard  to  his  religious  belief. 
During  the  nine  years  that  I  have  know^n  him,  I  have  been 
struck  with  the  clearness  of  his  doctrinal  views.  Most  em- 
phatically was  he  established  in  the  faith.  Soon 
after  his  conversion  he  united  with  the  Congregational 
church,  and  appears  from  the  first  to  have  been  an  active 
Christian.  In  the  spring  of  1811,  when  he  was  twenty  years 
of  age,  he  went  with  his  father  and  brother  to  the  northern 
part  of  the  State  of  New  York.  During  the  former  part  of 
that  summer  he  worked  at  the  business  of  carpenter,  and  in 
the  latter  part  was  engaged  in  rafting  on  the  Salmon  and  St. 
Lawrence  rivers.  When  near  Quebec  their  raft  was  wrecked, 
one  man  drowned,  and  the  rest  saved  with  great  difficulty. 
After  this  disaster  he  returned  to  his  friends  in  Hardwick,  Vt. 
No  man,  after  passing  through  the  burning  sands  of  Zahara, 
ever  rejoiced  more  to  reach  a  cultivated  and  watered  spot 


304  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

and  human  habitations,  than  he  did  to  enjoy  once  more  the 
means  of  grace.  In   February,    1812,   he   lost  a 

beloved  sister,  aged  eighteen.  When  told  by  her  physician 
that  she  must  die,  his  distress  was  almost  overwhelming.  He 
retired  for  prayer,  and  found  relief  in  pouring  out  his  heart 
before  God.  He  was  then  able  to  converse  with  her  calmly. 
But  he  had  hope  in  her  death.  In  March,    18 13,. 

when  twenty-two  years  of  age,  he  went  to  Silver  creek,  Pa. 
He  there  purchased  a  lot  of  land,  and  spent  the  summer  in 
manual  labor.  On  the  Sabbath  he  was  engaged  in  Sunday 
school,  and,  with  others,  in  conducting  religious  meetings. 
During  the  two  foilowing  winters  he  was  employed  in  teach- 
ing school  in  Bridgewater.  In  the  intervening  summer  he 
was  employed  in  some  business  connected  with  the  sale  of 
lands. 

While  employed  as  a  teacher,  he  abounded  in  labors  for 
the  spiritual  good  of  those  about  him.  He  followed  the 
good  old  practice  of  catechizing  his  pupils  every  week.  For 
this  work  he  seems  to  have  prepared  himself  by  meditation 
and  prayer.  Another  means  of  doing  good  was  by  holding 
a  weekly  meeting  for  young  people.  The  conduct  of  this 
meeting  seems  to  have  devolved  almost  solely  upon  himself. 

The  desire  of  becoming  a  minister,  which  he  had  indulged 
at  different  times  since  his  conversion,  took,  while  he  was  at 
Bridgewater,  a  definite  shape.  After  much  reflection  and 
many  struggles  with  himself,  he  there  resolved  to  enter  upon 
a  course  of  study  for  the  ministry.  In  forming  this  resolu- 
tion he  was  aided  by  the  advice  of  two  or  three  judicious 
ministers  of  his  acquaintance.  Accordingly,  at  the  close  of 
his  second  wmter  in  teaching,  in  April,  18 15,  when  he  was 
twenty-four  years  of  age,  he  set  off  with  his  pack  on  his  back 
for  Wilksbarre,  to  enter  the  academy  there.  His  means 
were  exceedingly  limited.  On  this  point  he  says — "  I  have 
but  nineteen  dollars  in  money  and  a  note  against  a  man  for 
twenty  more.  I  can  expect  no  help  from  my  parents.  I 
therefore  have  only  to  look  to  God ;  and  I  think  I  am  better 
off  than  though  I  had  property;  for  then  I  might  run  in  my 
own  strength  ;  but  now  I  can  go  but  just  as  far  and  as  fast  as 
God  will  have  me ;  so  that  if  he  has  any  work  for  me  to  do 
he  will  provide  the  means  for  my  education.  If  otherwise,  I 
shall  be  obliged  to  stop.  I  think,  therefore,  I  have  the  great- 
est reason  to  bless  God  that  I  am  in  just  such  a  situation  as  I 
am." 


WILLIAM    CHAMBERLIN.  3O5 

Plis  confidence  in  God  for  support  was  not  disappointed. 
He  received  some  assistance  from  the  Susquehanna  Benevo- 
lent Association.  But  aid  from  this  source  was  very  precari- 
ous, and  was  withdrawn  just  at  the  time  of  his  greatest  need. 
At  one  time  he  tells  us  he  had  but  four  and  a  half  cents  in 
his  purse,  and  knew  not  from  whence  it  was  to  be  replen- 
ished. At  Wilksbarre,  he  boarded  in  the  family 
of  Rev.  A.  Hoyt,  his  future  father-in-law.  He  continued  in 
the  Academy  till  Sept.  1816.  He  then  engaged  again  in 
teaching.  I  find  no  record  of  his  movemets,  or 
of  his  feelings,  from  Sept.  10,  18 16,  when  he  left  the  Acade- 
my and  engaged  in  teaching,  until  he  was  on  his  way  to  the 
Cherokee  nation  in  Dec.  1817,  I  conclude  he  was  licensed 
in  the  spring  or  summer  of  that  year,  and  very  soon  com- 
missioned by  the  American  Board  as  missionary  to  the 
Cherokees.  He  was  then  twenty-six  years  of  age.  On  his 
way  to  mission  ground,  he  acted  as  agent  for  the  Board, 
preaching  and  taking  up  collections.  In  this  way  he  trav- 
eled slowly,  and  did  not  reach  his  field  of  labor  till  March 
10,  1818,  He  was  most  cordially  received  by  the  mission- 
aries, Kingsbury  and  Hall.  Rev.  A.  Hoyt  and  family,  from 
Wilksbarre,  Pa.,  had  preceeded  him  a  short  time.  On  the 
22d  of  the  same  month,  he  was  married  in  the  public  assem- 
bly, to  Miss  Flora  Hoyt.  The  ceremony  was  performed  by 
his  father-in-law. 

I  have  not  time  to  follow  him  during  his  arduous  labors  of 
nearly  twenty-one  years  among  the  Cherokees.  Suffice  it  to 
say,  he  was  ever  the  pioneer  missionary .  He,  of  all  the  others, 
was  the  man  to  break  ground.  He  secured,  in  an  eminent 
degree,  the  confidence  and  affection  of  the  Red-men.  He 
had  also  the  full  confidence  of  his  missionary  brethren,  and 
of  the  Board  at  home.  Possessing  a  vigorous  constitution, 
much  of  the  hardest  service  devolved  upon  him. 

When  the  missionaries,  Butler  and  Worcester,  were  put  in 
the  Georgia  Penitentiary,  he  escaped  the  same  fate  only 
because  his  station  was  a  few  miles  over  the  line  in  Alabama. 
He  lived  to  see  the  wilderness  become  a  fruitful  field.  The 
savage  became  civilized.  Many  of  the  Cherokees  took  their 
places  around  the  Sacramental  Board,  as  the  humble  follow- 
ers of  Christ.  In  June,  1838,  his  family  returned 
to  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  C.  remained  behind  to  assist  the 
Cherokees  in  preparing  for  their  removal  West  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi.    He  then  visited  Pennsylvania  and  New  England. 

19 


306  PRESBYTEKIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

In  May,  1839,  he  and  his  wife  started  in  a  one-horse  wagon 
to  seek  out  the  Cherokees  in  their  new  home.  They  trav- 
eled through  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois,  and  fifty  miles  west 
of  the  Mississippi.  Here  they  were  stopped  by  news  of  the 
civil  war  among  the  Cherokees.  Having  friends  in  Carlin- 
ville,  in  this  State,  they  proceeded  there,  with  the  purpose  of 
remaining  till  the  affairs  of  the  Cherokees  should  be  so  far 
settled  as  to  give  encouragement  to  further  labor  in  their 
behalf.  Meantime,  Mr.  C.  acted  as  agent  for  the  Board  in 
the  northern  part  of  this  State.  This  he  continued  till  June 
1840.  At  that  tipie  he  came  to  Godfrey,  111.,  obtained  an 
honorable  and  hfghly  complimentary  discharge  from  the  A. 
B.  C.  F.  M.,  and  immediately  entered  the  service  of  the  Alton 
Presbytery.  On  this  branch  of  his  history,  I  feel 

qualified  to  speak,  having  from  the  first  been  chairman  of 
the  committee  to  direct  his  labors.  Look  at  our  twenty-six 
cJmrchcs.  In  founding  at  least  fourteen  of  them  he  has  been 
directly  and  largely  instrumental.  In  a  very  large  part  of  the 
revivals  with  which  we  have  been  favored  for  the  past  nine 
years,  he  was  present  as  an  active,  and  conspicuous  instru- 
ment. In  his  last  tour  South,  in  the  heart  of  a  severe  winter, 
and  when  suffering  greatly  from  ill  health,  he  was  permitted 
to  share  in  the  labors  and  triumphs  of  a  revival.  How  glori- 
ous was  his  exit !  From  the  midst  of  the  most  blessed  revi- 
val which  Alton  has  ever  seen,  he  went  up  in  a  chariot  of 
fire  !  In  that  revival  he  labored  and  prayed,  and  felt  as  men 
are  wont  to  do  when  they  stand  just  on  the  verge  of  heaven. 
Look  at  the  extent  of  his  labors.  Through  all 
the  counties  bordering  on  the  Mississippi,  the  Ohio,  and 
the  Wabash,  as  far  up  as  the  northern  line  of  Jersey 
county,  extended  across  the  State,  and  many  times  through 
nearly  all  the  interior  counties,  has  he  gone,  preaching,  dis- 
tributing tracts,  conversing,  praying,  and  striving  in  every 
way  to  save  souls.  Other  denominations  than  his  own  have 
felt  the  influence  of  his  labors,  and  been  greatly  quickened 
thereby.  Look  at  the  privations  he  has  endured.  To  be 
absent  so  constantly  from  home  is  no  small  trial.  To  travel 
in  all  weathers  and  to  be  subjected  to  all  kinds  of  fare;  to  be 
sick  without  suitable  nursing  or  medicine ;  to  ford  swollen 
streams,  and  swim  them  when  past  fording — these  are  but  a 
part  of  the  trials  to  which  he  has  been  subjected.  He  died 
at  the  house  of  the  writer  of  this  volume  in  Alton,  111.,  Wed- 
nesday, March    14,  1849,  in  the  midst   of  a  glorious  revival. 


SYNOD    OF    ILLINOIS.  .  3O7 

He  was  providentially  brought  to  the  place  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  work. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Union  Grove,  Putnam 
county,  Oct.  21,  1841.  Members  were  present  from  six 
Presbyteries.  Thomas  Lippincott  resigned  as  Stated  Clerk 
and  Lucien  Farnam  was  appointed  in  his  place.  The  meet- 
ings of  this  Synod  in  these  years  were  largely  occupied 
with  sermons  and  discussions  on  slavery  and  Christian 
Union.  At  this  meeting,  Rev.  Owen  Lovejoy,  who 
was  present  as  corresponding  member  from  the  Rock 
River  Association,  preached  by  invitation  a  sermon  on 
slavery.  Provision  was  made  for  four  sermons  at  the 
next  meeting — one  on  each  subject  of  Missions,  Slavery, 
Education  and  Christian  Union. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s.,  met  at  Springfield,  Oct.  21, 
1 841.  Five  Presbyteries  were  represented.  The  Synod's 
business  mostly  concerned  matters  and  persons  outside  the 
scope  of  this  volume. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

MEETINGS  OF  PRESBYTERIES  AND  SYNODS  FROM  1 842  TO  1 846, 
INCLUDING  SKETCHES  OF  THE  CHURCHES  ORGANIZED  AND  OF 
MINISTERS  COMMENCING  THEIR  LABORS  HERE  WITHIN  THE- 
PERIOD. 

Authorities:   Origijwil  Records;    Presbytery   Reporter;  various   writers  of 
sketches. 

YEAR    1842. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  with  Pisgah  church, 
March  4,  1842,  and  adjourned  to  meet  at  Jacksonville  the 
next  day.  Thomas  Laurie,  a  licentiate  of  the  Andover  Asso- 
ciation, was  received,  and  on  March  6  ordained  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  the  Nestorians  of  Persia.  WiUiam  H.  Williams 
was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Tuscaloosa,  and  was 
installed  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  in  Jack- 
sonviUe,  March  8.  J.  H.  Buffington,  licentiate,  was  dismissed 
to  the  Presbytery  of  Schuyler.  The  fall  meeting 

was  held  at  Whitehall,  September  30.     Salem  church  was 
received. 


Thomas  Laurie,  D.  D.,  was  born  in  Scotland.  Graduated 
at  Illinois  College,  1838;  ordained  as  above;  was  missionary 
to  the  Nestorians  from  1842  to  1846;  preached  to  the  First 
church.  South  Hadley,  Mass.,  1848-51  ;  to  the  South  church. 
West  Roxbury,  Mass.,  1851-67;  without  charge  at  West 
Roxbury,  also  in  Europe,  1867-69;  supply  pastor  Pilgrim 
church,  Providence,  R.  I.,  and  in  Chelsea,  Mass.,  1869. 

William  Henry  Williams  was  born  in  New  York ;  grad- 
uated at  Dickinson  College,  Carlisle,  Pa.,  1823;  studied  the- 
ology at  Princeton,  N.  J.;  was  a  missionary  in  Georgia  while 
a  hcentiate ;  ordained  over  the  Third  church  in  Albany,  N. 
Y.,  Dec.  9,  1828 ;  supply  pastor  and  pastor  in  Tuscaloosa,  Ala., 
1831-36;  teacher  1833-41  ;  pastor  First  Presbyterian  church. 


PRESBYTERY    OF    KASKASKIA.  3O9 

Jacksonville,  1842  ;  teacher,  1843  !  principal  of  Keokuk  Sem- 
inary, Iowa,  1849-56;  Home  Missionary,  Iowa,  1863;  sup- 
ply pastor,  Perry,  111.,  1866-69.  Died  at  Hendersonville,  N. 
C,  December  21,  1876,  aged  seventy-three.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber at  the  time  of  his  death  of  Schuyler  Presbytery,  111. 


Salem  Church  was  formed  by  Rev.  L.  S.  Williams,  in 
Macoupin  county,  sometime  in  1842.  Alfred  Blair  was  elder. 
It  was  about  ten  miles  east  of  Carlinville,  near  the  county 
line.  The  meetings  were  held  in  private  houses,  or  in  a 
country  school-house.  This  church  never  had  more  than  a 
dozen  members,  with  the  one  elder,  named  above.  Its  name 
was  erased  from  the  roll  of  Presbytery,  April  4,  1862. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Chester,  April  15, 
1842.  Archibald  C.  Allen,  licentiate,  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Louisville,  ordained  on  the  i6th  inst,  and  on 
the  second  Saturday  in  June,  1842,  installed  pastor  of  Hills- 
boro  church  by  a  Committee  of  Presbytery.  Cyrus  C. 
Riggs,  minister,  and  John  Mann,  elder,  were  appointed  Com- 
missioners to  the  Assembly.  The  Presbytery  reported  to 
the  Assembly  eight  ministers  and  twenty  churches. 

The   fall  meeting  was  held  at  Hillsboro,   commencing 
October  15,  1842. 


Archibald  Cameron  Allen  was  born  in  Kentucky ;  grad- 
uated at  Wabash  College,  Crawfordsville,  Ind.,  1838;  studied 
theology  at  Princeton ;  ordained  and  installed  as  above ;  la- 
bored at  Terre  Haute  and  Hopewell,  Ind. ;  chaplain  U.  S. 
army  1862-65;  supply  pastor  Indianapolis,  Ind.;  is  now  sup- 
ply pastor  at  Hamburg,  Iowa. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  n.  s.,  met  with  the  New 
Providence  church,  June  3,  1842.  Nathaniel  Kingsbury  was 
dismissed  to  the  Presbyterian  and  Congregational  Union  of 
Wisconsin.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  with  Pleas- 

ant Prairie  church,  commencing  September  30,  1842.  Enoch 
Kingsbury  was  appointed  Commissioner  to  the  next  Assem- 
bly. 


310  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Palestine  Presbytery,  o.  s.,  met  at  Mt.  Carmel,  April  21,. 
1842.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Palestine,  commencing 
October  6,  1842,  John  A.  Steele  was  received  from  Presby- 
tery of  Lexington. 


Sangamon  Presbytery,  o.  s.,  met  with  Union  church, 
Morgan  county,  April  4,  1842.  Andrew  Todd,  minister,  and 
James  L.  Lamb,  elder,  were  appointed  to  the  Assembly.  The 
fall  meeting  was  held  at  Jacksonville,  October  19.  West 
Union  church  was  received. 


West  Union,  afterwards  Murrayville  Church,  was  organ- 
ized in  the  fall  of  1843,  t>y  a  Committee  of  Sangamon  Pres- 
bytery in  the  grove  west  of  Mrs.  Helen  McDonald's.  The 
house  of  Mrs.  McD.  was  in  what  is  now  Murrayville.  The  fol- 
lowing were  the  original  members :  Edward  Ray,  Nancy 
Ray,  Helen  McDonald,  John  Murray,  sr.,  Hannah  Murray, 
Samuel  Murray,  Elizabeth  Murray,  Jean  Wilson,  William  Mc- 
Donald, Mary  McDonald.  Elders  :  Edward  Ray,  the  first  ; 
Wm.  McDonald,  Alexander  Cunningham,  Oliver  P.  Reaugh, 
Samuel  McKean,  Willis  McClung.  Ministers  : 

Thomas  A.  Spilraan,  Charles  G.  Selleck,  Thomas  M.  Newell,, 
John  D.  Shane,  Noah  Bishop,  Thomas  D.  Davis,  Robert  W. 
Allen.  In  April,  1871,  the  name  of  the  church  was  changed 
from  West    Union  to  IMurrayville.  The  present 

house  of  worship  was  sufficiently  advanced  to  be  used  for  re- 
ligious services  in  i860.  Previous  to  that  time  the  congre- 
gation held  their  meetings  in  a  school-house  about  a  mile 
north  of  Murrayville,  or  in  a  grove  not  far  from  widow  Mc- 
Donald's. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Collinsville,  May  3, 
1842.  At  the  session  of  this  Presbytery  held  at  Alton,  Oct. 
8,  1840,  the  following  terms  of  correspondence  were  adopted  ; 
"(i)  That  we  adopt  the  practice  of  receiving  delegates,  as 
corresponding  members,  from  such  Congregational  and 
other  churches,  within  our  bounds,  as  harmonize  with  us  in 
belief  of  the  essential  doctrines  of  Christianity;  provided 
that  they  are  willing  regularly  to  report  to  this  body.  (2) 
That  such   delegates  have  the  right  not  only  to  speak,  but 


HUBBEL    LOOMIS.  3II 

also  to  vote  on  all  matters  which  come  before  this  body, 
except  such  as  are  strictly  Presbyterial.  (3)  That  we  will 
consent  to  act  as  an  advisory  council  in  all  cases  of  reference 
which  these  associated  churches  may  bring  before  us."  At 
the  meeting  of  the  same  Presbytery  at  Tower-Hill,  Sept.  26, 
1867,  these  resolutions  were  repealed.  But  from  Oct.  8, 
1840,  to  Sept.  26,  1867,  these  resolutions  were  in  force.  On 
the  basis  of  this  plan  at  their  own  application,  through  their 
Elder,  A.  W.  Corey,  Monticello  church  was  received  under 
the  care  of  this  Presbytery,  r\Iay  3,  1842.  C.  G. 

Selleck  resigned  as  Stated  Clerk,  and.  A.  T.  Norton  was 
appointed    in    his    place.  This    resolution    was 

adopted :  "  Whereas,  Rev.  Hubbell  Loomis,  of  Upper 
Alton,  would  feel  it  a  privilege  to  become  connected  with 
this  Presbytery,  provided  he  can  do  so  without  yielding  his 
views  of  immersion  ;  and  whereas,  we  have  full  confidence  in 
his  Christian  and  ministerial  character,  and  he  pledges  himself 
while  in  connection  with  us  to  leave  all  others  in  the  unin- 
terrupted posession  of  their  own  opinions  on  the  subject  of 
baptism  ;  Resolved,  That  he  be  now  received  as  a  mem- 
ber of  this  Presbytery." 


HuBBEL  Loomis  was  born  May  31,  1775,  in  the  south  part 
"of  Colchester,  New  London  county.  Conn.  His  spiritual 
birth  he  dates  in  April,  1791.  This  birth  awakened  an  earn- 
est desire,  which  continued  through  life,  to  know  what  are 
the  teachings  of  the  Bible.  He  preached  his  first  sermon 
May  31,  1801,  under  license  from  the  Association  of  New 
London  county.  Conn.,  and  was  ordained  pastor  of  the 
church  in  Wellington,  Tolland  county.  Conn.,  in  the  early 
part  of  August  same  year.  In  1828  he  resigned  his  charge, 
and — on  account  of  change  of  views  on  the  subject  of 
baptism — united  with  the  Baptists.  June  8,  1830,  he  arrived 
in  Illinois  Vv'ith  his  family,  and  in  1S32,  settled  in  Upper 
Alton,  and  with  others  commenced  labor  to  found  a  Baptist 
College  in  that  town.  ]\Iay  18,  1838,  the  Baptist  church  of 
Upper  Alton,  with  which  he  had  united,  withdrew  from  him 
their  fellowship  on  the  charge  that  he  had  violated  covenant 
obligations  by  withdrawing  irom  their  meetings  and  commun- 
ion with  the  avowed  intention  of  uniting  with  another  church. 
Soon  after  this  he  connected  with  the  Presbyterian  church 
of  Upper  Alton.     May  3,  1842,  he  was  received  as  a  mem- 


312  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

ber  of  Alton  Presbytery.  The  condition  of  that  reception 
becoming  burdensome,  he  was  dismissed  from  Presbytery,  at 
his  own  request,  April  i8,  1 85 1,  and  again  united  with  the 
Baptists,  in  whose  communion  he  remained  until  his  death, 
which  took  place  Dec.  15,  1872,  in  his  ninety-eighth  year. 
In  1805,  he  married  Jerusha,  daughter  of  Deacon  David 
Burt,  of  Long  Meadow,  Mass.,  by  whom  he  had  six  chil- 
dren. Five  of  them  still  survive.  This  wife  died  in  1829. 
The  same  year  he  married  Mrs.  Hannah  Pratt,  of  Charles- 
town,  Mass.  She  died  in  1864,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 
His  children  were  Jerusha,  Sophia,  Elias,  Caroline,  David 
Burt  and  John  Gailvin.  Elias  is  Professor  of  Natural  Phi- 
losophy in  Yale  College.  Sophia  was  married  to  Hon. 
Cyrus  Edwards,  and  has  for  forty  years  resided  in  Upper 
Alton. 


The  fall  session  of  Alton  Presbytery  was  held  at  Green- 
ville, Bond  county,  commencing  Oct.  13,  1842.  Robert 
Stewart  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Knox.  C.  G. 
Selleck  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  .of  Illinois.  The 
church  of  Troy  was  received. 


Troy  Church,  Madison  county,  was  organized  Oct.  2, 
1842,  by  Revs.  Wm.  Chamberlin,  T.  Lippincott  and  C.  E. 
Blood,  with  these  members :  J.  K.  Reiner,  E.  C.  Reiner, 
James  Perigo,  H.  Perigo,  Cyrus  Scott,  jr.,  P.  Scott,  E.  Scott, 
L.  A.  Scott,  B.  Posey,  G.  W.  Scott,  E.  Goodwin,  E.  Davis  and 
Cynthia  Scott.  This  was  the  first  church  organization  of  any 
denomination  in  the  village  of  Troy.  Up  to  Dec.  22,  1867, 
the  church  had  received  eighty-five  members,  only  sixteen 
of  whom  were  then  remaining.  At  that  time  Rev.  Robert 
Stewart  commenced  his  permanent  labors.  Since  then  and 
up  to  Jan.  I,  1878,  one  hundred  and  twelve  have  been  added. 
Before  Mr.  Stewart,  the  church  was  served  by  the  following 
ministers :  Wm.  Chamberlin,  Thomas  Lippincott,  J.  R. 
Dunn,  Calvin  Butler,  L.  A.  Parks,  licentiate,  John  Gibson, 
Socrates  Smith,  James  A.  Darrah,  Caleb  J.  Pitkin,  William 
Ellers  and  A.  D.  Jack.  Most  of  these  labored  here  only 
half  the  time.  The  following  are  the  elders :  Dr.  J.  K. 
Reiner  and  James  Perigo,  the  first  two.  Thomas  Smith, 
Westley  Jarvis,   Oliver   Beard,  John   R.   Swain,  Dr.    F.  W. 


MEETINGS.  313 

Lytle,  L.  R.  Cornman,  John  McKee,  Dr.  F.  A.  Sabin,  Andrew 
Kimberlin,  James  A.  Henderson,  Samuel  Yandell,  James  W. 
Barlow,  Edward  Bigelow,  Thomas  H.  Bell,  R.  C.  Morris, 
Henry  A.  Risser,  James  Lang,  Thomas  J.  Purviance  and 
John  Bosomworth.  In  1845  the  church  adopted  the  limited 
period  of  Eldership.  The  first  house  of  worship  was  a  neat 
frame,  twenty-four  by  thirty  feet.  When  the  new  house  was 
erected  the  old  one  was  sold  and  is  now  private  property. 
This  new  house  is  of  brick,  sixty  by  thirty-six  feet,  with 
basement  story  and  audience  room  above,  and  cost  $10,000. 
Eleven  hundred  of  this  were  donated  by  the  Board  of 
Church  Erection.  The  corner-stone  of  this  house  was 
laid  on  Mr.  Stewart's  birth-day,  May,  3,  1871.  It  was  dedi- 
cated May  3,  1872,  the  day  the  pastor  was  seventy-four 
years  of  age.  This  church  has  ever  had  a  Sabbath  school 
vigorously  maintained. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Bloomington,  Octo- 
ber 20,  1842.  Members  were  present  from  nine  Presbyteries. 
Lucien  Farnam  resigned  as  Stated  Clerk,  and  Lycurgus  P. 
Kimball  was  appointed  in  his  place.  A  petition  to  the  As- 
sembly was  adopted  for  a  new  Synod  in  this  State,  to  be  called 
The  Synod  of  Peoria,  and  to  include  the  Presbyteries  of 
Ottawa,  Peoria,  Knox  and  Galena.  The  Presbytery  of  Sanga- 
mon (n.  s.)  was  attached  to  that  of  Illinois.  Five  Presbyte- 
rial  missionaries  have  been  employed  by  five  different  Pres- 
byteries, and  their  labors  attended  with  such  success  as  to 
strongly  commend  the  plan  to  all.  A  petition  was  sent  to 
the  Governor  of  the  State  asking  him  to  appoint  the  last 
Thursday  in  November  as  a  day  of  thanksgiving. 

Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s.,  met  at  Jacksonville,  October  20, 
1842.  Members  were  present  from  five  Presbyteries.  They 
reported  to  the  Assembly  forty-eight  ministers  and  ninety 
churches. 


YEAR  1843. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  Carrollton,  March 
31,  1843.  Edward  Beecher,  minister,  and  John  Adams, 
elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  Luke 
Lyons    was    dismissed    to  the    Presbytery    of  Alton.      The 


314  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

fall  meeting  of  this  Presbytery  was  held  with  Pisgah  church, 
commencing  September  7.  The  ministers  and  churches  of 
the  Sangamon  Presbytery,  n.  s.,  were  according  to  directions 
of  Synod,  attached  to  this  Presbytery.  This  is  the  list.  Min- 
isters :  Albert  Hale,  Bilious  Pond,  John  F.  Brooks,  Josiah 
Porter,  Elisha  Jenney  and  Dewey  Whitney.  Churches  :  Sec- 
ond church  Springfield,  Farmington,  Chatham,  Spring  Creek, 
Waynesville  and  Mechanicsburg.  Charles  G.  Selleck  was 
received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Alton.  The  pastoral  rela- 
tion between  the  First  church,  Jacksonville,  and  Rev.  W.  H. 
Williams  was  dissolved. 


Josiah  Porter. 

This  brother  shall  himself  give  his  own  history. 

I  was  born  in  the  genial  climate  of  South  Carolina,  April 
10,  1802.  My  ancestry  on  both  sides  were  Presbyterians. 
My  father,  Josiah  Porter,  was  born  in  Londonderry,  Decem- 
ber 25,  1750.  He  was  well  instructed  in  the  principles  of 
plane  and  spherical  trigonometry,  and  of  these  he  was  a  very 
capable  teacher.  He  was  one  of  the  elders  in  the  Fishing 
Creek  Presbyterian  church  and  a  devout  Christian.  He  died 
near  Nashville,  Tenn.,  December  19,  18 14. 
Mother's  name  was  Rachel  Gill,  Scotch  parents,  Presbyte- 
rian, and  all  were  zealous  friends  and  decided  defenders  of 
the  Independence  of  the  Colonies,  for  which  cause  they  suf- 
fered many  hardships.  I  commenced  my  stud- 
ies for  the  ministry,  May  i,  1825,  in  Boubon  Academy  under 
Professor  Sharpe,  and  after  three  sessions  attended  a  paro- 
chial school  one  year.  I  spent  a  few  months  studying  He- 
brew in  a  class  taught  by  Rev.  John  McFarland.  At  the 
opening  of  the  fall  session,  1828,  I  entered  Center  College  as 
a  manual-labor  student.  Two  years  I  pursued  my  studies 
there.  I  then  went  to  Indiana  University,  on  account  of  the 
resignation  of  Dr.  Blackburn  as  President,  in  consequence  of 
the  O.  S.  and  N.  S.  controversy.  Two  years  I  spent  in 
Bloomington,  Ind.,  and  graduated  September  i,  1832.  Thence 
I  went  to  Lane  Theological  Seminary  and  studied  until 
the  spring  of  1 834.  Under  the  private  instruction  of  J. 
W.  Hall,  D.  D.,  I  closed  my  preparatory  studies.  I 
thought  myself  called  to  preach  the  Gospel  from  sev- 
eral   considerations :    ist.    Because  of  my    great    change  of 


JOSIAH  PORTER.  315 

views  as  to  the  paramount  importance  of  the  Gospel  and  a 
predominating  desire  to  teach  this  way  of  Hfe  to  others. 
Besides,  I  felt  a  great  deadness  to  the  world,  and  was  willing 
to  give  up  the  pursuit  of  a  lucrative  trade.  Again,  my  pious 
mother  said  she  had  lent  me  to  the  Lord,  as  Hannah  did 
Samuel.  I  moreover  subjected  my  views  and  feelings  to 
ministers  and  experienced  Christians,  to  theological  profess- 
ors and  Presbyteries,  and  with  the  cordial  approval  of  all,  I 
went  forward.  AH  along  my  preparatory  course  I  saw 
encouraging  fruits  of  my  labor.  And  now  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six  I  am  happy  that  I  obeyed  the  heavenly  call,  and 
only  regret  that  my  labors  have  been  so  fruitless.  Shi- 
loh  Presbytery,  Oct.  3,  1835,  at  Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  gave  me 
license.  Crawfordsville  Presbytery,  on  April  3,  1838,  ordained 
me,  sine  titiilo,  at  Waveland,  Ind.  Immediately  after  licen- 
sure I  labored  in  Smith  county,  Tenn.,  in  Carthage  and  Pay- 
ton's  Creek  congregations  six  months.  Next  I  preached  one 
year  to  the  Chatham  and  Sugar  Creek  congregations,  111.,  on 
a  salary  of  three  hundred  dollars.  At  the  close  of  the  year 
we  had  a  most  precious  revival — thirty-five  hopeful  conver- 
sions. But  a  change  of  views  on  the  subject  of  immediate 
emancipation  ruled  me  out.  I  sought  a  new  home  and  re- 
moved to  Eugene,  Ind.,  where  I  taught  school  and  preached 
to  a  small  church  almost  without  compensation.  My  removal 
was  in  the  winter  and  I  can  truly  say  the  journey  was  awful 
and  expensive.  While  at  Eugene  I  was  ordained.  That  fall 
I  was  greatly  and  dangerously  afflicted.  In  December,  1838, 
1  was  invited  to  supply  Waynesville,  Illinois,  Presbyterian 
church.  Here  I  preached  seven  and  a  half  years  as  supply 
pastor.  Whilst  laboring  here  the  church  and  temperance  cause 
prospered,  Sunday  schools  flourished;  and  I  supplied  the  coun- 
ty of  DeWitt  with  bibles  and  organized  an  o.  s.  church  in  Ran- 
dolph Grove,  which  was  received  by  Sangamon  Presbytery. 
In  1845  I  became  bible  colporteur  and  preached  often.     In 

1846  Illinois  Presbytery  commissioned  me  to  ride  as  mission- 
ary in  their  bounds.  I  aided  in  organizing  a  Presbyterian 
church    in    Rochester,    eight   miles  east   of  Springfield.      In 

1847  I  was  invited  to  take  charge  of  Winchester,  Scott 
county,  Presbyterian  church  and  vicinity.  My  congregations 
were  large  and  interesting.  Besides  I  preached  at  Exeter, 
Manchester  and  two  or  three  school  houses.  It  was  a  very 
promising  field;  but  a  little  root  of  bitterness  worked  me  out. 
In  1849  I  removed  to  Chatham  and  began  the  mixed  labor 


3l6  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

of  farming  and  preaching.  I  continued  for  two  years  with- 
out profit  either  to  myself  or  the  people.  Next  I  preached  at 
Spring  Creek  with  but  little  encouragement.  In  1855  I  was 
invited  by  one  of  my  Scott  county  (a  Mr  Loud)  school  house 
converts  to  supply  Virden  church,  which  I  had  assisted  to 
organize  the  year  before.  There  I  preached  one  half  of  the 
time  for  one  year.  Since  that  time  I  have  preached  only 
occasionally.  I  have  superintended  Sunday  school  some, 
but  for  a  year  or  two  have  retired.  July'  18,  1837,  I  was 
married  at  Chatham,  111.,  to  Martha  Winnyfred  Thornton, 
daughter  of  William  Thornton,  formerly  of  Kentucky,  where 
my  wife  was  bornj-iVIay  20,  181 5.  We  had  born  five  children, 
all  daughters.  Three  died  in  infancy.  Two  survive.  Mary 
Louisa,  was  born  Nov.  17,  1842;  Agnes,  Sept.  24,  1850. 

In  1815  my  mother  removed  to  Indiana.  Very 
little  preaching  was  to  be  had,  and  that  of  poor  quality. 
Until  1823  I  had  but  little  religious  interest.  I  then  attended 
church  and  was  really  anxious,  but  I  had  no  one  to  teach  me. 
In  1824  I  had  access  to  a  fragment  of  a  Bible.  I  read  the  five 
books  of  Moses  and  became  a  prisoner  at  the  bar.  My  hope 
from  previous  education,  or  pious,  praying  ancestry  left  me. 
My  convictions  deepened.  I  refused  to  open  my  heart,  and 
the  conflict  was  desperate.  On  the  fifth  and  sixth  of  Sept., 
1824,  at  a  Cumberland  camp-meeting  I  avowed  my  anxiety. 
I  asked  what  should  I  do  to  be  saved.  I  prayed  in  deep 
agony,  almost  despaired  of  ever  finding  mercy.  In  my 
deep  despair  a  kind  brother  said  softly,  'The  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ  cleanseth  from  all  sin.'  Light,  peace,  joy  and  love 
filled  my  soul.  I  shouted  for  joy.  At  the  same  time  a 
brother  in  Tennessee,  two  hundred  miles  distant,  professed 
his  faith  in  Christ ;  and  his  first  letter  after  was  to  exhort  me  to 
seek  the  Savior.  In  the  sequel  we  both  toiled  through  many 
difficulties,  studied  together,  graduated  together,  were  licens- 
ed together,  and  married  within  a  year  of  each  other.  But 
on  the  25th  of  August,  1 840,  he  passed  from  time,  and  I  am 
still  spared,  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  fourteen  children. 


Mechanicsburg  church  was  organized  about  1843.  The 
place  is  twelve  miles  east  of  Springfield  and  three  miles 
south  of  Buffalo,  on  the  Wabash  R.  R.  It  had  as  elders, 
John  Thompson,  G.  P.  Bruce,  and  probably  others.  Its  name 
last  appears  on  the  minutes  of  1867,  when  it  was  reported  to 
contain  six  members. 


VVAVELAXD  CHURCH.  3^7 

The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Shawneetown, 
111.,  April  21,  1843.  James  Stafford,  minister,  and  W.  A.  G, 
Posey,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  next  Assembly, 
B.  F.  Spilman  was  installed  pastor  of  the  Shawneetown 
church,  April  22d.  The  church  of  Belleville,  o.  s.,  was  re- 
ceived. The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Greenville.  Wave- 
land,  Liberty  and  Sparta  churches  were  received. 


Belleville  Church,  o.  s.  April  5,  1843,  James  Stafford 
organized  a  church  at  Belleville  with  eighteen  members.  Of 
these,  ten  were  from  the  already  existing  church,  n.  s.  Two 
elders  were  elected,  of  whom  Thomas  Osbcrn  was  one.  By 
this  division  the  church  of  1839  was  much  weakened  and  a 
deal  of  ill-feeling  engendered.  But  the  wise  counsels  of  that 
godly  man,  Rev.  William  Chamberlin,  were  oil  on  the  troubled 
waters.  The  aggrieved  members  nearly  all  returned  to  the 
church  they  had  left,  and  the  o.  s.  organization  was  aban- 
doned. 


Waveland  Church.  The  location  of  its  present  building 
is  in  Montgomery  county,  T.  7  N.,  R.  4  W.,  Sec.  2,  S.  W. 
quarter  of  N.  W.  quarter.  It  was  organized  by  Rev.  A.  C. 
Allen  at  the  house  of  William  P.  Brown,  July  28,  1843,  with 
these  twenty-five  members :  John  Brown,  Sarah  Brown, 
Leeve  Brown,  William  P.  Brown,  Newton  G.  Brown,  Eliza- 
beth Brown  (widow),  Nancy  Brown,  Eliza  Brown,  Rufus  P. 
Brown,  William  Brown,  jr.,  Margaret  Craig,  Jesse  D.  Wood, 
Minerva  J.  Wood,  Sarah  D.  Blackwood,  Emeline  Black- 
wood, Levi  H.  Thom,  Margaret  A.  Thom,  George  Nichol- 
son, George  L.  Clotfelter,  Jemima  Clotfelter,  Elizabeth  Barry, 
Joseph  McLean,  Abigail  McLean,  Enos  Clotfelter,  Elizabeth 
Brown.  Elders:  John  Brown,  Levi  H.  Thom,  Dr.  Jesse  D. 
Wood.  It  is  an  outpost  of  the  Hillsboro  church,  and  was 
supplied  by  its  ministers — A.  C.  Allen,  T.  W.  Hynes  and  R. 
M.  Roberts — up  to  1859.  Since  then  its  ministers  have  been 
William  Hamilton,  John  S.  Howell  and  James  Henry  Spil- 
man up  to  1875.  For  several  years  the  congregation  wor- 
shiped, in  pleasant  weather,  in  a  grove,  at  other  times  in 
private  houses.  In  October,  1847,  ^^^  church  received  a  gift 
of  six  acres  of  land,  on  which,  in  1847-8,  they  erected  a  plain 
house  of  worship.     This  was  used  for  twenty-four  years.     In 


3l8  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

1872  they  erected  the  present  building — a  neat,  convenient 
frame — at  a  cost  of  sixteen  hundred  dollars. 

The  number  received  to  membership  from  the  beginning  is 
one  hundred  and  fifty-three.  Present  number  forty-nine. 
The  elders,  besides  the  first  three,  are  Joseph  McLean,  Rufus 
P.  Brown,  John  McLean,  Alvin  A.  McLean  and  David  H. 
Clotfelter.  Since  the  administration  of  James  H.  Spilman, 
several  ministers  have  supplied  for  brief  periods.  At  the 
present  time — 1879 — Rev.  N.  S.  Dickey,  of  Hillsboro, 
preaches  every  Sabbath  P.  M. 


Sparta,  Jordan's  Grove,  or  Baldwin  Church.  It  was 
organized  at  Sparta,  Randolph  county,  July  29,  1843,  by  Rev. 
Cyrus  Riggs,  with  these  members,  viz. :  Ridley  Bannister, 
Martha  A.  Bannister,  Martha  M.  Pelton,  John  C.  Hanna, 
Lucy  G.  Hanna,  H.  M.  Livingston,  Jane  M.  Livingston  and 
Temperance  McCormick.  Eldkrs  :  H.  M.  Livingston  and 
John  C.  Hanna,  the  first.  Afterwards — Samuel  J.  B.  Meek, 
February  26,  1846;  Ephraim  Hill,  August  8,  1846;  Samuel 
Ewing,  1850;  William  Lively,  Angus  McAllister  and 
George  W.  Lash,  1854;  Alexander  R.  Lessley,  Jared  Rule, 
January,  1858;  Arthur  T.  Tovrea,  May  30,  1872;  George 
Wilson,  June  8,  1870;  William  Cox,  Thomas  J.  McBride, 
William  W.  Prine,  June  6,  1874.  Ministers:  Cyrus  Riggs, 
from  beginning  to  April,  1845  ;  B.  F.  Spilman,  from  Febru- 
ary, 1846,  to  September,  1851;  B.  Leffler  one  year;  C.  D. 
Martin,  W.  R.  Sinn,  1858-60;  Martin  B.  Gregg,  August  25, 
1872,  till  his  death,  August  31,  1873;  James  Scott  Davis, 
January,  1874,  to  June,  1875;  M.  M.  Cooper,  September, 
1876,  to  August,  1877.  The  name  of  the  church  was  changed 
from  Sparta  to  Jordan's  Grove,  April  12,  185 1.  It  was 
changed  again  to  Baldwin,  after  the  church  building  was  re- 
moved to  that  village.  While  worshiping  in 
Sparta  this  church  had  no  edifice  of  its  own.  Its  meetings 
were  not  long  held  in  that  village,  but  in  the  country  some 
six  miles  northwest.  Here,  i.  e.,  on  the  N.  E.  quarter  of  N.  W. 
quarter  of  sec.  8,  T.  4  S.,  R.  6  W.,  they  erected  in  185 1  a 
house  of  worship,  which  cost  about  one  thousand  dollars. 
At  this  site  is  a  cemetery.  This  house  was  removed  to  Bald- 
win, on  the  narrow  gauge  railroad,  in  the  fall  of  1872,  re- 
paired and  furnished  anew,  all  at  a  cost  of  twelve  hundred 
dallars.     It  was  dedicated  June  i,  1873.     This  congregation 


ROCKWOOD  CHURCH.  319 

Tias  been  vacant  mostly  since  Mr.  Cooper  left,  and  is  now  in 
a  languishing  state. 


Liberty,  now  Rockwood  Church,  is  on  the  Mississippi 
river,  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Randolph  county.  It  was 
organized  at  the  house  of  Dr.  James  C.  Junk,  by  Rev.  Cyrus 
C.  Riggs,  March  9,  1843,  with  twenty-nine  members.  Eld- 
ers ;  James  Clendenin,  James  McLaughlin,  John  Hender- 
son and  Wm.  Henderson,  the  first ;  afterwards,  Paul  Hol- 
worth,  Wm.  Hamilton,  William  Herdman,  John  H.  Clende- 
nin, Hazlett  H.  McLaughlin,  Wm.  H.  Bilderback,  J.  L. 
Mann,  S.  P.  Tuthill,  Wm.  B.  Gray,  John  P.  Mann.  Minis- 
ters: Cyrus  C.  Riggs,  B.  F.  Spilman.  Alex.  Brown,  A.  A. 
Morrison.  B.  H.  Charles,  A.  R.  Naylor,  John  C.  Wagaman, 
Alfred  Wright,  James  Scott  Davis. 

In  a  revival  in  1862,  twenty-nine  persons  were  received  ; 
in  another,  in  the  winter  of  1876,  twenty-eight  were  added. 
The  name  of  the  church  was  changed  from  Liberty  to  Rock- 
wood,  Feb.  16,  1865,  to  correspond  with  the  name  of  the 
village  as  changed  by  the  Legislature.  This  congregation 
met  in  private  houses,  or  in  the  school-house  until  the  dedi- 
cation of  the  present  house  of  worship,  which  took  place 
late  in  the  fall  of  1864.  This  house  is  of  brick,  and  cost 
^1,950,  of  which  from  Church  Erection  Board  three  hundred 
dollars.  The  site  is  two  lots,  bought  for  thirty  dollars.  The 
original  families  of  this  church  were  from  Virginia,  the 
Carolinas  and  Kentucky. 

The  meeting  of  Palestine  Presbytery,  n.  s.,  appointed 
at  Danville,  for  April  5,  1843,  failed  from  lack  of  a  quorum. 
No  meeting  was  attempted  in  the  fall. 

Palestine  Presbytery,  o.  s.,  met  with  Darwin  church, 
April  6,  1843.  Isaac  Bennet,  minister,  and  Findley  Paull, 
elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly. 
The  Presbytery  reported  to  the  Assembly  ten  ministers,  fif- 
teen churcKes  and  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  additions  in 
the  year  ending  with  this  meeting.  The  Fall 

rneeting  was  held  at  Charleston,  commencing  Sept.  27,  1843. 
Tii.e  name  of  Wahiut  Grove  church  was  changed  to  McClus- 
■key,    Isaac  Reed  was  dismissed  to  Richland  Presbytery,  Ohio. 


320  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  met  at  Irish  Grove,  April 
7,  1S43.  John  G.  Bergen,  minister,  and  James  L.  Lamb, 
elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  next  Assembly.  They 
reported  five  ministers,  ten  churches  and  an  aggregate  mem- 
bership of  four  hundred  and  seven.  The  fall 
meeting  was  held  with  Providence  church,  commencing 
October,  2. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Belleville,  March  30, 
1843.  The  "  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Nine  Mile  Prai- 
rie," afterwards  QM  Ducoigii,  was  received  under  their  care. 
Henry  Whittaker,  a  licentiate,  was  received  from  the  Lex- 
ington Presbytery,  Mo.  A  report  was  received 
from  the  Greenville  church,  of  the  successful  efforts  of  Elder 
Asa  L.  Saunders,  in  the  churches  at  the  East,  to  raise  funds 
to  pay  the  debt  on  their  house  of  worship.  Presbytery 
reported  to  the  Assembly,  ten  ministers,  one  licentiate, 
thirteen  churches  and  nine  hundred  and  thirty-seven  com- 
municants. Lemuel  Foster,  minister,  and  Asa  L.  Saunders, 
elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  next  Assembly. 


The  Presbyterian  church  of  Nine  Mile  Prairie,  after- 
wards Old  Ducoign,  was  organized  at  the  house  of  Mrs. 
Sarah  Root,  Nov.  15,  1840,  by  Rev.  Benj.  B.  Brown,  at  that 
time  a  member  of  Kaskaskia  Presbytery.  No  elders  were 
at  that  time  appointed  ;  but  a  resolution  was  adopted,  that, 
for  the  present,  the  male  members  be  regarded  as  the  ses- 
sion. Rev.  Wm.  Chamberlin  completed  the  organization, 
Dec.  16,  1842,  when  Johnston  Burbank  and  Wm.  Chandler, 
were  made  elders.  The  other  members  were  these,  viz.: 
Elmar  W.  Adams,  Henry  W.  Smith,  Miss  Mary  Hinckley, 
George  Burbank,  Hiram  and  Miss  Laura  Burbank,  Mrs. 
Mary  Burbank,  Wm.  P.  Burbank,  Hiram  Hinckley,  Mrs. 
Sarah  Hinokley,  John  Chandler,  Mrs.  Mary  Chandler,  Miss 
Ellen  Tuthill,  Miss  Elizabeth  Tuthill,  Mrs.  Maria  Wall,  Oliver 
K.  Clouch.  Ministers :  Josiah  Wood,  from  July  9, 

1843,  to  Sept.  22,  185 1.  He  was  installed.  Wm.  H.  Bird, 
from  Nov.  25,  185  i,  to  Sept.  10,  1854.  Albert  Smith,  from 
March  21, 1855,  one  year.  Josiah  Wood,  second  time,  as  sup- 
ply pastt)r,  April,  1856  to  Jan.,  1857.  Joseph  A.  Bent,  one 
year.  Thomas  Lippincott,  March,  1858,  to  May,  1863.    Josiah 


JOSEPH    A.  RANNEY.  32  I 

Wood,  third  time,  June,  1863,  to  Nov.,  1865.  Thomas  Lip- 
pincott,  second  time,  March,  1865,  April,  1867.  C,  F.  Hal- 
sey,  Oct.,  1867,  one  year.  J.  M.  Stone,  D.  D.,  Sept.,  1871, 
to  his  death,  Oct.,  ii,  1876.  Elders:  Besides 

the  first  two,  Thomas  L.  Ross,  Russel  Tuthill,  Benj.  Sprague, 
Hiram  Hinckley,  Geo.  W.  Burbank,  Geo.  M.  Hinckley, 
Miles  Peck.  Miss  Eliza  Paine,  daughter  of  Dan- 

iel Paine,  South  Amherst,  Mass.,  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Rey- 
nols  were  received  Dec.  il,  1852.  The  last  returned  to  the 
church  as  widow  of  Asa  L.  Saunders,  April  19,  1856. 

The  places  of  worship  were,  (i)  The  building  erected 
for  church  and  school-house  in  1844,  cost  about  four  hun- 
dred dollars,  and  was  owned  by  the  community.  (2)  The 
school-house  east  of  the  Seminary.  (3)  The  Seminary 
itself.  (4)  The  school-house  again,  and  still  used.  The 
name  of  this  church  was  changed  to  Old  Ducoign,  March 
17,  1865. 


Alton  Presbytery  met  at  Upper  Alton,  October,  1843. 
Francis  Barnham,  Bunker  Hill;  E.  B.  Goddard,  Woodburn, 
and  Timothy  Turner,  Monticello  (corresponding  churches), 
were  in  attendance.  Luke  Lyons,  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Illinois  ;  Josiah  Wood,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Madison,  and 
Joseph  A.  Ranney,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Clinton,  Miss., 
were  received.  Henry  B.  Whittaker  was  ordained,  Sabbath 
evening,  October  15. 


Joseph  Addison  Ranney  was  born  in  Westminster  West, 
Vt.,  February  15,  1 817.  He  was  the  son  of  Joseph  Ranney, 
who  was  a  pillar  in  the  Congregational  church  of  what  is 
called  the  West  Parish  of  Westminster.  His  mother,  Tri- 
phena  Hitchcock,  was  a  woman  of  eminent  piety.  His 
brother,  Timothy  Emerson,  was  many  years  a  missionary 
among  the  Cherokee  Indians.  Their  grandfather,  Elijah 
Ranney,  was  made  deacon  of  the  church  at  the  time  of  its 
organization,  and  their  great-grandfather  was  deacon  of  the 
church  in  the  East  Parish  at  its  organization  before  the  revo- 
lutionary war.  He  was  a  descendant  of  Thomas  Ranney  who 
emigrated  from  Scotland  in  the  17th  century  and  settled  in 
Cromwell,  Ct.  The  two  brothers,  Timothy  and 

Addison,  were  received  into  the  church  in  the  days  of  their 

20 


322  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

youth.  They  felt  the  same  call  to  leave  the  farm  and  pre- 
pare for  the  ministry.  They  fitted  for  college  at  Phillips' 
Academy,  Andover,  Mass.,  and  graduated  at  Middlebury 
College,  Vt.,  in  1839.  Timothy  pursued  his  theological 
course  at  Andover  and  gave  his  life  to  the  missionary  work 
under  the  care  of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  Joseph  Addison,  fear- 
ing that  insidious  enemy,  consumption,  fled  from  the  cold 
climate  of  Vermont  and  took  refuge  in  the  State  of  Missis- 
sippi. For  a  short  season  he  taught  a  small  school  in  a  log 
school-house  in  the  little  village  of  Preston,  consisting  of  a 
few  cotton  planters  from  Georgia  and  South  Carolina.  His 
health  improved  and  he  was  restored  to  his  former  vigorous 
constitution.  In  the  summer  of  1840  he  attended 

the  meeting  of  Clinton  Presbytery,  and  was  received  under 
their  care  as  a  candidate  for  the  ministry.  In  May,  1S41,  he 
was  licensed,  and  in  May,  1842,  ordained  by  the  same  Pres- 
bytery. For  one  year  he  preached,  as  a  licentiate,  in  a  log 
school-house  in  Yalabusha  county,  and  in  a  log  church  in  Tal- 
lahatchie county.  This  church  was  of  the  most  primitive 
style,  being  built  of  logs  without  any  chinking.  The  seats 
were  puncheons  without  backs  and  strangers  to  edge  tools  of 
any  kind.  In  the  summer  of  1841,  Mr.  Ranney,  seeing  his 
way  into  the  ministry  fairly  opening  before  him,  returned 
to  Vermont  on  a  visit  and  a  little  matrimonial  business. 
Going  North,  he  had  as  a  traveling  companion  Mr.  C.  C. 
Campbell,  a  former  school  mate  in  the  academy  and  college. 
On  their  way  they  took  in  Washington  City  and  made  it  a 
business  to  attend  Congress  for  a  season.  It  was  during  an 
extra  session,  soon  after  the  death  of  President  Harrison,  and 
in  the  palmy  days  of  such  statesmen  as  Webster  and  Clay, 
Benton  and  Calhoun.  In  the  autumn,  in  company  with  his 
young  bride  and  three  young  ladies  going  to  Mississippi  as 
teachers,  and  a  young  man  going  as  a  shoe  maker,  he  took 
ship  at  Boston  for  New  Orleans,  and  thence  a  steamer  to 
Memphis.  Here  he  procured  a  horse,  and  putting  to  him 
the  harness  and  buggy  brought,  with  many  other  Yankee 
notions,  from  Vermont  and  Boston,  he  and  bride  finished 
the  journey  by  a  buggy  ride.  The  rest  of  the  colony  went 
on  to  their  places  of  destination  by  stage.  For  more  than 
one  hundred  miles  they  traveled  in  this  way  till  they  found 
a  hearty  welcome  at  Preston.  Before  one  year  was  com- 
pleted at  that  place,  Mr.  Ranney  was  invited  to  Grenada. 
His  second  year  in  preaching,  and  the  first  after  ordination. 


JOSEPH    A.  RANNEY.  323 

lie  had  the  two  important  fields,  Grenada  and  Middleton, 
twenty-five  miles  apart.  Sometimes  his  wife  accompanied 
him  to  the  appointments  at  Middleton.  On  one  occasion  as 
they  were  returning,  they  found  a  stream  too  high  to  ford  in 
safety.  They  waited  over  night  at  a  cabin.  In  the  morning 
the  stream  was  yet  swimming.  A  saddle  was  borrowed,  and 
man  and  wife  crossed  the  stream  on  a  fallen  tree,  and  the 
horse  swam  across.  Both  then  mounted  the  horse  and  went 
home  riding  double.  In  an  old  cemetery  on  a  pleasant  hill- 
side in  Grenada,  they  buried  their  first-born  child,  named  Timo- 
thy Addison.  In  June,  1843,  they  removed  to 
Illinois,  not  content  to  make  a  permanent  home  in  a  slave 
State.  Their  first  Sabbath  in  Illinois  was  spent  at  Alton,  in 
the  home  of  Rev.  A.  T.  Norton,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  there.  On  the  following  Tuesday,  Mr.  Ranney  rode 
fifty  miles  on  horse-back,  from  Jerseyville  to  Jacksonville, 
to  attend  commencement  in  Illinois  College.  After  that 
ride,  he  heard  Henry  Ward  Beecher's  address  before  the 
Literary  Society  of  the  College.  At  that  time  the  man,  now 
so  famous,  was  known  only  as  the  son  of  Dr.  Lyman 
Beecher.  Many  thought  that  sparks  of  the  Beecher  fire 
came  out  occasionally.  For  two  years,  from 
1843  ^o  1S45.  ^^i"-  Ranney  preached  at  Carlinville  one-half 
the  Sabbaths,  giving  the  other  half  to  Spring  Cove  and 
Chesterfield.  Dr.  Gideon  Blackburn,  had  just  passed  away, 
and  his  widow  and  sons  and  daughters  were  members  of 
his  congregation.  A  orphan  grand-daughter  of  Dr.  Black- 
burn, Jane  M.  Blackburn,  was  received  as  a  member  of  his 
family,  and  remained  such  for  a  number  of  years  and  until 
her  marriage.  In  Feb.,  1846,  at  the  death  of 
Rev.  George  Pyle,  Mr.  Ranney  was  invited  to  take  his  place 
as  Chaplain  in  Monticello  Seminary  and  pastor  of  the  church 
worshiping  in  the  chapel.  In  the  autumn  of 
1847,  he  accepted  a  call  to  become  the  pastor  of  the  church 
in  Belleville.  Here  for  the  first  time  he  was  regularly  in- 
stalled, and  for  the  first  three  or  four  years  acted  under 
commission  of  the  A.  H.  Missionary  Society,  receiving  from 
the  people  and  the  Society  a  salary  of  four  hundred  dol- 
lars. When  the  church  became  able  to  pay  the  whole  sal- 
ary and  raise  it  to  five  hundred  dollars,  it  was  thought  to  be 
very  cheering  progress. 

In  the  summer  of  1854,  after  laboring  in  Belleville  nearly 
seven  years,  Mr.  Ranney  having  had  several  severe  attacks  of 


324  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

sickness,  and  having  lost  his  wife  and  one  child  in  the  place^ 
yielded  to  the  advice  of  some  of  his  friends,  resigned  his 
pastorate,  and  removed  to  Allegan,  Mich.  He  there  had 
a  pastorate  of  about  five  years.  From  thence  he  was  called 
to  the  pastorate  of  the  church  in  Three  Rivers,  Mich.,  which 
continued  thirteen  years.  At  the  close  of  his  labors  there, 
he  accepted  an  invitation  from  the  Trustees  of  the  Michigan 
Female  Seminary,  located  at  Kalamazoo,  to  labor  one  year 
or  more  to  raise  funds  to  relieve  that  institution  from  debt. 
It  is  a  Seminary  on  the  Mt.  Hoiyoke  plan,  and  under  the 
care  of  the  Synod  of  Michigan.  This  work  having  been 
accomplished,  Mr.  Ranney  accepted  a  call  to  become  pastor 
of  the  church  in  Delphi,  Ind.  This  was  his  fourth  pastorate 
and  lasted  five  years.  He  then  resigned  and  removed  to 
Kalamazoo,  Mich.  In  an  ordinary  minister's  life 

a  vast  number  of  minds  in  a  great  number  of  places  are- 
reached  by  the  gospel  message.  The  audiences  addressed 
are  not  usually  large,  and  there  is  no  special  attention 
called  to  such  a  humble  ministry.  Buf  when  the  results  are 
brought  together,  they  give  us  much  surprise.  We  are 
reminded  of  the  prophet's  beatitude,  "  Blessed  are  ye 
that  sow  beside  all  waters."  As  we  have  a  complete 
record  of  this  ministry,  it  may  interest  some  persons  to 
review   the     facts.  In    Mississippi    the     gospel 

was  preached  ninety-eight  times ;  Illinois  eight  hundred 
and  ninety-eight  times;  in  Michigan  1,756  times;  in 
Indiana  four  hundred  and  ninety-seven  times ;  in 
Massachusetts  sixteen  times ;  in  Ohio  ten  times ;  in. 
New  York  eleven  times ;  in  New  Hampshire  thre'e  times ; 
in  Missouri  same ;  in  Iowa  and  Wisconsin  each  twice ; 
in  Pennsylvania,  Georgia,  West  Virginia,  Maine,  District  of 
Columbia,  Atlantic?  Ocean,  in  ship  Palmyra,  on  steamer 
Lake  Erie  and  Mississippi  River,  each  once.  Total,  three 
thousand  three  hundred  and  four.  In  a  ministry  continued 
through  many  years  the  gospel  is  not  only  offered  to  a  vast 
number  of  minds  of  all  varieties,  but  some  valuable  fruits  are 
sure  to  be  gathered  up.  Our  most  convenient  estimate  of 
some  of  these  fruits  is  based  on  the  number  of  members 
received  into  the  communion  of  the  church.  In  the  minis- 
try under  review  four  hundred  and  sixty-nine  were  received 
on  profession  and  three  hundred  and  nine  by  letter,  total 
seven  hundred  and  seventy-eight — one  hundred  and  fifty- 
four  adults  and  one    hundred  and  twenty-seven  infants  were 


JOSEPH    A.  RANNEY.  325 

ibaptized.  Mr.  Ranney's  family.     In  the  Autumn 

of  1 841  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Phoebe  A.  Hitchcock  at 
Westminster  West,  Vt.  The  ceremony  was  performed  in  the 
same  church  where  both  had  attended  Sabbath-school  and 
professed  religion.  They  had  born  to  them  four  sons,  two 
of  them  dying  in  infancy.  Albert  Barnes  was  born  in  Car- 
linville,  Oct.  31,  1844.  He  was  in  the  army,  under  Sherman 
in  the  famous  march  to  the  sea.  After  the  war  he  went  into 
the  mercantile  business  at  Three  Rivers  and  continued  there 
thirteen  years,  acting  as  an  elder  in  the  church  and  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sabbath-school  some  part  of  the  time.  He  has 
lately  removed  with  his  wife  and  three  children  to  Welling- 
ton, Kansas.  Joseph  Addison,  jr.,  was  born  in 
Monticello  Seminary,  Oct.  12,  1847.  He  is  a  merchant  in 
Three  Rivers,  and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in 
that  place.  He  has  a  wife  and  two  children.  Mary  E.  Ran- 
ney  was  adopted  and  baptized  in  the  spring  of  1859.  She 
graduated  at  the  Michigan  Female  Seminary  at  Kalamazoo 
in  the  class  of  73,  and  has  been  teaching  in  the  public 
schools  of  Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  and  Delphi,  Ind.,  for  some  time. 
Mr.  Ranney's  second  marriage  took  place  at 
Alton,  111.,  Oct.  I,  1853,  being  united  to  Miss  Wealthy  A. 
Hitchcock.  The  ceremony  was  performed  by  Rev.  A.  T. 
Norton  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  W.  F.  Guernsey.  During  the 
Avar,  Mrs.  Ranney  took  a  commission  from  the  U.  S.  Chris- 
tian Commission,  and  went  to  Nashville  with  her  husband. 
She  rendered  great  service  in  one  of  the  hospitals  while  Mr. 
Ranney  went  to  Chattanooga  and  Kingston,  Ga.  On  the 
1st  of  Feb.,  1875,  Mrs.  Ranney  met  with  a  fatal  accident,  hav- 
ing fallen  from  a  train  of  cars  near  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  while 
trying  to  save  her  insane  sister.  Mr.  Ranney 
married  again  on  the  17th  day  of  May,  1876,  being  united  to 
Mrs.  S.  Matthews  at  Passaic,  N.  J.,  by  Rev.  R.  G.  Wilder,  of 
the  Kalapoor  JNIission.  At  the  present  time,  December, 
1878,  the  home  of  Mr.  Ranney  and  wife  is  in  Kalamazoo, 
Mich.  It  is  his  purpose  to  make  that  place  his  headquar- 
ters so  long  as  life's  warfare  shall  continue. 


JosiAH  Wood  was  born  April  7,  18 14,  at  Cobbleskill,  N. 
Y.  He  united  with  the  Presbyterian  church  when  eighteen 
years  old  ;  studied  two  or  three  years  at  Rochester,  N.  Y. ; 
he  entered  Hanover  College,  Ind.,  and  remained  there  until 


2,26  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

his  senior  year.  He  then  resorted  to  teaching  for  a  time 
He  read  theology  one  year  under  the  direction  of  Rev.  John 
McE.  Dickey,  pastor  of  Pisgah  church,  in  Clark  county,  Ind. 
He  afterwards  spent  two  years  in  Lane  Seminary.  Licensed. 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Madison,  Ind.,  April  4,  1842,  and  or- 
dained by  same  Presbytery,  October  12,  1843.  Installed 
pastor  of  Nine-Mile  Prairie  church,  November  13,  1843,  and 
dismissed  September  22,  185 1.  He  afterwards  served  that 
church  for  two  considerable  periods.  But  the  establishment 
and  general  management  of  Ducoign  Female  Seminary  was. 
his  great  life-work.  For  several  years  that  institution  was- 
flourishing  and  accomplished  great  good.  He  was  supply 
pastor  of  Tamaroa  church  in  Perry  county,  111.,  when  he  died 
near  New  Washington,  Ind.,  June  5,  at  four  o'clock  p.  m.,. 
1870. 

The  date  of  his  marriage  I  cannot  give.  His  wife's  maiden, 
name  was  Mary  A.  Giltner.  She  died  at  Old  Ducoign,  Perry 
county.  111.,  September  7,  1877,  and  is  buried  there.  She 
was  at  her  death  sixty-nine  years  and  seven  months  of  age. 


Henry  B.  Whittaker  was  born  at  Charleston,  Kenawha 
county,  Va.,  November  15,  1814.  His  parents  were  pious, 
and  formerly  from  Massachusetts.  He  was  brought  up  to  re- 
spect religion  and  attend  church.  From  twelve  to  eighteen  his 
time  was  chiefly  spent  in  a  store  with  his  father,  and  in  going 
up  and  down  the  Ohio  and  Kenawha  rivers  in  a  store  boat 
selling  goods.  Ardent  in  his  temperament,  he  entered  warmly 
into  the  pursuit  of  pleasure,  and  tried  every  scene  of  amuse- 
ment. When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  was  hopefully  con- 
verted. By  the  advice  of  Dr.  David  Nelson,  who  happened 
to  be  in  Charleston,  he  went  in  January,  1836,  to  Marion  Col- 
lege to  study  for  the  ministry.  In  the  latter  part  of  that 
year  he  left  for  Marietta  College,  Ohio,  where  he  remained 
until  August  I,  1840,  when  he  went  to  Lane  Seminary,  hav- 
ing, however,  first  spent  five  or  six  months  in  Oberlin.  In- 
April,  1842,  he  left  the  seminary  and  went  into  Missouri,, 
and  was  licensed,  June  25,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Lexington. 
He  labored  a  short  period  in  the  Platte  country  and  in 
Belleville,  111.,  and  then  went  to  Ohio,  was  married  August 
31,  1842,  and  returned  immediately  to  Belleville.  After  la- 
boring there  several  months  he  came  to  Upper  Alton,  April 
23,  1843.     In  October  next  ensuing  he  was  called  to  become 


MEETINGS  OF  PRESBYTERIES.  32/ 

their  pastor.  That  call  he  declined,  but  was  ordained  by- 
Alton  Presbytery,  sine  titido.  He  continued,  however,  to  labor 
in  Upper  Alton,  and  with  great  acceptance,  until  seized  with 
his  last  illness.  He  died  at  sunrise,  Sabbath  morning,  Sep- 
tember 15,  1844.  -^t  five  o'clock  p.  M  of  the  same  day  his 
remains  were  consigned  to  the  tomb.  On  the  next  Sabbath 
morning  his  funeral  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  A.  T. 
Norton  at  the  church  in  Upper  Alton.  Thus  passed  away, 
when  only  twenty-nine  years  and  ten  months  of  age,  this  min- 
ister of  ardent  piety,  flaming  zeal  and  high  promise. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Quincy,  being  their 
first  meeting  since  the  establishment  of  the  Synod  of  Peoria. 
Members  were  present  from  the  Presbyteries  of  Alton,  111., 
and  Schuyler.  The  attention  of  Synod  was  called  to  the  for- 
mation of  the  Western  College  Association,  and  to  their  ap- 
pointment of  Rev.  Theron  Baldwin  as  their  Corresponding 
Secretary.  Both  the  Association,  its  objects  and  their  ap- 
pointment of  Mr.  Baldwin  were  highly  commended. 

Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s.,  met  at  Macomb,  October  5, 
1843,  Members  were  present  from  four  Presbyteries  ;  none 
from  Kaskaskia  or  Palestine.  New  Albany  Theological 
Seminary  was  approved,  and  four  directors  from  this  Synod 
appointed. 


YEAR  1844. 

Illinois  Presbytery  met  at  Jacksonville,  April  11,  1844. 
Joseph  A.  Ranney  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Alton.  Robert  Kirkwood  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery 
of  Alton.  J.  H.  Buffington,  licentiate,  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Schuyler.  The  Exeter  church  was  received. 
At  a  called  meeting,  June  27,  1844,  Chauncy  Eddy  was  re- 
ceived and  arrangements  made  for  his  installation,  June  30. 
A  meeting  was  held  with  Spring  Creek   church,  August  22. 


Exeter  Church  was  organized  in  1844  with  fifteen  mem- 
bers, Samuel  Crawford,  elder.  It  had  but  a  very  brief  ex- 
istence. Its  name  appears  for  the  last  time  in  the  minutes  of 
1851. 


328  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Chauncy  Eddy  was  born  in  Connecticut  in  1796;  educated 
at  Williams  College,  Mass.,  and  at  Andover  Seminary,  where 
he  graduated  in  1 82 1.  Home  missionary  in  South  Carolina, 
1821-22.  Agent  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  in  Vermont  and  New  York, 
1822,  Ordained  May  i,  1824,  in  North  Carolina.  Home 
missionary  there  1824-26.  Supply  pastor  Presbyterian 
church,  Penn  Yan,  N.  Y.,  1827-30;  pastor  there  1830-31. 
Agent  Western  Education  Society,  1831-32.  Agent  A.  B. 
C.  F.  M.  for  Central  New  York,  1832-42.  Agent  N  Y.  Col- 
onization Society,  1843.  Pastor  First  Presbyterian  church, 
Jacksonville,  111.,  1844.  Pastor  at  Lanesboro,  Mass.,  1853-56. 
Died  at  Beloit,  Wts.,  Dec.  30,  i860,  aged  sixty-four. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  with  Gilead  church, 
Jefferson  county,  May  10,  1844.  A.  C.  Allen,  minister,  and 
John  Siddall,  elder,  were  appointed  to  the  Assembly.  Hope- 
well and  Bethany  churches  were  received.  Thomas  A.  Spil- 
man  was  dismissed  to  Sangamon  Presbytery.  The  Presby- 
tery reported  to  the  Assembly  eight  ministers,  one  licentiate 
and  twenty-six    churches.  The  fall  meeting  was 

held  at  Hillsboro,  Oct.  4. 


Hopewell  Church  was  organized  in  1844  by  James  Staf- 
ford with  ten  members.  John  Denny  and  one  other,  elders. 
Its  post-office  was  Greenville,  Bond  county.  It  was  dissolved 
by  Presbytery,  Oct.  8,  1847,  and  its  members  attached  to 
Greenville. 


Bethany,  afterwards  and  now  Staunton  church,  is  within 
one  mile  of  the  south  line  of  Macoupin  county,  T.  7,  R.  6, 
Sec.  32.  It  was  organized  under  the  name  of  BetJiany,  Nov. 
18,  1843,  with  eight  members,  viz:  James  F.  Spilman,  sr., 
James  F.  Spilman,  jr.,  Sarah  V.  Spilman,  Mary  Agnes  Spil- 
man, Wm.  B.  Higgins,  Elizabeth  R.  Higgins,  Charles  Fish- 
back  and  Mary  M.  Fishback.  Elders  :  James  F.  Spilman, 
sr.,  and  Charles  Fishback.  It  has  never  had  a  pastor,  and 
in  no  instance  has  its  minister  given  his  entire  time  to  this 
one  church.  The  ministers,  in  their  order,  have  been  these: 
E.  F.  Chester,  licentiate,  B.  F.  Spilman,  James  Stafford,  John 
S.  Howell,  P.  D.   Young.     From    1850  to    1866,  a  period  of 


STAUNTON    CHURCH.  329 

sixteen  years,  tlie  church  had  only  occasional  preaching. 
There  were  internal  difficulties  and  no  growth.  March  31, 
1866,  Rev.  R.  M.  Roberts  and  Elder  S.  A.  Paden  visited  the 
•church  and  succeeded  in  so  adjusting  matters  that  regular 
services  were  revived  and  an  era  of  encouraging  progress 
commenced.  The  next  minister  v/as  Wm.  P.  Teitsworth. 
John  S.  Howell,  J.  Scott  Davis  and  John  Huston  succeeded. 
C.  G.  Keown,  a  Cumberland  minister,  was  the  next  and  last. 
The  church   is  now — 1879 — vacant.  The   first 

house  of  worship  was  dedicated  Dec.  31,  1848.  The  second 
and  present  house  was  dedicated  May  25,  1872.  The 
lot  was  donated  by  Wm.  D.  Shirley,  This  edifice — a 
neat  frame — cost  ;^2,500.  Aid  in  building  was  received  from 
the  Board  of  Church  Erection.  The   elders,   be- 

sides the  first  two,  are  these  :  Hugh  Caldwell,  Henry  G. 
Caldwell,  David  Ferguson,  Wm.  McKitrick  and  John  Liv- 
ingston. The  rotary  eldership  system  was  adopted  April  22, 
1876.  The  records  do  not  show  when  the  name  was  changed 
from  Bethany  to  Staunton.  But  it  was  done,  either  by 
.authority  or  custom. 

Palestine  Presbytery,  n.  s.,  held  no  spring  meeting  in 
1844.  Its  fall  session  was  held  with  New  Providence  church, 
commencing  Sept.  6.  The  Shiloh  church,  having  changed 
to  "The  Trinity  Congregational  church"  requested  to  be 
received  on  the  plan  of  Union.     Their  request  was  granted. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  o.  s.,  met  at  Palestine, 
April  25,  1844.  Joseph  Piatt  was  received  from  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Transylvania.  J.  S.  Reasoner  was  dismissed  to 
the  Presbytery  of  Crawfordsville,  and  Isaac  Reed  to  that 
of  Madison.  The  church  of  Shelbyville  was  received. 
Isaac  Bennet,  minister,  and  Thomas  Buchanan,  elder,  were 
appointed  to  attend  the  Assembly.  Presbytery  expressed 
the  opinion  that  it  was  the  right  and  privilege  of  Ruling  Eld- 
ers to  lay  on  their  hands  in  the  ordination  of  ministers.  R. 
H.  Lilly  was  dismissed  from  the  pastoral  care  of  Mt.  Carmel 
church.  The  Fall  meeting  was  held  at  Paris,  commencing 
October  4. 

Joseph  Platt  was  born  in  Ireland;  graduated  at  Center 


PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 


College,  Ky.,  1834,  and  at  Princeton  Seminary  in  1837;. 
ordained,  sinetitulo,  Dec.  8,  1840;  pastor  of  Indiana  churchy 
near  Vincennes,  1855;  pastor  at  Farmington,  III,  in  1858; 
supply  pastor  in  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  Illinois,  North  Caro- 
lina, Sugar  Creek,  Ind.  Pastor  at  Bardolph,  Illinois  in  1875-8. 


Shelbyville  Church,  o.  s.,  organized  in  the  court  house,, 
July  31,  1843,  by  Revs.  Joseph  Piatt  and  J.  S.  Reasoner, 
with  twelve  members.  David  Ewing  and  James  Elder,  eld- 
ers. It  was  dissolved  April  2,  1852,  by  Presbytery  at  their 
session  in  Charlesten.  It  was  not  represented  in  Presbytery 
more  than  once  or  twice.  Rev.  Joseph  Piatt  was  the  only 
supply.  He  came  once  in  six  weeks  and  staid  for  four  or 
five  days  at  each  visit.  He  supplied  one  year.  The  records- 
are  lost. 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  met  at  Jacksonville,  April 
5,  1844.  David  D.  McKee,  minister,  and  S.  Q.  Reaugh,. 
elder,  were  appointed  to  the  Assembly  The  Presbytery 
reported  to  the  Assembly  five  ministers  and  ten  churches. 
The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Springfield,  commencing  Octo- 
ber 9.  Thomas  A.  Spilman  was  received  from  the  Presby- 
tery of  Kaskaskia,  and  D.  D.  McKee  dismissed  to  the  same.. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Marine,  April  4,  1844.. 
The  installation  of  Luke  Lyons,  as  pastor  of  Jerseyville 
church  took  place  Dec.  26,  1843.  Wm.  E.  Chittenden  was- 
licensed  April  5,  1844,  and  at  an  adjourned  meeting  at  Belle- 
ville, April  21,  1844,  ordained  pastor  of  that  church.  Plum^ 
Creek  church  was  received.  Joseph  A.  Ranney  was  dis- 
missed to  the  Presbytery  of  Illinois.  Robert  Kirkwood  was 
received  from  the  same  Presbytery.  The  report  to  Synod 
showed  fifteen  ministers,  sixteen  churches  and  1,152  mem- 
bers. Missionary  funds  raised  for  the  year,  eight  hundred 
and  twenty-four  dollars.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Jer- 
seyville, October  15.  George  Pyle  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Cincinnati,  and  ordained  Oct.  16.  William 
Fithian  was  received  from  Presbytery  of  Schuyler. 


PLUM    CREEK    CHURCH.  33 I 

Plum  Creek  Church  was  organized  Feb.  24,  1844,  by 
Revs.  Wm.  Chamberlin  and  Robert  Kirkwood,  with  twenty- 
one  members.  Robert  Kirkwood  was  installed  its  pastor^ 
June  9,  1844.  He  remained  about  two  years.  John  Gibson 
was  installed  Nov.  22,  1847.  ^^  remained  until  1853.  Then 
for  five  years  there  were  no  regular  services.  Josiah  Wood 
preached  one-half  the  time  from  1859  to  1863.  John  Gib- 
son was  their  minister  again  from  1864  to  1868.  Between 
1868,  and  1872,  there  were  several  different  ministers  for 
short  periods.  Martin  B.  Gregg  began  labor  here  June  5^ 
1872,  and  died  Aug.  i,  1873.  James  Scott  Davis  was  here 
from  1873,  to  June  6,  1875.  Alfred  W.  Wright,  from  Jan. 
1876    to  April,  1879 — three-fourths  of  his  time. 

The  congregation  worshiped  for  some  time  in  a  small  log 
school-house,  belonging  to  the  School  District.  The  church 
then  united  with  the  District  in  building  a  larger  house,  and 
held  it  in  common  for  church  and  school  purposes  till  June, 
1866.  Then  the  congregation  took  possession  of  the  brick 
building  they  now  occupy,  which  cost  from  ;^i,6oo  to  ^$1,800. 
It  stands  on  the  S.  W.  quarter  of  the  S.  W.  quarter 
of  Sec.  7,  T.  4,  R.  6,  W.  Elders:  John  Bicket,  Robert 
Crawford,  John  Kirkwood,  Robert  Kirkwood,  John  Smith, 
Wm.  B.  Crawford,  Matthew  Kirkwood,  Alex.  Dunlap,  James 
Allen,  Thomas  Gordon,  Wm.  H.  Ross,  Joseph  Smith.  In 
1876,  the  rotary  system  was  introduced.  The  P.  O.  address 
of  most  of  the  members  of  this  church  is  Sparta,  Randolph 
county. 


William  E.  Chittenden  was  born  in  Guilford,  Ct.,  July 
6,  1808.  He  was  educated  in  an  academy  in  Litchfield 
county,  Ct.  He  was  for  several  years  clerk  in  a  store  in 
Goshen,  Ct.  In  about  1827  he,  with  the  writer  and  a  few 
other  youths  in  that  place,  formed  a  praying  circle  which 
met  ne  evening  each  week.  He  was  in  Alton,  111.,  in 
1838.0  In  1839  he  was  in  Belleville,  and  was  one  of  the 
first  members  and  elders  of  that  church.  He  conducted 
their  meetings  whenever  they  were  without  a  minister,  and 
with  so  much  acceptance  that,  though  without  a  classical  ed- 
ucation, that  church  sought  his  licensure  and  ordaination 
over  them.  Presbytery  also  advised  this  course,  and  licensed 
and  ordained  him  as  above.  He  was  dismissed  from  that 
pastoral  charge,  October  18,  184S.     He  then   labored  for  a 


332  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

time  in  Cohocton  valley,  N.  Y.,  to  gather  a  scattered  church. 
He  soon,  however,  engaged  in  his  old  business,  and  became 
cashier  of  a  bank  in  Ohio.  While  thus  employed  in  the 
week,  he  preached  for  the  most  part  upon  the  Sabbath  to  a 
pastorless  church.  He  next  went  to  Holly  Springs  and  took 
charge  of  the  northern  bank  of  Mississippi.  There,  too,  he 
found  and  occupied  a  vacant  pulpit,  and  received  a  call  to 
become  pastor,  which  he  did  not  accept.  He  next  resided 
for  several  years  in  Canada,  and  ceased  entirely  from  pulpit 
labor.  On  account  of  his  long  absence  from  them,  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Chickasaw,  to  which  he  was  attached,  dropped  his 
name  from  their  list,  though  without  any  charge  of  wrong. 
For  nine  years  next  previous  to  1870,  he  resided  in  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  and  acted  as  elder  in  the  North  Presbyterian  church, 
the  pastor  having  full  knowledge  that  he  was  an  ordained 
minister.  While  measures  were  being  taken  for  his  re-con- 
necting with  Presbytery  he  removed  to  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  and 
was  there  in  1870,  constantly  acting  as  lay  preacher,  though 
engaged    in    secular  pursuits.  Mr.  C.  has  been 

three  times  married.  Mr.  C.  D.  Afflick,  of  St.  Louis,  is  his 
son-in-law. 


George  W.  Pyle  was  born  August  12,  18 13,  at  a  place 
called  the  Seven  Stars,  seven  miles  from  Philadelphia.  His 
father  was  a  Quaker.  His  mother  was  in  the  habit  of  taking 
her  son  away  alone  and  praying  with  him.  She  died  when 
George  was  about  twelve  years  of  age.  He  had  no  oppor- 
tunities of  early  education  at  all.  Some  time  after  his  moth- 
er's death,  he  was  sent  from  home  to  learn  the  trade  of  car- 
riage making.  During  his  apprenticeship  he  was  vain  and 
wild.  When  about  twenty  years  of  age,  he  left  Philadelphia 
with  four  other  young  men  for  North  Carolina,  intending 
there  to  work  at  his  trade.  While  passing  through  Virginia, 
the  stage  in  which  they  where  traveling  broke  down.  The 
landlord,  with  whom  they  staid  while  waiting  to  have  it 
repaired,  informed  them  there  was  a  camp-meeting  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  advised  them  to  attend,  saying  to  Mr. 
Pyle  in  particular,  that  he  hoped  he  would  become  a  Chris- 
tian. This  was  on  Monday.  The  young  men  went  to  the 
meeting.  Mr.  Pyle  was  awakened  by  the  first  sermon  he 
heard.  He  and  his  companions  continued  in  the  meeting  all 
the    week.     All  of   them    became  deeply   interested.       Mr. 


GEORGE    W.  PYLE.  333, 

Pyle's  convictions  amounted  to  agony.  Still  there  was  one 
thing  he  was  determined  not  to  do — he  would  not  go  forward 
to  be  prayed  for.  On  this  point  his  opposition  centered  for 
some  time.  At  length  he  yielded  it.  On  starting  to  go 
forward  he  lost  his  hat  in  the  crowd,  but  so  fearful  was  he 
that  his  present  resolution  would  fail,  if  he  turned  back  for  a. 
single  moment,  that  he  let  it  go  and  pressed  to  the  anxious 
seat.  He  there  prostrated  himself  before  God,  yielded  up 
his  heart  and  was  filled  with  joy  unspeakable. 
His  first  thought  after  this  change  was,  what  shall  I  do  for 
Christ?  The  answer  to  the  question  was  instantly  given.  I 
ivill  be  a  minister.  At  this  time  he  could  barely  read,  and 
that  was  all.  He  here  bought  the  first  book  he  ever  owned, 
"Janeway's  Token."  His  four  companions  were  also  con- 
verted, and  all  went  on  their  way  rejoicing.  In 
North  Carolina  he  made  a  public  profession  of  religion,  by 
joining  a  Presbyterian  church.  He  labored  at  his  trade,  and 
spent  his  Sabbaths  in  teaching  the  blacks  and  in  holding 
meetings.  While  there  he  heard  of  Jacksonville  College, 
probably  through  Rev.  Edward  HoUister,  who  was  then  in 
North  Carolina,  and  was  about  emigrating  to  this  State.  Mr. 
Pyle  came  on  with  him,  and  drove  one  of  his  teams. 

When  he  arrived  at  Jacksonville,  he  found  himself  among 
strangers  and  pennyless.  He  entered  the  preparatory  de- 
partment, and,  then  a  young  man  about-twenty-one  years  of 
age,  commenced  with  the  studies  of  a  little  boy,  and  as  he 
said  himself,  with  a  dull,  heavy  mind.  His  food  was 
coarse,  his  bed  a  blanket.  His  expenses  were  defrayed 
principally  by  working  at  his  trade.  After  spend- 

ing two  years  in  the  preparatory  department,  he  entered  col- 
lege, where  after  four  years  of  successful  study  he  graduated 
witli  honor.  His  room  in  college  was  over  the  study  of  Pres- 
ident Beecher.  He  has  stated,  that  when  his  heart  was 
almost  ready  to  fail,  he  has  felt  his  courage  revive  by  hearing 
the  prayers  of  that  godly  man.  From  Jackson- 

ville he  went,  immediately  after  graduating,  to  Lane  Semin- 
ary to  prosecute  his  theological  studies.  At  the  close  of  two 
years  he  was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  by  the  Cincinnati 
Presbytery.  For  eight  months  subsequently  to  this  he  con- 
tinued in  Lane  Seminary,  supplying,  during  three  months  of 
that  period,  the  church  in  Reading,  eight  miles  distant.  That 
church  were  anxious  to  retain  him,  but  he  had  consecrated 
himself  to    Illinois.     In  the  spring  and   summer  of   1843   ^^ 


334  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

preached  four  months  in  Springfield,  111.,  supplying  Mr. 
Hale's  pulpit  during  his  absence.  Subsequently  he  traveled 
through  some  portion  of  Southern  Illinois  and  visited  Alton. 
From  thence  he  went,  in  September,  to  Peoria,  where  he  con- 
•cluded  to  remain.  On  the  first  of  November  following,  he 
jnarried  Miss  Mary  G.  Wilson,  of  Reading,  Ohio.  He  re- 
mained in  Peoria  one  year,  preaching  the  gospel  faithfully 
amidst  many  discouragements.  He  came  to  Mon- 

ticello,  Madison  county.  111.,  in  September,  1844,  ^^^  for  ^'^^ 
year  and  four  months  ministered  to  that  church,  and  acted  as 
■chaplain  to  the  sern.inary.  He  died  at  his  room  in  the  sem- 
inary building,  January  22,  1846,  after  a  sickness  of  only 
■seven  days.  He  left  one  little  son,  Theodore.  Soon  after 
his  death  ten  or  twelve  young  ladies,  members  of  the  semin- 
ary, publicly  confessed  Christ,  most  of  whom  referred  their 
first  impressions  to  Mr.  Pyle's  last  sermon  and  his  death-bed 
.exhortations. 


William  Fithian  was  born  December  11,  18 14,  at  Bridge- 
water,  N.  Y.  He  was  educated  at  Delaware  College  and 
Princeton  Seminary.  He  was  ordained  April  16,  1842,  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Schuyler.  He  joined  Alton  Presby- 
tery April  17,  1844,  and  was  dismissed  from  it  April  5,  1845. 
He  labored  during  that  year  with  Bunker  Hill  church,  111. 
He  was  at  Pembroke,  N.  Y.,  in  1855-57.  His  address  in 
1870  was  St.  Louis,  Mo. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Jerseyville,  October 
17,  1844.  Members  were  present  from  the  Presbyteries  of 
Illinois,  Schuyler  and  Alton.  None  from  Palestine.  In 
view  of  the  great  importance  of  Sabbath-schools,  and  Bi- 
ble classes,  Synod  earnestly  recommended  that  they  take  the 
place  of  one  of  the  ordinary  exercises  of  the  Sabbath  where 
they  cannot  otherwise  be  held.  The  Synod  of 

Illinois,  o.  s.,  met  at  Springfield,  October  10.  Members 
-were  present  from  five  Presbyteries.  Nothing  was  done  aside 
from  the  usual  routine  business. 

YEAR   1845. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  Springfield,  April  10, 


CHARLES    B.  BARTON.  335 

t845.  William  Fithian  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
-Alton,  and  L.  S.  Williams  dismissed  to  the  same.  J.  H. 
Buffington  proffered  the  surrender  of  his  license.  The  prof- 
fer was  accepted.  Bilious  Pond  was  continued  as  Presbyte- 
rial  missionary.  This  Presbytery  also  recommended  that 
Sabbath-schools  and  Bible  classes  take  the  place  of  one  of 
the  ordinary  Sabbath  services  when  their  object  cannot  be 
•otherwise  attained.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at 

Winchester,  Sept.  ii.  Also  an  adjourned  meeting  at  Spring- 
field, October  i6.  Charles  B.  Barton  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Knox. 


Charles  Backus  Barton  was  born  at  Fitchburg,  Mass., 
'Sept.  I,  1810.  I  give  the  following  interesting  sketch  of 
.him  and  his  father  in  his  own  words. 

"  In  connection  with  the  biographical  sketch  solicited  for 
'this  volume,  it  is  fitting  to  furnish  some  account  of  my  fath- 
er's life  and  work.  Though  he  did  not  labor  in  this  field  as 
•a  Christian  minister,  yet  he  entered  it  for  that  purpose,  but 
was  immediately  called  to  the  higher  service  of  the  Master; 
and  was  probably  the  first  Presbyterian  minister  who  died  in 
111.  Rev.  Titus  Theodore  Barton,  was  the  son  of  David 
Barton,  of  Granby,  Mass.,  and  was  born  Feb.  17,  1766.  He 
became  a  soldier  in  the  revolutionary  war  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen, serving  until  the  close  of  the  war;  was  in  several 
important  battles,  and  came  near  losing  his  life  at  one  time 
by  starvation  ;  at  another,  while  on  guard,  a  spy  attacked 
him  with  bayonet  in  hand.  The  boy  felled  him  at  his  feet ; 
the  weapon  in  the  hand  of  the  falling  victim  pierced  through 
the  thick  flesh  of  his  leg,  and  he  drew  it  forth,  bound  up  the 
wound  with  his  handkerchief,  and  remained  at  his  post  until 
morning,  rather  than  report  himself  wounded  and  obtain 
relief  His  stories  of  hairbreadth  escapes,  hard- 

ships and  heroism,  in  these  three  years  of  soldier  life,  while 
himself  but  a  boy,  left  a  deep  impression  on  my  early  mem- 
ory. He  graduated  at  Dartmouth,  in  1790. 
.Studied  divinity  with  Dr.  Charles  Backus;  also  studied 
medicine  and  obtained  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  but  his  life  was 
chiefly  devoted  to  the  ministry.  He  was  settled  over  the 
"  Church  of  Christ  in  Tewksbury,"  in  1792.  In  1794,  was 
tnarricd  to  Mrs.  Ruth  Wood,  widow  of  Rev.  Jacob  VVood, 
of  Newbury,  Vermont,  and   the  daughter  of  Stephen  Huse, 


330  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

of  Methuen,  Mass.  A  curious  document  is  in  my  possession 
of  her  first  husband's — his  call  to  the  pastoral  care  of  the 
town  and  church  of  Cambridge,  bearing  date  Sept.  i8,  1786. 
After  mentioning  the  call  of  the  church,  the  notice  thereof 
to  the  town,  and  its  concurrence  therein,  the  town  clerk  fills 
out  the  call  thus.  "  And  by  way  of  encouragement  to  his 
taking  the  pastoral  charge  over  them,  ( the  church  and 
town)  have  voted  him  the  following  settlement  and  salary, 
viz.:  For  his  settlement  he  shall  have  tw  j  hundred  acres  of 
land,  one  hundred  acres  lying  in  first  division,  lot  number 
twenty-seven  ;  the  other  anywhere  in  town,  provided  it  be 
a  good  settleable-dot.  Also  to  give  one  hundred  pounds 
toward  building  him  a  house,  to  be  paid  in  labor  and  mater- 
ials by  the  tenth  of  Nov.,  1787.  For  hissak.ry  he  shall  have 
forty  pounds  the  first  year,  to  rise  five  pounds  a  year  until  it 
amounts  to  eighty.  The  salary  is  to  be  estimated  on  silver 
at  six  and  eight  pence  per  ounce.  Also  fifty  cords  of  wood 
annually  to  be  drawn  to  his  door  and  cut  suitable  for  his 
fire-places.  John  Fapot,  Town  Clerk." 

This  is  a  rather  more  liberal  outfit  than  the  early  minis- 
ters of  Illinois  received.  My  father  was  dis- 
missed from  his  first  charge  in  1 803,  and  in  1804,  was 
installed  over  the  church  of  Christ,  in  Fitchburg.  In  the 
fall  of  18 17,  he  removed  to  West  Tennessee,  with  a  family 
of  nine  children,  of  whom  I  was  the  youngest,  being  seven 
years  old  the  first  day  of  September,  of  that  year.  After 
spending  ten  years  there,  he  decided  to  remove  to  Jackson- 
ville, III.,  with  most  of  his  children.  But  he  died  suddenly 
with  disease  of  the  heart  two  days  after  entering  the  State. 
Rev.  Richard  Tolman,  one  of  his  successors  at 
Tewksbury,  in  an  historical  address  of  1858,  says  of  him:. 
"  His  stalwart  frame  fitly  symbolized  his  energetic  mind,  a 
mind  that  could  seize  a  subject  with  a  firm  grasp,  and  handle 
it  like  a  master.  He  was  strong,  too,  emotionally.. 
A  powerful  heart  throbbed  within  that  massive  frame, 
prompting  him  to  do  that  which  he  undertook  with  all  his. 
might,  whoever  or  whatever  might  oppose.  Hence,  he  could 
not  bear  the  former  half-way  covenant,  by  which  confessedly 
unconverted  persons  were  admitted  to  the  church,  and  thus 
the  grand  distinction  between  the  church  and  the  world  in  a 
great  measure  destroyed.  There  was  no  half-way  with  him 
about  anything,  especially  in  matters  of  such  transcendent 
importance  as  those  pertaining  to  the  church.     Accordingly,. 


CHARLES    B.  BARTON.  33/ 

in  his  endeavors  to  bring  up  the  church  here,  from  the  laxity 
of  the  half-way  covenant  to  what  he  supposed  was  the  true 
scriptural  platform  ;  he  did  not  mince  matters  at  all,  but  threw 
his  whole  soul  into  the  work,  notwithstanding  the  warmth 
with  which  he  was  opposed,  and  all  the  trials  which  it  cost 
him.  So,  too,  while  pastor  of  the  church  in  Fitchburg,  dur- 
ing the  war  of  1812,  when  there  was  a  division  between 
Federalists  and  Republicans,  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  urge  his 
people  to  sustain  the  government  in  their  resistance  to  the 
usurpations  of  the  British  crown,  and  he  therefore  determined, 
as  he  tells  us,  whether  his  people  would  hear  him  or  not,  he 
must  declare  the  truth,  and  trust  the  event.  And  he  did 
declare  it,  without  anything  like  a  craven  heart,  or  mealy 
mouth  ;  though  it  kindled  up  against  him  an  enmity  of  the 
fiercest  character."  A  few  quotations  from  his  "  Fast  ser- 
mon" preached  at  Fitchburg,  July  23,  18 12,  lifts  the  curtain 
from  the  past,  and  brings  before  us  the  throbbing 
hearts,  and  kindling  eyes,  and  fiery  words  of  rebellion  and 
loyalty  in  that  historic  crisis.  In  that  sermon  he  says, 
"Our  government  it  is  believed  has  made  every  possi- 
ble experiment  at  negotiation.  There  was  no  alterna- 
tive. War  with  England,  or  servile  submission  to  her, 
were  the  only  objects  before  it.  Of  these  two  objects 
the  government  chose  war,  and  have  declared  it  against 
England  and  her  dependencies.  No  sooner  was  the 
declaration  heard,  than  the  enemies  of  the  government 
through  the  nation  rally  in  their  strength,  and  set  themselves 
in  the  most  violent  opposition.  Were  what  is  now  talked 
against  the  government  and  its  supporters  carried  into  ac- 
tion, the  land  must  be  stained  with  the  blood  of  its  inhabi- 
tants. Brother  with  brother,  father  with  son,  and  son  with 
father,  would  join  in  the  horrid  battle.  It  was  thought  some 
months  ago  that  if  government  should  declare  war,  the  di- 
vision would  be  apparently  healed,  and  there  have  been  some 
noble  examples  of  this  nature.  Would  all  do  likewise,  the 
war  would  be  short,  little  blood  would  be  shed,  and  we  might 
shortly  have  peace  on  just  and  equitable  terms.  But  if  the 
nation  must  be  divided  against  itself,  it  needs  no  uncommon 
sagacity  to  see  that  ruin  is  not  far  distant.  The  administra- 
tion after  weighing  the  consequences  have  taken  their  stand. 
Their  supporters  are  numerous,  and  will  not  in  the  hour  of 
danger  abandon  the  government."  In  his  "apol- 

ogy" for  publishing  this  sermon,  he  regrets  exceedingly  the 

21 


338  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS, 

necessity  which  compels  him  to  differ  from  "so  large  a  pro- 
portion of  his  ministerial  brethren — men  of  great  talents,  and 
eminent  for  their  piety,"  with  whom  he  "  has  had  the  most 
cordial,  brotherly  fellowship."  He  suggests  that  some  of 
his  excited  hearers,  by  taking  the  subject  to  their  closets, 
might  abate  their  opposition,  and  closes  by  saying — "  Many 
sermons  in  the  past  ten  years  have  been  printed  apparently 
to  stir  up  opposition  to  the  government,  and  few  or  none  to 
excite  the  people  to  confide  in  and  support  their  rulers." 

Though  it  was  said  of  him  at  the  time  that  "  his  gun  did 
more  execution  a^the  breach  than  at  the  muzzle"  (unsettling 
him  in  both  instances),  yet  he  lived  to  see  the  success  of  his 
own  opinions  both  in  the  Church  and  in  State ;  and  he 
must  have  been  happy  in  the  consciousness  of  having  fought 
and  suffered  heroically  for  them.  Mr.  Tolman  in  1S5S  says: 
"  Of  the  four  hundred  and  eighty  Congregational  churches 
in  Massachusetts,  I  do  not  know  of  one  but  has  abolished  the 
half-way  covenant,  and  stands  upon  the  very  platform  to 
which  he  tried  to  bring  the  church  of  Tewksbury  sixty  years 
ago."  The  journey  from  Massachusetts  to  Ten- 

nessee occupied  seventy-three  days,  full  of  hardships  and 
peril,  exhausting  all  of  my  father's  means.  His  anticipa- 
tions regarding  the  new  home  were  bitterly  disappointed. 
But  he  was  compelled  to  remain  with  all  his  family. 

The  ten  years  there  were  full  of  care,  toil  and  privation. 
He  labored  on  the  farm,  felled  the  forest,  split  rails  (two  hun- 
dred the  day  he  was  sixty  years  old),  planted  orchards  and 
vineyards,  worked  in  the  shop  at  coopering  and  cabinet-mak- 
ing, preached  almost  every  Sabbath  with  little  remuneiation, 
often  riding  forty  miles  a  day  on  horseback  to  reach  appoint- 
ments; practiced  medicine  quite  extensively  among  the 
poor,  and  wrought  with  his  pen,  during  what  leisure  he  could 
command,  against  the  errors  in  belief  and  practice  with  which 
he  came  in  contact.  He  was  a  member  of  Shiloh 

Presbytery  at  the  same  time  with  Dr.  Blackburn  and  a  part  of 
the  time  served  as   its  missionary.  But  his   ex- 

hausting labors  were  fast  consuming  his  energies ;  and  with 
the  determination  to  remove  as  many  of  his  children  as  pos- 
sible from  the  influence  of  slavery,  and  with  a  hope  to  devote 
himself  exclusivey  to  the  work  of  the  ministry;  he  decided 
to  remove  to  Jacksonville,  111.  The  journey  was  half  accom- 
plished when  we  reached  the  Ohio  river.  While  we  were 
ferrying  over,   a  sound   which  had    been  ringing  in  his  ear 


CHARLES    B.  BARTON.  339 

wherever  he  had  traveled  for  ten  years  past,  pierced  his  sen- 
sitive heart  for  the  last  time.  The  poor  slave's  fruitless  cry 
for  mercy  under  the  driver's  lash,  was  borne  over  the  waves 
from  the  Kentucky  shore.  The  note  of  anguish  died  on  the 
air  and  we  trod  the  soil  of  freedom  once  more. 
Two  of  his  married  daughters  were  left  behind,  caught  in  the 
meshes  of  slavery.  How  would  that  dear  father  have  felt, 
could  he  have  foreseen  that,  from  that  hour  a  widening  gulf 
•would  open  between  his  children,  through  which,  eventually 
the  crimson  tide  of  civil  war  would  flow  !  But  his  release 
from  the  burdens  and  sorrows  of  earth  was  now  very  near. 
We  rested  two  days  on  this  side  of  the  river, 
and  on  the  third  morning,  he  rose  at  daybreak,  apparently  in 
usual  health,  and  spoke  cheerfully  of  starting  again  on  the 
journey ;  but  in  an  instant  fell  speechless,  and  in  a  few 
moments  life  was  extmct.  In  that   sparsely  set- 

tled region  we  were  obliged  to  send  eighteen  miles  to  pro- 
cure the  services  of  a  minister  of  another  denomination  for 
the  funeral.  We  buried  him  on  the  bank  of  the  beautiful 
Ohio,  two  miles  below  Ford's  Ferry.  (This  ferry  is  on  the 
Ohio  twenty-five  miles  South  of  Equality,  on  the  great  road 
from  the  south  part  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  to  Illinois 
and  Missouri.) 

The  widow  and  her  children  resumed  their  mournful  jour- 
ney, passing  over  sea-like  prairies  which  stretch  onward  from 
ten  to  twenty  miles  without  human  habitation. 
We  found  Jacksonville  a  collection  of  twenty-five  or  thirty 
dwellings,  chiefly  log  cabins,  two  or  three  stores,  and  a  whiskey 
tavern.  A  rude  log  school-house  served  as  a  sanctuary  for 
all  denominations  ;  where  three  and  a  half  years  after,  April, 
1830,  Rev.  John  M.  Ellis,  was  installed  pastor  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  A  strong  prejudice  was  excited 
against  this  noble  man,  to  whose  indefatigable  labors,  Jack- 
sonville is  much  indebted  for  its  wealth  and  culture,  by 
reports  he  gave  at  the  East  of  the  want  of  an  educated  min- 
istry at  the  West.  That  his  statements  were  well  founded, 
let  a  few  facts  testify.  On  one  occasion  I  heard  a  traveling 
preacher  in  a  log  house,  standing  on  the  identical  spot  of 
ground  where  Illinois  College  is  built,  and  which  was  soon 
after  purchased  by  Mr.  E.  as  a  location  for  this  institution, 
who  informed  his  hearers  that  the  Bible  \YdiS  so  named  because 
it  was  a  guide  to  heaven.  "  By,"  he  said,  "  means  a  way  or 
path ;  as  we  say  a  by-path.     Bill  means  a  writing  of  instruc- 


340  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

tion  to  guide  men.  So  you  see,  my  brethren,  these  two 
words  have  been  put  together  and  we  have  this  By-bill,  our 
guide  to  heaven."  At  another  time  I  heard  a  Fourth-of- 
July  sermon  in  the  Jacksonville  court  house.  The  speaker 
labored  hard  to  impress  his  hearers  with  the  great  obliga- 
tions of  free  citizenship.  Like  other  would-be  orators  he 
felt  the  need  of  some  high-sounding  sentence  on  which  to 
ring  the  changes  and  round  out  his  periods,  so  he  adopted 
this  significant  one :  "  Consider,  then,  your  great  privileges 
and  responsibilities  O  ye  Libertines  of  America  !  " 

A  young  minister  told  me  of  his  various  calls  to  preach. 
Among  these  he-'felated  that  one  night  a  ball  of  fire  rolled 
along  the  floor  through  his  room,  which  he  regarded  as  God's 
voice  or  vision  calling  him  to  the  work  of  the  ministry. 

I  was  frequently  asked  what  call  I  had  received  directly 
from  God,  implying  that  I  ought  to  have  heard  a  voice, 
seen  a  vision,  or  dreamed  a  dream,  or  had  some  other 
strange  manifestation.  The  young  minister  who  saw  the 
ball  of  fire  said  in  a  sermon,  that  the  enjoyments  of  heaven 
would  be  like  what  he  experienced  when  a  boy  in  his 
"  father's  peach  orchard,"  where  he  to  used  to  eat  his  Jill 
of  peaches  and  then  "  roll  down  the  grapy  hilly  Another  time 
he  said  (to  show  the  insignificance  of  the  greatest  of  men) : 
"  Take  the  greatest  potentate  on  earth,  and  the  wildest  back- 
wood's  angel  who  ranges  the  outskirts  of  heaven,  and  they 
coiddnt  hitch  horses  together." 

Ministers  frequently  boasted  that  they  "  never  rubbed  their 
backs  against  a  college  wall."  And  I  aver  that  such  men 
stood  well  in  the  denomination  to  which  they  belonged. 
But  to-day  some  of  their  descendents  are  among  our  cul- 
tured citizens,  and  owe  their  distinction  in  a  great  measure 
to  the  institutions  their  fathers  opposed.  For  our  first  house 
( as  there  were  none  to  rent),  I  went  to  the  forest,  cut  logs, 
split  and  hewed  puncheons  for  the  floor,  rived  boards  for 
the  roof,  built  mud  jams  for  fire-places,  with  mud  and  stick 
chimney,  not  spending  five  dollars  for  doors,  windows,  nails, 
hinges,  etc.  It  was  a  happy  home  wanting  only  the  lost 
one.  My   new  responsibilites  and    relations,  my 

great  loss  united  with  the  interest  shown  in  my  behalf  by 
Christian  friends,  were  calculated  to  lead  me  to  adopt  higher 
aims  in  life  than  ever  before.  Ten  of  the  most  important 
and  impressible  years  of  life  had  been  spent  under  the  dark 
shadow  of  slavery;  and  I  have  since  contemplated  the  situa- 


CHARLES    B.  BARTON.  34I 

tion  With  amazement  and  gratitude  that  I  did  not  goto  utter 
ruin.  In  these  years  I  had  only  six  months'  schoohng  out- 
side our  family.  I  am  especially  indebted  to  Revs.  J.  M. 
Ellis  and  J.  M.  Sturtevant,  for  their  interest  in  my  behalf. 
They  had  much  to  do  with  my  coming  into  the  church  ; 
deciding  to  obtain  an. education,  and  devoting  my  life  to  the 
ministry.  Of  my  religious  experience  I  can  only  say  that 
by  the  bad  teaching  of  good  men,  I  went  through  the  then 
usual  ordeal  of  a  long  painful  seeking,  resuking  in  a  night 
of  agony,  when  I  concluded  religion  was  not  in  findmg 
something  but  doing  something.  The  requirements  of  the 
Bible  commended  themselves  to  my  understanding  and  con- 
science.    I  resolved  to  obey  and  trust  God. 

On  the  first  Monday  in  January,  1830,  the  preparatory  de- 
partment of  Illinois  College  opened  under  the  instruction  of 
Rev.  J.  M.  Sturtevant.  This  was  an  eventful  period  in  the 
history  of  Illinois.  It  was  the  consummation  of  the  heroic, 
self-sacrificing,  far-seeing  labors  of  J.  M.  Ellis  and  his  noble 
coadjutors  east  and  west,  and  the  birth  of  collegiate  educa- 
tion here,  in  connection  with  its  twin  brother,  Rock  Spring 
Seminary,  now  developed  into  Shurtleff  College  in  Alton. 

I  was  one  of  the  seven  students  in  whose  pres- 
ence our  instructor  solemnly  consecrated  to  God  the  institu- 
tion whose  walls  have  echoed  his  voice  from  that  day  to  the 
present  hour.  Six  pleasant  years,  which  memory 

often  reproduces  both  in  waking  and  sleeping  hours,  passed 
in  preparatory  and  collegiate  studies.  Several  religious 
awakenings  occurred  during  the  course  in  which  nearly  every 
student  was  hopefully  converted ;  among  them  some  highly 
gifted  men  who  have  since  filled  important  positions  in  the 
Church,  in  educational  institutions,  and  civil  and  political  life. 
Our  class,  four  in  number,  graduated  in  1836. 
The  early  students  of  this  college  may  have  suffered  some- 
what for  want  of  the  facilities  furnished  by  older  institutions. 
But  we  cannot  believe  it  possible  to  have  manned  this  infant 
college  with  a  better  corps  of  instructors  than  its  president 
and  faculty. 

Soon  after  graduating  I  entered  into  a  co-partnership  with 
an  esteemed  friend  with  whom  I  had  long  been  acquainted. 
This  relation  has  continued  forty-two  years  and  bids  fair  to 
continue  to  the  end.  Our  first  united  labors  were  in  teach- 
ing, in  which  my  companion  in  this  tribulation  was  far  more 
successful  than  myself.     Our  school  system  was  tken  very 


342         ■  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS, 

imperfect,  and  often  in  the  hands  of  men  who  needed  greatl7 
to  be  taught.  In  one  place  I  procured  from  the  proper  offi- 
cer a  certificate  setting  forth  the  holder's  capability  of  teach- 
ing the  English  branches  of  a  common  school,  the  higher 
mathematics  and  the  Greek  and  Latin  languages,  who.  could 
not  write  his  own   name!  In  the  fall  of  1840  I 

was  licensed  by  the  Illinois  Presbytery,  N.  S.  This  event 
fulfilled  a  long  cherished  desire  of  my  mother,  which  had 
been  disappointed  by  the  chosen  life-work  of  two  other  sons. 
For  twelve  years  she  was  spared  to  afford  me  her  hints,  coun- 
sels and  prayers.  She  knew  well  what  the  work  of  the  min- 
istry included,  since  two  of  her  brothers,  as  well  as  both  her 
husbands,  had  filled  that  office.  At  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-four,  after  twenty-five  years'  of  widowhood,  she  went 
to  rest  honored  and  beloved  by  all  who  knew  her,  leaving  de- 
scendants as  numerous  as  her  years.  I  went  to 
my  first  charge  in  the  western  part  of  Peoria  county  in  rail 
cars  drawn  by  mules  from  Jacksonville  to  Meredosia,  and 
thence  up  the  river  to  Peoria.  From  thence  to  Newburgh — 
my  new  home — in  a  buggy  furnished  by  Moses  Pettengill, 
Esq.,  whose  friendship  and  aid,  with  those  of  his  first  wife, 
were  highly  valued  in  after  years.  Our  housekeeping  com- 
menced there  in  a  small  unplastered  tenement,  having  a 
loose-floored  loft  entered  by  a  ladder.  Here  we  fared  sump- 
tuously, entertained  distinguished  guests  and  many  friends. 
Wife  did  the  cooking  by  an  open  fire,  and  when  the  hearth 
was  all  occupied  by  gentlemen's  legs,  their  owners  gallantly 
aided  by  placing  the  skillet  and  coffee-pot  on  the  coals,  and 
returning  them  when  ready  for  the  table,  around  which  we 
merrily  gathered,  some  on  boxes  and  kegs — chairs  being  a 
scarce  commodity.  A  neighboring  minister  on  one  of  these 
occasions  proposed  to  send  us  some  of  his  chairs,  as  he  owned 
six,  and  was  obliged  to  stow  three  of  them  in  the  loft  for 
want  of  room  in  his  cabin.  A  Congregational 
church  of  some  thirty  members  was  organized  soon  after  my 
arrival,  and  in  June,  1841, 1  was  ordained  as  its  pastor  by  Knox 
Presbytery,  with  which  I  had  united.  I  preached  occasion- 
ally at  Brimfield,  where  a  flourishing  church  afterward  grew 
up.  My  labors  here  continued  four  years,  during  which  the 
church  doubled  in  numbers,  and  many  of  the  friends  among 
them  will  ever  be  cherished  in  our  memory.  Newburg  with 
its  church  was  afterwards  absorbed  in  the  rising  town  of  Elm- 
wood,  near  by.                      In  the  fall  of  1 845  I  was  requested  to 


CHARLES    B.  BARTON.  343 

visit  the  Congregational  churches  of  Bunker  Hill  and  Wood- 
burn,  but  through  the  mismanagement  of  committees  on  sup- 
ply, I  met  a  rival  candidate  there.  He  thought  it  wise  to  draw 
denominational  lines  sharply.  I  thought  otherwise,  and  left 
the  field  to  him,  and  at  once  proceeded  to  Bethel,  Bond 
county.  This  mother  church,  whose  children  have  migrated 
in  many  directions  and  become  the  elders  and  ministers  of 
many  others  churches,  will,  doubtless,  be  described  in  another 
place.     I   labored   there    nearly  two   years.  At 

the  solicitation  of  Rev.  Wm.  Kirby,  then  agent  of  the  Home 
]\Iissionary  Society,  I  took  charge  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Farmington,  Sangamon  county,  in  the  summer  of 
1847.  This  church  contained  men  and  women  of  decided 
intelligence  and  independent  character;  but  some  serious  dis- 
agreements had  hindered  its  progress  in  preceding  years.  It  is 
written,  "  One  sinner  destroyeth  much  good."  How  true  is 
this  if  the  sinner  be  a  saint  of  the  first  water !  By  the  bless- 
ings of  the  Lord  their  divisions  were  so  far  healed  as  to 
bring  them  into  harmony,  and  the  church  grew  and  pros- 
pered during  the  four  years  of  my  labors  there.  At  the  end 
of  this  period  it  became  evident  that  if  I  remained  longer,  I 
must  do  it  in  opposition  to  the  will  of  the  strongest  man  in 
the  church.  He  was  greatly  given  to  change,  and  unreason- 
ably exacting,  yet  possessing  qualities  and  qualifications 
that  rendered  him  deservedly  esteemed,  so  that  the  general 
feeling  was,  that  it  was  "  best  to  let  Uncle  John  have  his 
way."  Believing,  as  I  then  did,  that  entire  harmony  between 
so  prominent  a  member  and  the  minister  was  indispensable 
to  the  prosperity  of  the  church,  I  decided  to  leave.  But 
this  step  I,  with  most  of  the  church,  had  reason  to  regret, 
for  the  result  was  the  opening  afresh  the  wounds  that  had 
been  closed,  and  the  formation  of  another  church. 

I  spent  one  year  in  Jacksonville,  in  labors  of  which  I 
am  now  enjoying  the  fruit;  and  the  next  in  unavailing  efforts 
to  resuscitate  the  Presbyterian  church  in  INIanchester.  The 
town  then  afforded  only  a  miserable  school-house  for  the  use 
of  all  denominations.  It  was  built  on  wooden  pillars,  high 
enough  to  accommodate  all  the  swine  of  the  village  under 
the  floor,  if  they  arranged  themselves  judiciously.  The  ser- 
vice and  song  were  assisted  by  the  shrill  alto  and  the  deep 
bass  of  the  occupants  beneath,  and  fleas  and  ill-behaved 
youngsters  added  to  the  interesting  variety.  Determined 
not  to   continue  the   partnership   with  the  pigs,  I  took  the 


344  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

liberty  to  stop  them  out,  and  was  reproved  for  depriving 
their  owners  of  a  convenience  to  which  the  public  were  en- 
titled !  I  was  not  much  aided  by  the  ministers  who  shared 
these  accomodations  with  me,  one  of  whom  held  forth  from 
a  text  which  he  said  could  be  found  in  one  of  the  epistles  of 
*'  General  Peters  This    church  contained    some 

very  estimable  families,  and  there  was  a  time  when  they 
might  have  erected  such  a  house  of  worship  as  would  allow 
to  their  children  a  thorough  religious  training,  but  neglect- 
ing their  opportunity,  they  prepared  the  way  for  the  weak- 
ness and  decay  which  followed.  In  the  fall  of 
1853, 1  went  to  set^O-'e  the  Congregational  churches  of  Bunker 
Hill  and  Woodburn.  The  former  village  was  in  many 
respects  the  most  desirable  for  a  residence,  but  from  events 
which  had  previovsly  occured,  I  felt  under  obligation  to 
make  my  home  in  Woodburn. 

In  Bunker  Hill,  serious  difficulties  were  healed,  and  mem- 
bers which  had  been  too  hastily  thrust  out  were  penitently 
invited  to  return,  and  resume  their  places  in  the  church. 
Hopeful  conversions  also  swelled  their  numbers,  and  at  the 
end  of  two  and  a  half  years,  it  seemed  best  that  each  of 
these  churches  should  have  the  exclusive  service  of  a  minis- 
ter. I  remained  in  Woodburn  which  had  also  been  blest 
and  strengthened,  and  bonds  of  strong  affection  formed  ;  and 
no  lapse  of  time  or  change  of  relation  can  release  me  from 
obligations  which  the  sympathy  and  loving  aid  of  friends 
there  had  then  imposed  on  me.  The  Woodburn  church 
knew  me  to  be  decidedly  opposed  to  slavery,  and  I  knew 
that  two  influential  families  in  it  were  from  the  South,  and  had 
a  pecuniary  interest  in  the  institution.  But  having  great 
confidence  in  these  brethren,  I  trusted  that  the  advancing 
spirit  of  the  age  and  increasing  personal  devotion  to  Christ 
would  carry  us  peacefully  through  the  crisis.  But  the  event 
shewed  that  preaching  against  sin  is  no  smoother  work  now, 
than  in  the  days  of  our  fathers. 

Contending  against  sin  in  the  abstract,  or  sin  that  has 
been  conquered,  is  very  safe  and  reputable ;  but  grappling 
with  a  living  sin,  with  its  teeth  in  it,  is  quite  another  thing. 
After  some  five  years  of  peaceful  work,  circumstances 
brought  the  question  of  the  right  of  property  in  human  beings 
into  a  shape  in  which  a  decided  stand  must  be  taken.  The 
result  was,  that  the  brethren  from  the  South  turned  against 
me  and  desired  my  removal.  I  did  not,  however,  feel  obliged 


CHARLES    B.  BARTON.  345 

to  uproot  all  the  fibres  of  influence  which  had  been  years  in 
growing,  because  a  few  friends  had  become  alienated  from 
me,  painful  as  that  fact  was.  I  remembered  Farmington. 
These  brethren  submitted  to  the  will  of  the  majority,  and 
confined  their  opposition  to  an  annual  attempt  to  dissolve 
my  connection  with  the  church.  After  this  state  of  things 
had  continued  five  years  longer,  I  resigned  my  charge.  The 
church  had  now  grown  from  the  weakest  to  the  largest  and 
most  influential  in  the  village,  and  I  hoped  that,  uniting 
upon  a  new  minister,  they  might  go  on  prosperously.  At 
the  request  of  the  church,  I  recommended  my  successor,  a 
fine  scholar,  a  good  preacher,  and  I  then  supposed  a  man  of 
kind  and  Christian  spirit. 

My  home  and  means  of  support  were  in  Woodburn,  and 
I  needed  rest  after  twenty  years  of  labor.  I  hoped  that  my 
resignation  had  satisfied  my  opponents,  and  I  exerted  my- 
self to  make  my  successor's  sphere  of  usefulness  wide  and 
unobstructed.  But  it  soon  appeared  that  peace  was  not  to 
be  permitted  me  there.  Under  some  influence  the  new  min- 
ister's heart  was  turned  against  me,  and  he  resisted  all 
efforts  at  reconciliation,  even  refusing  to  meet  brethren  from 
abroad  who  offered  themselves  as  mediators.  I  have  never 
heard  of  any  Christian  minister  who  endorsed  or  sustained 
him  in  the  attitude  which  he  then  chose  to  take.  He  suf- 
fered himself  to  become  the  exponent  of  the  enmity  of  my 
former  opposers,  and  led  the  church  through  a  course  of 
action  in  regard  to  me,  so  unreasonable,  so  precipitate,  and 
so  disorderly  in  every  step  as  to  bring  severe  censure  upon 
it  from  a  council  of  their  own  choosing,  and  for  a  time  almost 
to  destroy  its  influence  for  good  in  the  surrounding  commu- 
nity. The  remarkable  accusation  which  furnished  the  basis 
■of  this  action  was  presented  in  the  following  words:  "  You 
are  hereby  charged  in  general  terms  with  walking  contrary 
to  the  peace  of  the  church  and  the  interests  of  religion." 
This  anomaly  of  putting  a  man  on  trial  for  his  general  con- 
duct, excited  the  amazement  and  mirth  of  a  council  called 
to  review  the  proceedings.  When  I  invited  the  church  to 
unite  with  me  in  calling  a  mutual  council,  I  received  an  in- 
sulting refusal ;  and,  when  after  waiting  several  weeks  at  the 
request  of  ministerial  brethren,  hoping  for  a  better  state  of 
feeling,  I  called  an  ex  parte  council,  representing  the  promi- 
nent Congregational  churches  in  Southern  Illinois,  with  those 
of  St.  Louis  ;  the  church,  in  the  person  of  its  leader,  met  the 


346  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

invitation  of  these  brethern  to  make  this  a  mutual  council^ 
in  the  same  spirit,  refusing  even  to  answer  questions  which: 
the  council  desired  to  ask  them.  Tlie  brethren,  seeing  the 
church  thus  misled  and  endangered,  thought  it  right  to- 
depart  from  their  established  rules,  and  give  to  them  the 
exclusive  hearing  which  they  demanded,  but  which  they  had 
forfeited  by  refusing  a  mutual  council.  In  doing  this,  they 
arrested  and  mutilated  the  legitimate  council  organized  the 
day  preceding.  I  was  obliged  to  protest  against  this  irregu- 
larity— it  being  utterly  unknown  to  Congregational  usage — 
and  against  any  decision  of  theirs  regarding  me,  as  the  law- 
lessness of  the  organization  was  equalled  by  the  looseness 
of  its  proceedings.  They  listened  for  ten  hours  to  all  that 
my  accusers  chose  to  say,  without  pretending  to  confine 
them  to  testimony  formerly  given,  required  no  solemnity  of 
form,  gave  them  the  benefit  of  each  other's  presence,  and 
placed  no  restraint  or  limitation  upon  their  irrelevant  and 
desultory  talk  ;  and  of  course,  in  this  case,  there  could  be  nO' 
reply  to  what  was  said.  After  all  was  sifted  and  weighed,, 
they  concluded  by  advising  the  church  to  rescind  its  action. 
The  legitimate  council  advised  me  to  make  such  conces- 
sions to  the  church  as  I  "candidly  believed  were  due  to 
them."  The  ministers  and  delegates  who  composed  this 
council  were  excellent  men,  and  strove  to  do  the  best  in 
their  power.  They  certainly  designed  no  injustice;  but 
from  my  experience  in  this,  and  my  observation  of  other 
church  trials,  I  am  convinced  that  three  rules  ought  never  to 
be  violated  in  such  cases. 

1st.  No  complaint  should  be  entertained  at  all  without  a 
definite  charge,  and  false  accusation  should  be  treated  as  a. 
great  crime. 

2d.  That  witnesses  should  be  brought  under  the  restraints 
and  solemn  forms  of  a  civil  court,  and  be  examined  apart 
from  each  other. 

3d.  That  men  appointed  to  investigate  and  decide  cases,, 
should  be  governed  strictly  by  the  established  rules  which 
the  wisdom  of  ages  has  provided,  and  long  experience  tested. 
Extemporized  machinery  for  peculiar  circumstances,  will  not 
prove  as  reliable  as  the  old,  well  tried  guides. 

(  Bro  Barton's  experience  has  taught  him  genuine  Pres- 
byterianism.) 

In  the  spring  of  1867  I  went  to  Richview  to  care  for 
a  newly  organized  Congregational  church.      It  was    com- 


CHARLES    B.  BARTON.  34/ 

posed  of  good  materials  and  its  outlook  was  full  of  promise. 
Immediately  a  comfortable  house  of  worship  was  prepared, 
the  minister  installed  with  ample  salary  provided. 

The  unbounded  expectation  of  pecuniary  profits  from  fruit 
growing  had  drawn  this  people  together  ;  but  the  bubble 
soon  burst,  and  the  same  spirit  of  adventure  and  enterprise 
which  had  brought  them  here  quickly  scattered  them  every 
whither.  The  church  in  less  than  four  years  was  reduced  to 
a  mere  handful,  and  is  practically  extinct;  and  in  March, 
1872,  I  am  again  at  Bethel.  It  is  and  is  not  the  Bethel  I 
left  twenty-five  years  ago.  The  hoary  living  then,  are  now 
the  holy  dead ;  the  middle-aged  are  now  bending  under  the 
weight  of  years,  and  the  children  and  youth  of  that  time  are 
the  fathers  and  mothers  of  this,  filling  the  places  of  trust  va- 
cated by  death  or  decaying  faculties.  But  spite  of  these 
great  changes.  Bethel  is  essentially  the  same  it  always  has 
been.     They  most  truly  can  say — 

"We  are  the  same  things  that  our  fathers  have  been, 
We  see  the  same  sights  tliat  our  fathers  have  seen, 
We  drink  the  same  stream  and  we  feel  the  same  sun, 
And  we  run  the  same  race  which  our  fathers  have  run." 

In  the  spring  of  1874  I  removed  to  Jacksonville,  and  have 
since  then  preached  most  of  the  time  to  the  Second  Portu- 
guese Presbyterian  church  through  an  interpreter.  The  aged 
among  this  people,  who  were  driven  from  Madeira  by  Popish 
persecution,  are  simple-hearted  lovers  of  Christ,  delighting  to 
be  fed  on  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  and  they  grow  thereby. 
Many  of  their  descendants  are  intelligent,  progressive  men, 
whose  lives  may  hereafter  shed  light  on  the  mystery  of  God's 
providences  in  bringing  this  people  here  to  add  their  nation- 
ality to  the  many  strands  entwined  in  our  American  civiliza- 
tion. The  labor  of  this  sketch  has  been  to  crowd  out  of  it, 
and  not  into  it,  the  experience  of  sixty-eight  years.  Hence 
were  all  written  that  could  be  said  of  any  man's  life — how  far 
short  would  it  fall  of  the  reality ! 

Life  seems  to  me  a  solid  sphere  on  whose  surface  narrative 
is  but  a  single  line.  It  can  tell  us  that  a  man  lived  thus  and 
so ;  that  he  was  fawned  or  frowned  upon  for  this  or  that ; 
that  he  played  an  important  or  unimportant  part  here  or 
there;  and  in  the  end  of  his  diversified  appearances  on  the 
stage,  affording  at  intervals  remote  a  momentary  spectacle 
for  lookers-on,  he  disappeared  and  is  seen  no  more.  But 
Avhat  all  this  and  all  else  wrought  on  his  own  being,  what  he 
was  to  himself,  to  his  kind,  and  to  his  God  ;  what  were  his 


348  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

communings,  and  the  conflicts  of  his  soul  with  unseen  forces, 
his  victories  and  defeats,  he  cannot  reveal  if  he  would,  for 
there  is  no  language  to  utter  these  mighty  mysteries.  Yet 
these  "  abysmal  deeps  of  personality  "  are  a  man's  life. 

Charles  Backus  Barton. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  with  Sugar  Creek 
church,  April  14,  1845.  D.  D.  McKee  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Sangamon.  Elisha  F.  Chester,  licentiate,  was 
received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Salem,  examined  and  or- 
dained sine  titulo.  A.  Ewing,  minister,  and  James  A.  Ram- 
sey, elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  next  Assem- 
bly. The  churches  of  Carlinville,  Belleville,  Brooklyn  and 
Mud  Creek,  having  ceased  to  exist,  their  names  were  stricken 
from  the  roll.     Galum  church  was  received. 


Galum  Church — so  named  from  a  creek  near  by — was 
organized  by  Rev.  Cyrus  Riggs,  June  29,  1844,  on  Four-Mile 
Prairie,  at  the  house  of  James  C.  Kimzey,  with  these  mem- 
bers, viz:  William  Hamilton,  Nancy  Hamilton,  Mary  Kim- 
zey, Jane  Brown,  Ann  Hamilton,  Julina  Ann  Woodside,  John 
Hamilton,  Polly  M.  Foster,  Jane  Kimzey,  Nancy  Jane  Hamil- 
ton, James  C.  Kimzey  and  Woods  M.  Hamilton.  Elders  : 
John  Hamilton  and  William  Hamilton.  Elders  since  elected  : 
John  Steel,  Woods  L.  Hamilton,  Ephraim  R.  Kimzey,  James 
Taylor,  A.  A.  Kimzey,  John  M.  Craig,  Moses  French  John 
V.  Tyler,  A.  T.  Hughey,  J.  P.  Rial,  William  B.  Kimzey,  Sam- 
uel D.  Rule.  Ministers  :  Cyrus  Riggs ;  B.  F. 
Spilman  supplied  from  two  to  three  years,  preached  here 
fifty-six  sermons,  received  twenty-one  members  and  baptized 
twelve  persons ;  C.  D.  Martin ;  John  Mathews ;  Daniel  Steele 
was  ordained  over  the  church  ;  William  H,  Templeton,  from 
the  Creek  Nation  ;  George  K.  Perkins,  George  B.  McComb; 
M.  M.  Cooper;  Jared  Stone,  D.  D. ;  George  B.  McComb,  sec- 
ond time.  The  first  place  of  worship  was  a  log 
building,  near  the  site  of  the  present  house,  erected  about 
the  time  the  church  was  organized.  To  aid  in  building  the 
present  house  the  Church  Extension  Board  donated  one 
liundred  dollars,  with  which  the  congregation  bought  eighty 
acres.  Seventy  acres  of  that  land  were  sold.  With  the 
proceeds  the  present  house  of  worship   was  erected  on  the 


ELISHA    F,  CHESTER.  349 

remaining  ten  acres.  That  eighty  was  the  east  half  of  the 
N.  W.  quarter  of  Sec.  4,  T.  6  S.,  R.  3  W.  The  ten  acres  on 
which  the  house  stands  is  the  northeast  corner  of  the  N.  W. 
quarter.  The  building  was  finished  in  1854.  It  is  thirty- 
four  by  forty-four,  ceiled  throughout,  and  cost  six  hundred 
dollars.  It  is  in  the  timber — no  other  building  of  any  kind 
being  in  sight.  The  whole  number  of  members 

down  to  1874  was  one  hundred  and  ninety-five.  The  county 
is  Perry.     The  posto  fifice  Pinckneyville. 


Elisha  Freeman  Chester  was  born  August  20,  1806,  in 
Otsego  county,  N.  Y.  His  grandfather's  grandfather,  Sam- 
uel Chester,  came  from  Chester,  Eng.,  near  1660.  He  be- 
came a  citizen  of  New  London  county,  Ct.,  in  1663.  The 
record  of  his  children,  their  baptisms  and  his  will  is  there. 
He  was  one  of  the  persecuted  Non-conformists  of  England. 
I  now  use  Mr.  Chester's  own  language  :  "  I  carry 
my  maternal  grandfather's  name,  Elisha  Freeman.  He  was 
also  from  England,  and  in  his  earlier  Christian  life  a  Presby- 
terian. But  he  became  a  Baptist,  and  a  preacher  in  that 
Church.  My  mother  was  also  a  Baptist.  My  father  was  first  a 
Congregationalist,  then  a  Presbyterian.  From  nine  years  of 
age  I  was  brought  up  near  Columbus,  Ohio.  My  college 
course  was  taken  in  the  Ohio  University,  Athens,  Ohio.  I 
graduated  in  1 839.  After  teaching  two  years  in  Kentucky 
I  took  the  three  years'  theological  course  at  the  New  Al- 
bany, now  the  Chicago,  Seminary,  I  was  licensed  in  the 
spring  of  1844.  Under  a  commission  from  our  Board  of 
Home  Missions  I  took  charge  of  Dry  Point  and  Staunton 
churches,  Macoupin  county.  111.,  in  the  spring  of  1845.  I 
was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  at  Sugar  Creek, 
April,  1845.  In  1846  I  took  charge  of  Providence  church, 
Cass  county,  111.,  and  remained  there  two  years.  My  next 
charge  was  a  little  church  in  Ogle  county.  111.,  now  called 
White  Rock.  There  I  labored  two  years.  Then  I  was  ap- 
pointed missionary  colporteur,  with  a  monthly  preaching  ap- 
pointment. After  two  years  of  successful  labor  in  that 
branch  of  our  work,  I  took  charge  of  two  churches  I  had 
gathered  in  the  time  in  Stephenson  county.  I  was  then  a 
member  of  Chicago  Presbytery.  About  that  time  I  married 
Miss  Eliza  A.  Brown,  only  daughter  of  Rev.  Sidney  Smith 
Brown,  at  Concord,  Mich.      Then,   on  solicitation,  I    under- 


350  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

took  to  resuscitate  the  Michigan  Central  College,  which  had 
been  abandoned  by  all  its  professors  to  establish  the  Hills- 
boro  College.  The  effort  failed.  I  then  returned  to  my 
land  near  Rochelle,  in  Ogle  county,  and  improved  it,  preach- 
ing once  in  two  weeks  in  a  grove  where  sixty  saddles  had 
been  found  in  a  hollow  log.  Those  who  had  emptied  the 
saddles  had  all  disappeared.  A  pleasant,  well-dressed  con- 
gregation, which  received  the  word  with  gladness,  had  taken 
their  place.  Ten  years  I  have  labored  as  colpor- 

teur Missionary  for  the  Board  of  Publication  in  Northern  Il- 
linois and,  to  some  extent,  in  Wisconsin.  Since 
coming  to  this  nevv  State  of  Nebraska,  I  have  labored  as  I 
could.  I  know  my  work  has  not  been  in  vain. 
Of  the  four  children  born  to  me,  two  are  living  and  with  me 
— Charles  Monod,  born  October  20,  1857,  and  Hattie  Isabel, 
born  October  i,  i860. 

Elisha  Freeman  Chester,  Geneva,  Neb." 

The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Greenville,  Bond 
county,  October  3,  1845.  B.  F.  Spilman  was  appointed 
Stated  Clerk  in  place  of  C.  C.  Riggs  resigned.  C.  C.  Riggs 
was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Steubenville.  Andrew 
M.  Hershey  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Carlyle. 
The  pastoral  relation  between  A.  C,  Allen  and  the  church  of 
Hiilsboro  was  dissolved,  and  Mr.  Allen  dismissed  to  the 
Presbytery  of  North  Alabama.  Mr.  Blackburn  Leffler,  li- 
centiate, was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Salem,  and,  on 
the  fifth  inst,  ordained  52>^^  tihdo.  The  o.  s.  church, 

of  Edwardsville,  organized  April  19,  1845,  was  received.  B. 
F.  Spilman  was  dismissed  from  the  pastoral  care  of  Shaw- 
jieetown  church,  and  appointed  Presbyterial  Missionary. 

Blackburn  Leffler  joined  Kaskaskia  Presbytery  as  a 
licentiate  of  Salem  Presbytery;  was  ordained  at  Greenville, 
111.,  as  an  Evangelist;  married  Miss  A.  A.  M.  Silliman, 
daughter  of  Rev.  John  Silliman;  lost  his  hearing,  and  is  now 
at  Westminster,  California. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  n.  s.,  did  not  hold  a  meet- 
ing in  the  spring  of  this  year,  but  convened  Sept.  19,  1845, 
with  the  Pleasant  Prairie  church,  n.  s. 


MEETING    OF    PRESBYTERIES.  351 

The  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  o.  s.,  met  with  Pleasant 
Trairie  church,  o.  s.,  April  25,  1845.  Stephen  Bliss,  minister, 
and  Adriel  Stout,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the 
next  Assembly.  A  pro  re  nata  meeting  was  held  August 
2.6,  1845.  The  regular  fall  session  was  held  with  Pisgah 
•church,  Lawrence  county,  commencing  Sept.  ii,  1845. 


Sangamon  Presbytery  met  with  the  Sugar  Creek  church 
April  4,  1845.  Thomas  A.  Spilman,  minister,  and  James 
L.  Lamb,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  next 
Assembly.  Five  ministers  and  eleven  churches  reported. 
The  fall  meeting  was  held  with  Union  and  Jacksonville 
churches,  commencing  Oct.  7,  1845. 


Alton  Presbytery  met  at  Troy,  April  4,  1845.  Hurri- 
cane church,  Fayette  county,  was  received.  William  Fith- 
ian  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Illinois.  Provision 
was  made  at  this  meeting  for  the  publication  of  the  "  Alton 
Presbytery  Reporter  "  under  the  direction  of  the  Missionary 
Committee,   A.  T.  Norton,   chairman.  This  was 

the  origin  of  the  paper,  in  pamphlet  form,  and  under  the 
names  first  of  Alton  Presbytery  Reporter,  and,  when  it 
was  adopted  or  recommended  by  other  Presbyteries,  of  Pres- 
bytery Reporter,  published  the  first  year  semi-yearly,  then 
quarterly,  bi-monthly  and  finally  monthly,  continued  until  the 
beginning  of  1868.  At  the  last  date  its  subscription  list  was 
sold  to  the  Herald  and  Presbytery,  Cincinnati.  Several 
important  numbers  have  been  published  since.  This  publi- 
cation, continued  about  twenty-five  years,  consists  of  eight 
volumes  of  about  six  hundred  pages  each.  During  the 
-whole  period,  A  T.  Norton,  was  its  responsible  Editor  and 
Publisher.  It  was,  beyond  doubt,  an  important  factor  in  the 
rapid  and  extensive  growth  of  the  first  Alton  Presbytery. 
Indeed  its  influence  was  largely  felt  in  the  New  School 
^denomination  through  the  entire  State.  It  was  disposed  of, 
perhaps,  unwisely,  simply  through  the  weariness  of  its  Edi- 
tor and  Publisher,  in  carrying  any  longer  so  heavy  a  burden 
in  addition  to  his  other  duties.  It  was  always  made  to  pay 
its  way.  In  the  end  its  subscription  list  brought  four  hun- 
>dred  dollars. 


352  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Hurricane  Church  was  organized  Feb.  23,  1845,  by  Wm, 
Chamberlin  with  five  members,  Mr.  Beach,  elder.  It  was  in 
the  western  part  of  Fayette  county;  named  from  Hurricane 
creek,  and  was  merged  in  the  church  of  Mulberry  Grove. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Ducoign,  in  Nine-Mile 
Prairie,  Sept.  11,  1845. 

Gov.  John  Reynolds  in  his  Pioneer  History  of  Illinois,  p.  lo,  says  :  "At  this 
time — 1800 — the  Kaskaskia  tribe  of  Indians  had  for  their  chief,  Ducoign,  who 
was  a  cunning  man  and  had  considerable  talents.  He  boasted  that  neither  he  nor 
his  nation  had  ever  shed'white  man's  blood.  This  was  no  doubt  true.  He  had  vis- 
ited President  Washington  at  Philadelphia,  and  wore  a  medal  from  his  great  father, 
as  he  called  the  President."  There  has  been  a  great  variety  of  practice  about 
the  spelling  of  the  name  of  the  places  called  from  this  Indian  chief — Duquoine, 
Duquoin  and  Du  Quoin.  I  think  the  extract  above  should  settle  the  matter.  At 
any  rate  in  this  work   the  name  is  Ducoign. 

Mulberry  Grove  and  Marion  churches  were  received.  L- 
S.  Williams  was  received  from  the  Illinois  Presbytery.  Wil- 
ilston  Jones,  licentiate,  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Cincinnati,  examined  and  ordained  Sept.  13.  John  Gibson 
was  licensed  for  one  year.  The  church  of  "  Eight-Mile 
Prairie,"  formerly  called  "  Crab  Orchard,"  in  Williamson 
county,  was  received. 


WiLLiSTON  Jones  was  born  in  Holland,  Erie  county,  N, 
Y.,  February  7,  18 14.  He  was  an  only  son,  but  has  two  sis- 
ters living.  His  parents  removed  when  he  was  only  five 
years  of  age  to  St.  Clair  county.  111.  He  was  converted 
when  about  seventeen,  at  Lewiston,  111.,  under  the  preach- 
ing of  Rev.  Aratus  Kent.  He  graduated  at  Illinois  College 
in  1840,  and  at  Lane  Seminary  in  1844.  He  was  licensed  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Cincinnati,  May  30,  1843.  Ordained  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Alton,  September  13,  1845,  at  Ducoign, 
on  Nine-Mile  Prairie,  Perry  county.  After  leaving  the  sem- 
inary, Mr.  Jones  labored  for  a  season  in  Upper  Alton.  He 
was  then  employed  by  Alton  Presbytery  as  an  itinerant  to 
labor  with  Rev.  William  Chamberlin.  In  April,  1846,  he  was 
dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Knox.  He  went  to  Canton, 
111.,  in  the  latter  part  of  1845,  and  remained  there  three 
years.  He  was  married,  September  16,  1846,  in  St.  Louis, 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  H.  Shearer,  of  Aurora,  Erie  county,  N.  Y. 


WILLISTON    JONES.  353 

This  excellent  lady  is  Still  living.  Her  residence  is  at  52  How- 
ard street,  Albany,  N.  Y.,  where  she  is  engaged  in  benevolent 
■  work.  They  have  had  no  children  of  their  own,  but  have 
acted  the  part  of  faithful  parents  to  two  adopted  daughters. 
I\Iuch  the  largest  part  of  Mr.  Jones'  ministerial  life  has  been 
spent  in  Iowa.  He  went  to  Cedar  Rapids  in  the  fall  of  1848, 
labored  there  eight  years  and  seven  at  Iowa  Falls.  While  in 
the  former  place  he  performed  missionary  labor  at  Solon,  Mt. 
Vernon,  Pleasant  Prairie,  Center  Point,  Shellsburg,  Vinton 
and  Brooklyn.  At  five  of  these  places  he  organized  churches. 
During  his  residence  at  Iowa  Falls  he  organized  the  church 
at  that  place,  also  at  Maysville,  Otisville,  Oakland  and  Point 
Pleasant.  He  preached  a  year  or  two  regularly  at  Steam- 
boat Rock,  Berlin  and  Eldora — traveling  with  a  pair  of  mules 
that  whole  seven  years  through  summer's  heat  and  winter's 
cold,  through  sloughs  and  snowdrifts.  A  bitter  sectarian 
persecution  followed  him  all  the  time.  Says  a  friend,  speaking 
of  these  incessant  labors,  "  No  wonder  the  mules  died  of  the 
blind  staggers."  In  March,  1865,  he  left  Iowa  Falls,  and 
was  for  a  time  in  the  service  of  the  Christian  Commission. 
He  was  with  the  army  of  the  Potomac  when  Richmond  was 
captured.  At  the  request  of  the  writer  he  went  in  May  of 
the  same  year  to  labor  with  our  young  and  feeble  church 
in  Rolla,  Mo.  Here  he  performed  the  last  work  of  his  life. 
The  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis  met  in  Rolla,  October  30,  and 
special  meetings  were  held  during  the  session,  and  for  sev- 
eral days  after.  i^Iuch  religious  interest  was  felt  in  the  com- 
munity. !Mr.  Jones  was  surpassingly  earnest  in  the  cause, 
laboring  incessantly.  In  the  midst  of  these  labors  he  was 
stricken  down  by  sickness.  He  had  just  purchased  a  resi- 
dence in  Rolla,  and,  after  he  was  prostrated  by  disease,  was 
carried  on  a  bed  to  his  new  earthly  home,  from  which  he  was 
so  soon  t")  ascend  to  his  heavenly.  He  died  November  20, 
1865.  His  funeral  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  Henry  A. 
Nelson,  D.  D.,  from  the  words,  "  He  being  dead  yet  speak- 
eth."  In  the  year  1853  Mr.  Jones  and  the  writer 

stood  on  the  brink  of  the  Niagara  river,  on  the  British  side, 
about  a  mile  below  the  Falls.  Looking  out  upon  the  seeth- 
ing, whirling,  tumultuous  waters  he  said,  "  Let  us  sing  the 
Doxology."  Accordingly,  in  that  wonderful  temple,  we 
lifted  up  our  voices,  scarcely  audible  to  ourselves  amidst  that 
majestic,  mighty  sound  of  many  waters.  Mr.  and 

j\Irs.  Jones'  daughter,  Jennie  H.,  married  Rev.  H.  T.  Perry. 


354  PRESBYTER! ANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

They  are  missionaries  of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.,  at  Sivas,  in 
Western  Turkey.  Their  other  daughter,  Emehe,  studied 
medicine,  and  is  now  resident  physician  of  Wellesley  Female 
College  in  Massachusetts. 


Mulberry  Grove  Church  was  organized  in  the  summer 
of  1845  by  Rev.  Robert  Stewart  v/ith  ten  members,  James 
A.  Hubbard,  elder.  It  was  dissolved,  September  30,  1861, 
and  its  members  connected  with  Greenville.  It  never  had  a 
house  of  worship.r^was  not  planted  and  could  not  grow. 


Marion  Church,  Williamson  county,  was  organized  Aug. 
31,  1845,  by  Revs.  W.  Chamberlin  and  Williston  Jones, 
with  these  members :  Samuel  Aikman,  Henrietta  Aikman, 
William  Aikman,  Maria  E.  Aikman,  Eliab  Aikman,  Lewis 
Calvert,  Mary  Cox,  Louisa  Cox  and  Margaret  McMurray. 
Elders  :  Samuel  Aikman,  the  first  one ;  Napolean  B.  Cal- 
vert ;  Joseph  Maginnis ;  St.  Clair  McMurray  ;  James  Aik- 
man. Ministers  :  Nehemiah  A.  Hunt  took  charge  of  the 
church  in  1848;  John  W.  McCord  ;  John  IngersoU  ;  Hillery 
Patrick ;  Charles  G.  Selleck,  after  the  war  and  when  he  was 
residing  near  Carbondale.  The  last  sessional  record  was 
made  July  25,  1858.  A  church  building  was  erected  while 
Mr.  Hunt  was  here  at  a  money  cost  of  about  four  hundred 
dollars.  Mr.  Hunt  himself  did  much  of  the  work.  The 
members  also  turned  in  labor.  That  building  was  taken 
down  in  1870.  Part  of  the  materials  were  sold  to  the  Cum- 
berlands  who  put  them  into  a  house  of  their  own  about  three 
miles  east  of  town.  The  lot  which  had  been  donated  by  Mr. 
Hunt  was  sold  for  two  hundred  and  five  dollars  and  the 
money  returned  to  him  at  his  residence  in  Sterling 
Center,  Minn,  The  members  have  all  died,  removed  or 
joined  other  churches  except  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Owen  and  her 
sister,  Rebecca  Harrison,  now  Mrs.  Hugh  Richart,  at  Carter- 
ville,  Williamson  county.  Forty-one  persons  were  connected 
with  this  church  from  its  organization  down  to  1858.  It  has 
never  been  formally  dissolved,  and  might  be  resuscitated  with 
suitable  effort.  N.  B.  Calvert  has  the  record  book  and  has 
become  a  thorough  Methodist. 


SYNOD    OF    ILLINOIS.  355 

The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Springfield,  Oct.  i6, 
1845.  Members  were  present  from  five  Presbyteries,  includ- 
ing that  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  The  Synod  of 
Illinois,  o.  s.,  met  at  Jacksonville,  Oct.  9,  1845.  Members 
were  present  from  five  Presbyteries.  Both  Synods  adopted 
■resolutions  asking  the  Governor  to  appoint  this  year  also  the 
last  Thursday  of  November  as  a  day  of  Thanksgiving. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

MEETINGS  OF  PRESBYTERIES  AND  SYNODS  FROM  1 846  TO  1 849, 
INCLUDING  SKETCHES  OF  THE  CHURCHES  ORGANIZED  AND  OF 
THE  MINISTERS  COMMENCING  THEIR  LABORS  HERE  WITHIN 
THE    PERIOD. 

Authorities:  Records'of  churches,  Presbyteries  and  Synods;  authors  of  the  vari- 
ous sketches. 

YEAR    1846. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  Farmington,  April  2, 
1846.  Socrates  Smith,  who  had  been  ordained  by  a  Com- 
mittee of  Presbytery,  at  Beardstown,  Nov.  23,  1845,  was 
present  as  a  member.  Albert  Hale,  minister,  and  David  B. 
Ayres,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly. 
J.  A.  Ranney,  G.  C.  Wood  and  C.  B.  Barton,  were  granted  let- 
ers  of  dismission.  Hugh  Barr  resigned  the  office  of  Stated 
Clerk,  and  Albert  Hale  was  appointed  in  his  place. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Mechanicsburg,  Sept.  10. 
The  church  of  Rochester  was  received.  Harvey  Blodgett 
was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Cleveland. 


Socrates  Smith  was  born  at  Henniker,  N.  H,,  June  16 
1814.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  1842,  and  at  Union 
Seminary,  New  York,  1845.  Ordained  Nov.  23,  1845  ;  sup- 
ply pastor  at  Beardstown,  III,  1845-46;  Panther  creek.  111., 
1846-50;  joined  Alton  Presbytery,  April  16,  1852;  teacher 
at  Greenville,  111.,  1850-53  ;  Home  Missionary  in  Jersey 
county,  1853-55;  supply  pastor,  Troy,  III,  1855-59;  farmer 
near  Greenville,  111.,  1859-68.  Died  Feb.  i,  1868,  on  his 
farm.     His  widow  is  still  livins". 


Harvey  Blodgett  was  born  in  Brimfield,  Mass..  in  Aug., 
1801.  He  was  converted  in  1825.  He  graduated  at  Am- 
herst College  in  1829,  After  leaving  college  he  spent  some 
time  in  teaching,   and    at  intervals   afterwards.      As  a  min- 


KASKASKIA    PRESBYTERY.  35/ 

ister  he  labored  principally  in  the  northern  part  of  Ohio. 
For  six  years  he  was  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of 
Euclid,  a  few  miles  east  of  Cleveland.  For  five  years  he 
was  Agent  of  the  A.  B.  Society  mostly  in  central  Illinois 
with  his  residence  at  Jacksonville,  where  he  died  in  June, 
1850.  His  funeral  was  from  the  First  Presbyterian  church 
in  that  place.  Sabbath,  June  23.  Mr.  B.  possessed 

a  mind  vigorous,  strong,  comprehensive.  He  thought  deeply, 
reasoned  justly,  and  expressed  himself  lucidly.  He  had 
strong  common  sense.  His  religion  was  that  of  action 
rather  than  feeling — principled,  steady,  laborious. 

Rochester  Church,  Sangamon  county,  111.,  was  organized 
on  the  first  Sabbath  in  August,  1846,  with  eight  members. 
Gardner  T.  Bruce  and  Moses  Fairchild,  elders.  Its  name 
was  erased  from  the  roll  of  Presbytery,  April  4,  1862. 


Kaskaskia  Presbytery  met  at  Mt.  Vernon,  March  20, 
1846.  William  A.  Smith  was  received  from  the  Presbytery 
of  Muhlenburg.  B.  F.  Spilman,  minister,  and  Alex.  Kirk- 
patrick,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assem- 
bly. The  collections  for  Domestic  Missions  made  in  their 
■  churches  were  directed  to  be  appropriated  to  the  support  of 
the  itinerating  Missionary,  B.  F.  Spilman,  except  of  the 
churches  whose  ministers  were  local  Missionaries.  Elisha 
F.  Chester  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Sangamon. 
William  Gardner  was  licensed.  The  fall   meet- 

ing was  held  with  Sugar  Creek  church,  Oct.  2.  David  D. 
McKee  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Allegheny.  John 
S.  Howell  was  ordained,  sine  titulo,  October,  3.  Thomas  W. 
Hynes,  licentiate,  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Madi- 
son, and  ordained  Oct.  4. 

Hopewell  Church  was  reported  to  the  Assembly  this 
year,  P.  O.,  Benton,  Franklin  county,  with  eight  members. 
In  1848  it  reported  thirteen  members.  In  1850,  twelve  mem- 
bers. In  1859  its  name  does  not  appear.  Oct.  8,  i860,  its 
name  was  changed  by  Presbytery  to  Knob  Prairie.  That 
prairie  is  fifteen  miles  north-east  of  Frankfort,  Franklin 
■county.  Nothing  more  is  known  of  the  church  from  any 
records. 


358  presbyterianism  in  illinois. 

John  Smith  Howell. 

The  following   sketch  is  furnished  by  his   widow,    Mrs.    Elizabeth    Howell-- 
She  resides   on   her  own  farai,  Bond  county,   near   Elm  Point  church  and  post, 
office. 

John  Smith  Howell  was  born  January  13,  18 13,  on  Long 
Island,  N.  Y  He  was  of  Welsh  descent.  His  parents  were 
Congregationalists.  His  mother  died  on  Long  Island.  His 
father  moved  to  this  state  in  1822,  and  united  with  the  Pres- 
byterian church  in  Greenville.  He  had  a  family  of  nine 
children.  All  of  them  became  Christians  in  early  life.  They 
were  two  sons  and-"seven  daughters.  John  Smith,  the  sec- 
ond son,  experienced  religion  when  thirteen  years  of  age,  at 
a  camp-meeting  in  Bethel,  under  the  preaching  of  B.  F.  Spil- 
man.  He  united  with  Greenville  church.  His  brother  was- 
thrown  from  a  horse  and  killed  when  eighteen  years  old. 
His  father  was  anxious  to  give  John  an  education,  but  could 
not  spare  him  from  the  farm.  That  father,  Joseph  Howell, 
for  several  years  an  elder  in  the  Greenville  church,  died  in 
1832.  When  he  came  to  this  state  he  was  living  with  his 
second  wife,  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  Silas.  When,  there- 
fore, his  father  died,  John  S.  had  the  care  of  the  family,  con- 
sisting of  his  step-mother,  his  half-brother,  Silas,  and  two 
sisters.  The  step-mother  died  in  1835.  Feb.  ii,  of  the 
same  year,  John  S.  married  Elizabeth  Johnson,  daughter  of 
George  Johnson.  She  was  of  Irish  descent.  She  became  a 
Christian  in  her  nineteenth  year,  and  united  with  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  In  the  fall  of  1837,  John  S.  made  up  his  mind 
to  study  for  the  ministry;  and,  if  needful,  devote  ten  years  to 
the  work  of  preparation.  He  first  studied  at  the  Academy  in 
Bethel,  then  at  Illinois  College,  where  he  graduated  in  1844. 
He  studied  theology  with  Rev.  James  Stafford  at  Greenville. 
He  was  licensed  in  the  fall  of  1845,  and  took  charge  of  Sugar 
Creek  and  Staunton  churches.  Ordained  as  above  stated. 
He  spent  four  years  in  the  vicinity  of  Sugar  Creek,  laboring 
with  that  and  other  churches.  In  the  spring  of  1850,  he  took 
an  agency  for  books.  In  1854  he  commenced  labor  in 
White  and  Gallatin  counties — preaching  at  Equality,  Sharon 
and  Carmi.  In  the  spring  of  1862  he  returned  to  Bond 
county,  and  took  charge  of  Elm  Point  and  Wavelandi 
churches.  In  the  fall  of  1869  he  substituted  Staunton  for 
Waveland.  In  the  spring  of  1872,  when  making  arrange- 
ments to  remove  his   family  to  Staunton,,  his  health  failed. 


THOMAS    W.  HYXES.  359 

July  29th,  he  preached  his  last  sermon,  and  died  Sept.  23, 
1872.  Three    children    died  in  infancy.     A  son 

was  killed  at  Fort  Donelson,  Tenn.,  Feb.  15,  1862.  A 
daughter,  Lizzie,  only  survives.  She  is  married  and  resides 
with  her  mother  at  Elm  Point.  Mr.  Howell  was  a  truly 
Godly  man.  He  made  his  way  to  the  ministry  by  dint  of 
indomitable  courage  and  perseverance,  and  proved  useful  in 
his  chosen  work. 


Thomas  Woodruff  Hynes. 

Auto-biographical. 

I  was  born  at  Bardstown,  Nelson  county,  Kentucky, 
October  5,  18 15.  My  father,  William  R.  Hynes,  was  a 
native  of  Washington  county,  Alaryland.  !My  grandfather, 
Thomas  Hynes,  came  to  Kentucky  about  1780.  The 
Hynes  family  came  from  Coleraine,  Ireland,  and  were  of 
Scotch-Irish  stock.  ]\Iy  paternal  grandmother,  Abigail 
Rose,  was  of  Welch  descent.  My  mother,  Barbara  Chen- 
ault,  was  a  native  of  Essex  county,  Va.  Her  family  were 
Huguenot  French,  and  all  of  the  name  in  this  country  are 
descendants  of  three  brothers  who  fled  from  France  at  the 
time  of  the  terrible  slaughter  of  the  Protestants,  commonly 
known  as  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew.  My  father  was 
an  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Bardstown,  and  died 
there  in  1837.  -Sly  first  school  was  taught  by  my 

uncle,  Stephen  Chenault.  After  attending  the  common 
schools  at  Bardstown,  I  was  for  two  or  three  years  in  the 
Roman  Catholic  college  of  that  place,  called  "St.  Joseph's 
College."  In  October,  1833,  I  went  to  Hanover  College,  In- 
diana, where  I  graduated  in  1836.  I  entered  immediately 
the  Indiana  Theological  Seminary  at  Hanover,  then  taught 
by  Dr.  John  Matthews  and  Professors  Bishop  and  Cunning- 
ham. At  the  end  of  one  year  in  the  seminary,  my  old  pre- 
ceptor in  mathematics.  Prof.  John  H.  Harney,  left  the  college, 
and  recommended  me  to  take  temporary  charge  of  his  classes 
until  a  professor  could  be  elected.  This  I  attempted,  in  con- 
nection with  my  theological  course,  but  soon  found  both 
more  than  I  could  carry  along  profitably.  After  one  or  two 
terms,  I  was  appointed  to  the  chair  of  mathematics,  and  was 
thus  diverted  from  my  theological  course  for  several  years. 
In  the  mean  time  I  was  ordained  a  Ruling  Elder  in  the  Han- 


360  PRESBYTERIAMSM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

over  church.  Providence  opened  the  way  for  my  leaving 
the  college  in  1844.  I  again  entered  the  seminary,  which 
by  that  time  had  been  removed  to  New  Albany,  Ind.  I 
finished  the  seminary  course  there  in  June,  1S45.  I  was  li- 
censed by  the  Presbytery  of  Madison,  soon  after  leaving  the 
seminary,  at  a  meeting  held  at  Carrollton,  Ky. 
I  preached  about  one  year  in  Jennings  county,  Ind.  In 
March,  1846,  I  settled  at  Hillsboro,  111.  Receiving  a  call  to 
the  pastoral  charge  of  that  church,  I  was  ordained  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia,  at  Sugar  Creek  church,  on  the  4th 
October,    1846.  I  removed    to   Bond  county  in 

185  I,  and  after  abOut  one  year's  preaching  in  various  places, 
began  to  preach  in  Greenville  in  May,  1852 — first  for  one- 
half  the  time.  I  removed  to  Greenville  in  1854,  and  was 
soon  installed  as  pastor  there.  I  resigned  that  charge  in 
1867.  I  have  since  that  supplied,  for  portions  of 

my  time,  the  churches  of  Waveland,  Elm  Point  and  some 
other  vacancies.  I  have  preached  for  ten  years  at  a  mission 
station  at  Old  Ripley,  Bond  county,  being  near  my  farm. 

My  oldest  son  is  William  Dunn  Hynes,  who  lives 
at  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  and  is  a  route  agent  on  the  Vandalia 
railroad.  My  second  son,  Samuel  Burke  H}-nes, 

is  Gen'i  Ag't  A.  T.  &  S.  F.  R.  R.  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Their 
mother  was  a  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Williamson  Dunn,  of 
Hanover,   Ind.  Besides  the  above,  I  have  one 

daughter  and  two  sons  at  home. 

Thomas  W.  Hynes. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  n.  s.,  held  no  meeting  in 
1846.  The  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  o.  s.,  met  at 

Paris,  April  3,  1846.    R.  H.  Lilly,  minister,  and  James  W'elsh, 
elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  next  Assembly. 

The  same  Presbytery  held  its  fall  meeting  at  Charles- 
ton, 111.,  commencing  October  2,  1846.  The  churches  of 
Marshall  and  Grandview  were  received  under  care  of  Pres- 
bytery. The  church  of  Okav/  was  dissolved  and  its  mem- 
bers transferred  to  Charleston. 


Marshall  Church,  Clark  county,  was  organized,  April 
25,  1846,  by  Revs.  H.  I.  Venable,  R.  H.  Lilly  and  Elder 
James    Welsh,   with  these   members:  Alexander  Matthews, 


GRAND  VIEW    CHURCH.  3^1 

Prudence  Matthews,  Rachel  Matthews,  Amy  Matthews,  John 
R.  Matthews,  M.  J.  Matthews,  James  Gibson,  Rachel  A. 
Babcock,  Prudence  Cochran.  Elder :  Alexander  Matthews. 
Ministers:  Ellis  Howell,  1855  to  1865;  R.  C.  McKinney, 
1868-69;  Thomas  Spencer,  1871-72,  irregular  appointments; 
George  F.  Davis,  1876,  and  is  still  in  the  field.  Elders:  Al- 
exander Matthews,  the  first;  Elza  Neal ;  Jacob  C.  Smith; 
John  Morton.  Mr.  Matthews  is  dead.  The  others  are  liv- 
ing. During  its  frequent  vacancies  this  church  had  occa- 
sional supplies  from  the  Presbytery.  A  house  of  w^orship 
was  commenced  in  1858  and  finished  the  next  year,  after  a 
severe  struggle.  In  1877  this  house  was  remodled  and 
put  in  complete  repair.  Its  site  is  beautiful. 
The  growth  of  the  church  has  been  slow  from  the  beginning. 
For  years  it  had  no  regular  ministry.  The  entire  mem- 
bership is  one  hundred  and  thirty-two.  It  should 
be  said  that  this  ground  had  been  pre-empted,  and  by  rather 
sharp  practice.  Rev.  Isaac  Reed,  for  several  years  a  mem- 
ber of  Palestine  Presbytery,  had  made  an  appointment  for 
organizing  a  Presbyterian  church.  Congregationalists  in  the 
vicinity  and  from  Terre  Haute  so  maneuvered  the  meeting 
that  the  vote  did  not  express  the  preference  of  the  majority. 
Since  Mr.  Davis  entered  the  field  the  Sabbath- 
school  has  been  greatly  enlarged,  and  the  general  condition 
of  the  church  and  congregation  much  improved. 

Grandview  Church,  Edgar  county,  was  organized  by  Rev. 
John  A.  Steele,  July  27,  1838,  with  these  members:  James 
Hite,  Ann  W.  Hite,  John  Tate,  Nancy  Tate,  Robert  M.  Tate, 
Susan  Tate,  Margaret  I.  Tate,  Jacob  S.  Brown,  Ellen  B. 
Brown,  Joseph  Brown,  Wm.  A.  Cale,  Mary  Cale.  John  Shultz, 
Susan  Shultz,  Catharine  Steele,  Rachel  Frame,  M.  Snapp. 
Elders:  James  Hite,  Wm.  A.  Cale,  John  Tate,  Joseph 
Brown,  the  first.  Elders  since:  S.  Houston,  William 
Blackburn,  Dr.  D.  W.  Stormant,  Isaac  Hewitt,  R.  T.  Alex- 
ander, Robert  M.  Tate,  Jacob  Braden,  and  probably  others. 
The  two  last  named  are  the  present  elders.  The 

church  was  organized  in  a  frame  store-room,  used  now  as  a 
lumber  house  in  the  central  part  of  the  village.  There  the 
church  held  their  meetings  until  about  1841.  The  church 
edifice  was  first  erected  in  the  south  part  of  the  town. 
Afterwards  the  same  building  was  removed  to  its  present 


0 


62  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 


location  and  enlarged.  The  house  on  the  first  site  was  dedi- 
eated  by  Rev.  John  A.  Steele,  about  1841,  On  its  second 
and  present  site  it  was  dedicated  by  Rev.  Samuel  Newell,, 
and  cost,  as  it  now  stands,  $2,100.  The  parsonage  was  built 
about  1856  or  1857.  It  cost  six  hundred  dollars.  The  site 
is  a  quarter-acre  lot.  Ministers :  John  A.  Steele 

was  the  first,  and  continued  until  1854;  James  Huston,  1855  ; 
N.  S.  Palmer,  1856-59;  Charles  P.  Spinning,  licentiate,  i860, 
afterwards  pastor  and  remained  until  April,  1867,  a  revival 
under  his  pastorate;  S.  Martin,  1867-69;  J.  W.  Allison, 
1869-71  ;  Joseph  Lowry,  1871-72  ;  Lewis  E.  Jones,  1873-77  ;. 
Simeon  C.  Head,  Jan.  1878  and  still  continues. 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  met  at  North  Sangam-on, 
April  3,  1846,  Elisha  F.  Chester  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia.  Andrew  Todd,  minister,  and 
Jacob  F.  Bergen,  elder,  were  appointed  to  the  next  Assem- 
bly. The  Presbytery  reported  six  ministers  and  eleven 
churches.  A  memorial  had  been  presented  by  Dr.  Andrew 
Russel,  of  Union  church,  against  the  action  of  the  Assembly 
of  1845  upon  slavery.  This  had  been  laid  over  to  the  pres- 
ent meeting,  when  the  following  action  was  taken.  "Resolved, 
(i)  That  we  approve  the  course  taken  by  the  memorialist, 
to  exculpate  himself  from  any  participation  in  the  guilt,  real 
or  supposed,  contracted  by  the  Assembly  of  1845,  in  their 
action  on  the  subject  of  slavery.  (2)  That  Dr.  Russel's 
paper  be  returned  to  him  with  a  copy  of  the  action  of  Pres- 
bytery thereon."  So  fine  a  specimen  of  non-committalism 
ought  to  go  down  to  after  ages  !  The  fall  meet- 

ing was   held   at   Springfield,   Oct.   7.     George  McKinney,, 
licentiate,  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Salem. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Collinsville,  April  2, 
1846.  Geo.  C.  Wood  and  C.  B.  Barton,  from  the  Presbytery 
of  Illinois,  and  James  R.  Dunn,  from  the  Congregational 
Association  were  received.  Robert  Kirkwood  was  dis- 
missed from  the  pastoral  care  of  Plum  Creek  church  and 
from  the  Presbytery,  with  a  general  letter.  Robert  Stewart, 
minister,  and  Russell  Scarritt,  elder,  were  appointed  Com- 
missioners to  the  Assembly.  Williston  Jones  was  dismissed 
to  the  Presbytery  of  Knox. 


JAMES    R.  DUNN.  365 

James  R.  Dunn  was  born  at  Wilmington,  Delaware,  Dec, 
18,  1 8 16.  He  was  educated  at  the  Classical  Institute  in  that 
place.  Ordained  by  the  Illinois  Congregational  Association 
at  Griggsville,  Pike  county.  111.,  in  April,  1842.  Was  sup- 
ply pastor  of  Congregational  church  in  Ottawa,  111.,  in  1842- 
43.  Spent  one  year  in  Collinsville,  111.,  teaching  part  of  the 
time,  and  supplying  the  churches  of  Collinsville,  Marine  and 
Belleville.  Spent  two  years  in  the  counties  of  Jackson 
and  Union  as  Missionary.  His  residence  was  at  Western 
Saratoga,  some  eight  miles  northeast  of  Jonesboro.  Then  two 
years  at  CarroUton.  The  next  four  years,  from  184910  1853,. 
with  the  Congregational  church  of  Chesterfield,  Macoupin 
county.  Settled  at  Wenona,  Marshall  county,  111.,  in  1853, 
where  he  spent  ten  years.  Left  Wenona  in  1865,  and  dwelt 
at  Normal  four  years.  His  next  residence  was  Jacksonville. 
He  is  now  in  St.  Louis,  supply  pastor  of  the  South  church, 
and  a  member  of  St.  Louis  Presbytery.  He  has  one  son,, 
Edward,  who  is  a  lawyer. 


An  adjourned  meeting  of  Alton  Presbytery,  was  held  at 
Marion,  Williamson  county,  commencing  July  31,  1846, 
The  churches  of  Western  Saratoga  and  Murphysboro,  were 
received.  N.  A.  Hunt,  licentiate,  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Schuyler,  examined,  and  on  Sabbath,  July  2, 
1846,  ordained,  sine  titulo.  The  fall  meeting  was 

held  at  Upper  Alton,  Oct.  12.     J.  A.  Ranney  was  received 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Illinois. 


Nehemiah  a.  Hunt  was  born  in  Mason,  N.  H.,  Sept.  27, 
1 8.1 1.  He  was  educated  at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  IMission  Institute, 
Quincy,  111.,  and  at  Lane  Seminary.  Ordained  as  above. 
He  labored  at  JNIarion,  Williamson  county,  many  years,  and 
accomplished  great  good.  He  was  a  prodigious  worker, 
labored  with  his  own  hands  as  much  as  Paul  ever  did  or 
could.  After  leaving  IMarion,  he  labored  several  years  with 
Bethel  church.  Bond  county,  Illinois.  He  was  dismissed 
from  Alton  Presbytery  to  the  Central  Association  of  Minn., 
April  15,  1844,  His  present  residence  is  Sterling  Center, 
Minn.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Clarina  A.  Conrad,  born 
in  N.  C,  in  18 18.     They  were  married  Nov.  4,  1844. 


364  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Western  Saratoga  Church,  Union  county,  in  the  north- 
eastern corner  of  T.  12  S.,  R.  i  W.,  was  organized  by  Wil- 
liam ChamberHn,  with  eight  members,  in  the  spring  of  1846, 
Noah  Harlow,  elder.  James  R.  Dunn  resided  there  in  the 
summer  of  1846  and  ministered  to  that  and  several  churches 
in  that  general  region.  But  the  members  soon  removed,  and 
the  church  became  extinct. 


The  Church  of  Murphysboro,  the  county  seat  of  Jack- 
son county,  was  organized  July  19,  1846,  by  WiUiam  Cham- 
berlin  with  seven^'members,  William  McClure,  elder.  This 
church  had  considerable  success  for  several  years.  It  was 
served  by  William  H.  Bird,  Josiah  Wood  and  others.  In 
April,  of  1850,  the  Presbytery  of  Alton  held  its  session  with 
them.  It  had  then  a  membership  of  twenty-six.  Dr.  A.  S. 
Latta  was  an  elder.  At  one  time,  under  the  lead  of  Josiah 
Wood,  they  had  a  house  of  worship  enclosed,  though  it  was 
never  finished.  Through  the  removal  of  important  members 
and  poor  management  this  church  went  down.  Its  house 
was  lost  to  it.  The  church  records  are  also  lost.  Two  or 
three  members  may  be  left.  But  nearly  all  have  removed, 
died  or  united  with  the  Lutheran  church  in  the  same  place. 
Rev.  James  G.  Butler,  of  Grand  Tower,  is  at  this  time — 1879 — 
renewing  the  effort,  and  with  good  promise,  at  the  depot  and 
mines  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Big  Muddy. 


Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Alton,  October  15,  1846. 
Members  were  present  from  five  Presbyteries.  George  C. 
Wood  was  appointed  Stated  Clerk  in  place  of  L.  P.  Kimball, 
resigned.  Routine  business — petition  to  the  Governor  to 
appoint  the  last  Thursday  of  November  for  general  thanks- 
giving— approval  of  the  Assembly's  action  on  slavery,  and 
an  appeal  case  from  Presbytery  of  Des  Moines  were  the 
principal  items  of  business.  The  Synod  of  Il- 

linois, o.  s.,  met  at  Springfield,  October  3.      Members  were 
present  from  five  Presbyteries. 

YEAR  1847. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  Jacksonville,  April 
8,  1847.      Andrew  L.  Pennoyer,  who  had  been  absent  from 


MEETING    OF    PRESBYTERIES.  365 

several  meetings  of  Presbytery  on  account  of  ill  health,  was 
present.  The  overture  duly  sent  down — "  Shall  the  General 
Assembly  hold  its  sessions  annually  instead  of  triennially  ?  " 
was  answered  in  the  affirmative.* 

A  paper  was  adopted  setting  forth  the  present  state  of  Il- 
linois College,  and  recommending  to  the  churches  of  the  Pres- 
bytery to  make  an  annual  collection  in  its  behalf 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Concord,  commencing  Octo- 
ber 7,  1847.  William  Fithian  was  dismissed  to  Ontario  Pres- 
bytery. String  Prairie  church  was  attached  to  the  Presby- 
tery of  Alton ;  Alanson  Alvord  from  the  Brookfield  Associ- 
ation, and  C.  B.  Barton,  from  the  Alton  Presbytery,  were  re- 
ceived. 


Kaskaskia  Presbytery  met  with  the  Gilead  church,  Jef- 
ferson county,  April  9,  1847.  John  L.  Hawkins  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Redstone,  and  Philander  D.  Young  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Ogdensburg  were  received.  A  committee  re- 
ported the  installation  of  T.  W.  Hynes  pastor  of  Hillsboro 
church  on  October  20,  1846.  William  A.  Smith,  minister,  and 
Amzi  Andrews,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the 
Assembly.  Blackburn  Leffler  was  dismissed  to  the  Presby- 
tery of  Palestine.  William  B.  Gardner  was  ordained,  sine  tit- 
nlo,  April  12.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Hills- 

boro, October  8.  William  A.  Smith  was  dismissed  to  the 
Presbytery  of  Mississippi.  The  church  of  Hopewell,  Bond 
county,  was  dissolved  and  its  members  directed  to  apply  to 
to  the  church  of  Greenville. 


John  L.  Hawkins  was  born  at  Chambersburg,  Franklin 
county,  Pa.,  August  8,  1800.  His  ancestors  were  Scotch 
Covenanters.  His  parents  moved  to  Washington  county,  Pa., 
in  1807.  He  graduated  at  Washington  College,  18 18.  His 
theological  training  was  directed  by  Drs.  John  Anderson, 
Andrew  Wylie  and  Thomas  Hoge.  His  class  of  nine  was 
the  gem  of  the  Western  Theological  Seminary.  He  was  li- 
censed by  Washington  Presbytery,  April  21,  1825,  and  or- 
dained by  the  same,  October,  1827.    He  spent  a  pastorate  of 

*The  triennial  plan  had  been  found  wholly  unsatisfactory  and  lasted  only  from 
1S40  to  1846,  when  the  Assembly  was  restored  to  the  same  status  it  occupied 
when  the  division  took  place. 


^66  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

fifteen  years  at  Connersville,  Fayette  county,  Pa.  He  came 
to  Illinois  December,  1844.  He  labored  with  Carmi  church, 
White  county,  as  supply  pastor  from  1845  to  1849.  ^^  ^'^'^s 
married  to  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  John  Silliman,  who  died  at 
Sharon,  White  county,  November,  1838.  He  commenced 
labor  with  Carbondale  church,  Jackson  county.  111.,  January 
10,  1872,  and  still  continues  in  that  field.  That  church  had 
then  forty-four  members.  It  has  now  one  hundred  and  two. 
Seventy-five  have  been  received  under  Mr.  Hawkins'  minis- 
try and  sixty-six  persons  baptized. 


Philander  Dickinson  Young  was  born  in  the  state  of 
New  York.  Graduated  at  Union  College  in  1842  and  at 
"Princeton  Seminary.  He  was  ordained,  sine  titulo,  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Ogdensburg,  June  18,  1846.  Labored  awhile  in 
Edwardsville,  111.;  supply  pastor  at  Chester,  1852.  A  mis- 
.sionary  in  Wisconsin.  Supply  pastor  at  Oilman,  111.  Is  now 
at  Orange,  Cal. 


William  Berley  Gardner  was  born  in  Newburyport, 
Mass.,  and  received  his  early  education  at  one  of  the  colleges 
■in  Maine.  He  was  forty-five  years  of  age  when  he  died  with 
pneumonia  in  the  winter  of  185 1.  He  was  ordained  by  Kas- 
kaskia  Presbytery,  April  12,  1847,  at  Gilead,  Jefferson  county. 
After  this  he  labored  in  various  churches  in  Southern  Illinois  ; 
.among  which  were  Equality,  Mt.  Vernon,  Gilead  and  Elk- 
horn.  This  latter  was,  by  his  advice,  moved  to  Nashville. 
That  congregation  still  worship  in  the  house  planned  by  him. 
It  was  the  second  church  edifice  in  the  place.  Mrs.  J.  H. 
.Sawyer,  of  Nashville,  is  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Gardner. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  n.  s.,  having  failed  to  hold 
.any  meeting  in  1846,  was  directed  by  Synod  to  convene  with 
Pleasant  Prairie  church,  April  29,  1847.  The  direction  was 
.complied  with.  Charles  H.  Palmer,  licentiate,  was  received 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Cincinnati,  examined  and  ordained 
May  I,  1847.  A  plan  of  correspondence  and  co-operation 
tin  the  Home  Missionary  work  between  this  and  the  Alton 
Presbytery  was  adopted.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  with 
JSTew  Providence  church,  Oct.  7. 


CHARLES    H.  PALMER.  367 

Charles  H.  Palmer  was  born  in  Moscow,  Livingston 
•county,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  i,  1818.  His  ancestors  were  English  in 
nation  and  Calvinistic  in  religious  sentiments.  His  father, 
Asa  R.  Palmer,  was  an  elder  in  Danville  Presbyterian  church 
from  its  origin  until  his  death.  Charles  came  with  his  father 
to  Vermillion  county,  Ind.,  in  1826,  and  from  thence  to  Dan- 
ville, 111.,  in  1828.  He  graduated  at  Wabash  College  in 
1843,  and  at  Lane  Seminary  in  1846.  He  was  licensed  by 
•Cincinnati  Presbytery,  and  ordained  by  that  of  Palestine, 
May  I,  1847.  He  had  charge  of  the  Pleasant  Prairie  church, 
n.  s.,  Coles  county.  111.,  for  two  years.  He  removed  to  Dan- 
ville in  185 1.  He  took  charge  of  Middleport  church,  Iro- 
quois county,  111.,  in  1856  and  remained  until  1870.  In  1872 
the  went  to  Tazewell  county.  111.,  and  took  charge  of  a  church 
there  for  two  years.  He  then  returned  to  his  home  in  Wat- 
■seka,  Iroquois  county,  and  labored  as  an  evangelist  in  vari- 
ous directions  until  his  death,  which  took  place  instantly  in 
his   own  house,    Feb.   13,   1877.  In  the    fall    of 

1852  he  married  Mrs.  Sophronia  M,  Carnahan,  at  Chalmers, 
White  county,  Ind.  He  had  four  children,  all  of  whom  are 
living — Cornelia,  born  Sept.  10,  1853;  Asa  Gardiner,  born 
Aug.  29,  1856  ;  Charles  White,  born  Oct.  22,  1858,  and  Wm. 
Henry,  born  Jan.  25,  1S67.  The  widow  remains  with  her 
children  at  their  home  in  Watseka,  111. 


Palestine  Presbytery,  o.  s.,  met  March  26,  1847,  ^-t  Pal- 
estine church,  Crawford  county.  For  their  fall  meeting  they 
met  at  Grandview,  Edgar  county,  Oct.  7.  Blackburn  Lef- 
fler  from  Kaskaskia  Presbytery,  and  Joseph  Adams  from 
'Crawfordsville  Presbytery  were  received. 


Joseph  Adams  died,  without  charge,  at  Frankville,  Iowa, 
March  6,  i87i,aged  sixty-two,  a  member  of  Dubuque  Pres- 
bytery. He  was  dismissed  from  Palestine  to  Wisconsin 
Presbytery,  Sept.  13,  1850. 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  met  with  Sugar  Creek 
<;hurch,  April  2,  1847.  J-  Cr.  Bergen,  minister,  and  Asahel 
Stone,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  Assembly.  The 
fall  meeting  was  held  at  Petersburg,  commencing  Sept.  17. 


368  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Greenville,  April  22, 
1847.  Brighton  church  was  received.  The  overture  from 
the  Assembly,  about  restoring  the  annual  meetings  of  the 
body,  was  affirmed.  Charles  E.  Blood  was  dismissed  from 
the  pastoral  care  of  Collinsville  church.  George  Spaulding 
was  licensed,  April  24.  Joseph  Gordon,  from  the  Vandalia 
Presbytery  of  the  Cumberland  Church,  and  William  H.  Bird, 
from  the  Schuyler  Presbytery  of  the  same  Church,  were 
received. 


Joseph  Gordo!*:  I  give  the  sketch  of  this  brother  partly 
in  his  own  words  and  partly  in  the  language  of  another. 
"  I  was  born  February  14,  1802,  in  the  county  of  Monaghan^ 
Ireland.  My  parents  were  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians.  All 
the  school  education  I  ever  received  was  in  Ireland.  I  was 
induced  to  seek  the  ministry  because  I  felt  that  *  Woe  is  me 
if  I  preach  not  the  gospel.'  I  was  licensed  in  Upper  Alton 
at  the  spring  meeting  of  the  Vandalia  Presbytery  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church.  Ordained  by  the  same 
Presbytery  October  5,  1844.  I  preached  in  Ma- 

con and  Bond  counties  while  in  connection  with  that  Church. 
In  the  spring  of  1847  I  united  with  the  Alton  Presbytery, 
and  immediately  entered  the  Home  Missionary  field  in  South- 
ern Illinois,  under  the  direction  of  the  Missionary  Committee 
of  that  Presbytery. 

I  was  married  to  Letitia  W.  Robinson,  daughter  of 
David  and  Elizabeth  Robinson,  ( both  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,)  at  or  near  Edwardsville,  Madison 
county,  Sept.  13th,  1827.  My  wife  has  borne  me  eleven 
children,  four  of  whom  only  survive,  viz.:  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Sea- 
man, born  Dec.  26th,  1829.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  A.  Abernathy, 
born  Sept.  7th,  1841.  Jos.  A.  Gordon,  born  Feb.  i8th, 
1847,  and  Mrs.  Julia  G.  Remann,  born  March  ist.  1849. 

The  most  pleasing  incident  of  my  childhood  was 
the  intense  earnestness  manifested  by  my  parents  to  give  me 
an  education  out  of  their  limited  means,  and  especially  the 
great  care  they  took  in  having  me  study  the  Bible  and  West- 
minster catechism.  From  these  two  sources  I  have  derived 
more  theology  than  from  all  other  helps  I  have  been  able  to 
reach.  As  I  write  this  sketch,  retrospectingthe  past  as  I  do, 
my  soul  is  filled  with  joy  which  nothing  but  God's  word  can 
inspire,  when  I  call  up  the  time  where,  away  in  Old  Ireland^ 


WILLIAM    H.  BIRD.  369 

under  my  Uncle  Carson's    white-thorn   hedge,  at  the   age  of 
six  years  I  committed  to  memory  the  twenty-third  psalm." 

What  follows  is  from  the  pen  of  another,  Mr.  Gordon 
did  good  service  while  in  the  Cumberland  Church,  as  many 
can  testify  who  were  acquainted  with  him  at  that  time.  In 
the  spring  of  1847,  having  united  with  the  Alton  Presbytery, 
he  entered  on  the  work  of  Home  Missions,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Missionary  Committee  of  the  Presbytery,  and  has 
labored  in  Southern  Illinois  to  the  present  time.  During 
this  period  he  has  organized  eight  Presbyterian  churches  and 
ten  Sabbath-schools.  Four  of  the  churches  are  now  self- 
sustaining.  He  taught  the  first  Sabbath-school  in  Liberty 
Prairie,  Madison  county,  and  the  third  one  in  that  county. 
He  was  engaged  for  months  in  lecturing  on  temperance  dur- 
ing the  Washingtonian  movement,  traveling  over  the  North- 
ern part  of  Iowa,  and  a  large  portion  of  the  state  of  Illinois. 
In  this  work  he  was  called  the  "  Irish  Poney,"  and  whilst 
thus  engaged,  part  of  the  time  in  connection  with  one  or  two 
others,  about  seven  thousand  persons  signed  the  pledge. 
The  writer  has  known  him  forty-five  years  and  can  add  his 
testimony  to  his  uprightness,  purity  of  character  and  success- 
ful labors. 


William  Harrison  Bird, 

Was  born  in  Fayette  county,  near  Lexington,  Ky.,  May  31, 
1814.  His  father's  name  was  Abram.  His  mother's  maiden 
name,  Catharine  Fry.  They  were  born  and  raised  in  Shen- 
andoah county,  Va.,  and  married  there,  the  bride  being  but 
fifteen  years  of  age.  They  removed  immediately  to  Ken- 
tucky, arriving  there  probably  about  1802.  They  removed 
to  Missouri  in  1825  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Hannibal, 
which  at  that  time  had  but  one  house.  They  were  thrifty 
farmers,  owning  a  few  slaves,  but  working  with  their  own 
hands,  industrious  and  abounding  in  hospitality.  In  the  lat- 
ter part  of  his  life,  Mr.  Abram  Bird,  through  his  too  great 
confidence  in  others,  lost  his  property.  In  hopes  of  recover- 
ing himself  he  went  to  California.  He  did  not  succeed ; 
and  on  his  return  died  at  sea,  five  days  out  from  San  Fran- 
cisco, Oct.  II,  1850.     He  was  then  seventy  years  of  age. 

Abram   Bird  and  his    wife  did  not  become  pious 
until  1832.     In  that   year  they  and  several  of  their  children 

23 


370  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

were  converted  at  a  camp-meeting  held  by  Dr.  David  Nel- 
son, and  united  with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  Marion 
county.  Mo.  They    had  twelve  children,  eleven 

of  whom  reached  maturity,  and  five  are  still  living.  Mrs. 
Catharine  Fry  Bird  died  in  Missouri  about  1857.  At  the 
death  of  her  husband,  her  own  home  was  broken  up,  and 
from  that  time  forward  she  resided  with  her  children.  Wm. 
H.  Bird's  early  advantages  for  an  education  were  very  limi- 
ted. His  only  religious  instruction  was  from  a  pious  grand- 
mother, who  used  to  converse  and  pray  with  him.  Dr.  Nel- 
son was  the  first  preacher  he  ever  heard  who  really  preached 
the  Gospel.  He  -was  accustomed  in  his  youth  to  spend  the 
Sabbath  in  hunting  and  fishing.  His  connection  with  the 
church  occurred  in  1833.  His  first  marriage  was  to  Miss 
Eliza  Eveline  Gash,  a  native  of  North  Carolina.  It  took 
place  in  Marion  county,  Mo.,  Jan.  i,  1834,  when  he  was  less 
than  twenty  years  of  age.  The  children  of  that  marriage 
were  six :  Mary  Jane,  now  Mrs.  Wm.  B.  White,  born  Sept. 
14,  1835  ;  Martha  Ann,  now  Mrs.  T,  W.  Lippincott,  born 
May  17,  1838;  Samuel  Wylie,  born  Oct.  2,  1S40;  Abraham 
Calvin,  born  March  4,  1843;  Martin  Luther,  born  Jan.  15, 
1847,  and  Eliza  Eveline,  now  Mrs.  Nelson  Lance,  born  April 
II,  1849.  All  these  are  living,  Mary  Jane  at  Spearville,  Kan- 
sas, Martha  Ann  at  Pana,  111.,  Samuel  W.  at  Spearville,  Ford 
county,  Kansas,  Abram  C.  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  2312  Chestnut 
street.  Martin  L.  is  an  engineer  on  the  St.  Jo  branch  of  the 
North  Missouri  R.  R.  Eliza  E.  is  in  Bourneville,  Ohio.  All 
are  members  of  the  of  the  Presbyterian  Church — active,  use- 
ful, consistent  Christians.  The  first  Mrs,  Bird  died  in  Mt. 
Vernon,  III,  Aug.  18,  1855.  April  16,  1856,  Mr.  Bird  mar- 
ried INIiss  Susan  Bowen,  She  was  born  at  Felchville,  Wind- 
sor county,  Vt.  She  was  educated  at  the  academies  of  Per- 
kinsville,  Springfield  and  Ludlowville,  Vt.,  and  Yates,  New 
York.  She  came  west  with  Gov.  Slade  in  1855,  and  taught 
near    Mt.  Vernon,    111.  The  children  of  this  sec- 

ond marriage  were  also  six — four  sons  and  two  daughters. 
Of  these,  two  died  in  infancy,  and  two  others  after  reaching 
the  ages  of  three  and  four.  Of  the  two  survivors,  Ossian 
Fremont,  born  July  22,  1862,  resides  with  his  half-brother, 
Abraham  C,  in  St.  Louis.  The  remaining  one,  Susan  Row- 
ena,  born  July  31,  1865,  is  with  her  mother  at  Woodburn,  111. 
So  far  as  Mr.  Bird  had  a  religious  trainuig,  it 
was  in  the  Presbyterian  Church.     With  that  Church  he  uni- 


WILLIAM    H.  BIRD.  37 1 

led.  Feeling  a  desire  to  preach  the  Gospel,  he  removed 
with  his  family  to  Mission  Institute,  near  Quincy,  March  15, 
1840,  and  prosecuted  his  studies  at  that  institution.  Fearing 
that  his  educational  qualifications  were  too  limited  to  admit 
licensure  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  he  applied  to  the  Salt 
River  Presbytery  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  was  by  them  licensed  to  preach,  April  6,  1844,  after 
having  studied  about  four  years.  He  was  ordained  by  the 
Rushville  Presbytery,  C.  P.,  Sept.  30,  1845.  He  labored  in 
the  Cumberland  Church  from  the  time  of  his  licensure  till 
Oct.  2,  1846 — one  year  and  seven  months.  In  the  first  part  of 
this  time  at  Bernadotte,  on  Spoon  river,  and  at  Table-Grove, 
in  S.  VV.  corner  of  Fulton  county,  teaching  school  as  well  as 
preaching.  His  support  was  very  small.  April  10,  1845,  he 
says  :  *'  We  have  been  wonderfully  exercised  in  view  ot  our 
temporal  wants.  In  an  unusual  degree  of  faith  and  reliance 
on  God  we  have  been  supplied  with  one  hundred  pounds  of 
flour,  three  and  one-half  yards  of  jeans,  three  dollars,  sixty- 
two  and  one-half  cents  in  money  and  one  piece  of  bacon." 
He  oiganized  a  church  at  Table-Grove,  Oct.  18,  1845.  Later 
he  had  a  circuit  including  Rushville,  Schuyler  county.  But 
he  was  not  satisfied  with  his  connection  with  the  C.  P. 
Church.  Hence  he  took  his  dismission  from  them,  attended 
a  meeting  of  the  Schuyler  Presbytery,  n.  s.,  at  Quincy,  and 
was  received  into  that  body,  Oct.  2,  1846,  after  an  examina- 
tion in  theology  only.  The  same  fall  he  removed  with  his 
family  to  x\lton  Presbytery  with  which  he  united  April  23, 
1847,  ai^d  was  installed  pastor  of  Vergennes  church,  July  18, 
1847.  A.  T.  Norton  preached  the  sermon,  Josiah  Wood 
gave  the  charge  to  the  pastor,  and  J,  R.  Dunn  to  the  people. 
His  field  of  labor  included  Murphysboro,  Jackson  county, 
and  Liberty,  now  Rockwood,  Randolph  county.  In  April, 
1843,  his  pastoral  relation  with  the  Vergennes  church  was 
was  dissolved.  He  was  installed  pastor  of  the  Old  Ducoign 
church  Sabbath,  Sept.  18,  1853.  His  subsequent  fields  of 
labor  were  Mt.  Vernon,  Vandalia,  Bethel,  Sandoval  and 
Bethel  the  second  time.  In  all  these  latter  places  he  was 
supply  pastor.  The  only  churches  he  served  as  pastor  were 
Vergennes  and  Old  Ducoign.  His  longest  stay  in  any  one 
field  was  at  Bethel,  where  he  remained,  including  both  peri- 
ods of  service,  for  ten  years.  In  April,  1868,  while  he  was 
residing  at  Bethel,  his  health  gave  way.  It  had  been  grad- 
ually failing   for   some  years.     In    April,    1865,  he  had  apo- 


372  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

plexy,  and  lay  for  several  days  at  the  point  of  death.  But 
he  recovered  so  as  to  resume  his  labors.  But  the  sickness 
which  laid  him  wholly  aside  from  the  ministry  was  a  nervous 
fever,  in  April,  1868.  At  two  different  times  he  was  a  pa- 
tient for  several  months  at  the  Water-Cure,  Elmira,  N.  Y. 
He  was  benefited  but  not  restored.  The  summer  of  1870 
he  spent  with  his  wife's  relations  in  Vermont.  In 

the  spring  of  1869,  he  fixed  his  residence  at  Pana,  Illinois, 
where — with  the  exception  of  the  visit  to  Vermont  and  an- 
other to  Elmira — he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1874,  when 
he  removed  to  Wpodburn,  where  he  died  April  15,  1S77. 
Though  a  constant  invalid  and  a  portion  of  the  time  a  great 
sufferer  for  more  than  ten  years,  his  immediate  death  was 
produced  by  a  fall.  Attempting  to  visit  a  sick  neighbor,  he 
stumbled  and  struck  his  head  against  a  post.  Five  days  after 
this  he  breathed  his  last.  He  was  buried  at  Woodburn.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  he  was  a  member  of  Alton  Presbytery. 
He  was  mild  in  temper,  modest  and  retiring  in  manner,  but 
keenly  observant.  He  reached  the  ministry  through  many 
obstacles  and  persevered  in  the  work  amidst  great  discourage- 
ments. His  preaching  was  uniformly  profitable  and  often 
with  great  unction  and  power.  Some  of  Dr.  Nelson's  pupils 
have  said  that  in  the  pulpit  he  closely  resembled  that  great 
]\Iasterin  Israel.  Few  men  have  been  more  blessed  in  their 
children.  Of  the  eight  who  survive,  the  seven  elder  are 
pious,  and  connected  with  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Tlie 
youngest  is  at  this  time  a  girl  of  thirteen,  and  resides  with 
her  mother  at  Woodburn.  111. 


Brighton  Church  was  organized  the  first  Sabbath  in^ 
January,  1847,  by  Revs.  W.  Chamberlin  and  J.  A.  Ranney 
m  the  Baptist  church  with  these  twelve  members,  viz. :  Nathan 
Johnson  and  wife,  John  Jay  Green  and  wife,  Henry  Boulter 
and  wife,  L.  P.  Stratton  and  wife,  James  W.  Gilson  and  wife, 
Mrs.  Cunningham  and  Mrs.  David.  Elders  :  Nathan  John- 
son, John  Jay  Green  and  Henry  Boulter,  the  first.  Since 
then,  L.  P.  Stratton,  James  W.  Gilson,  T.  A.  Brown,  Edwin 
Amass,  Hezekiah  C.  Clark  and  William  Boulter.  Ministers  : 
Wm.  Chamberlin;  George  Spaulding,  ordained  pastor  in 
1848 — the  relation  lasted  only  one  year; — Thomas  Lippin- 
cott;T.  B.  Hurlbut;  Henry  D.  Piatt  in  185 1;  Samuel  K. 
Sneed;  Joseph  S.  Edwards;  David  Dimond,  1860-65  ;  Geo, 


BRIGHTON    CHURCH.  373 

L.  Tucker;  Wm.  R.  Adams,  1867  till  about  1870;  May  21, 
1871,  David  Dimond,  D.  D.,  was  installed  pastor  and  still 
continues.  The  first  house  of  worship  was  a  small  brick 
building,  dedicated  June  I,  185 1,  The  present  house  was 
dedicated  Aug.  22,  1869.  It  is  a  frame  building  thirty-six  by 
fifty-six  with  a  spire  ninety  feet  high.  It  cost  $6,400,  and  is  the 
finest  edifice  in  the  town.  The  whole  number  of  members 
has  been  one  hundred  and  seventy-nine,  of  whom  seventy- 
six  were  received  by  letter  and  one  hundred  and  three  by 
profession.  Among  this  church's  many  loved  and  honored 
ones,  living  and  dead,  James  W.  Gilson  and  Dr.  T.  A. 
Brown,  are  pre-eminent.  The  former  was  born  in  Salem 
Parish,  Westmoreland  county.  Pa.,  in  1810.  He  was  in  early 
life  in  business  in  Jeffersonville,  Ind.,  where  he  became  rul- 
ing elder.  He  was  active  and  prosperous  in  affairs,  an  ex- 
emplary Christian,  devoted  to  his  church,  a  man  of  sagacity 
and  of  great  influence  in  the  community.  He  died  Aug.  30, 
1864.  Thomas  A.   Brown,  M.  D.,   a  native   of 

South  Carolina — an  associate  in  early  life  of  Dr.  F.  A.  Ross, 
.a  graduate  in  medicine  under  Dr.  R.  D.  IMassey — was  a  co- 
worker with  this  church  from  ,the  beginning  till  his  death  in 
April,  1864.  He  was  a  superior  singer,  devoted  to  all  good 
things,  and  in  every  way  reliable.  In   1867,  cer- 

tain members — under  the  leadership  of  L.  P.  Strd,tton — with- 
drew and  formed  a  Congregational  church.  This  movement 
was  not  only  utterly  uncalled  for,  but  has  been,  and  is,  the 
great  hindrance  in  this  field.  For  seventeeen  years  previous  to 
that,  the  church  had  supported  its  minister  and  had  sometimes 
_given  three  hundred  dollars  a  year  for  Christian  work  abroad. 
Now  both  churches  are  feeble,  having  half  their  pastor's 
time  and  giving  very  little  to  Missionary  purposes.  The 
spectacle  is  sad  and  admonitory,  and  is  regarded  by  Chris- 
tian people  of  other  places  and  other  denominations  as  a 
reproach  and  a  warning.  In  May,  1 861,  burglars 

entered  the  house  of  one  of  the  elders,  and  carried  oft''  the 
communion  service,  a  box  containing  Sabbath  school  money 
and  a  pair  of  boots.  Two  nights  after  a  man  was  shot  dead 
when  attempting  to  enter  a  house  at  Miles.  On  his  feet 
were  the  missing  boots.  The  next  March  the  sacred  uten- 
sils were  found  in  a  hazel  thicket  about  two  miles  distant, 
scarcely  at  all  injured.  They  had  been  given  to  the  church 
by  Deacon  J.  W.  Archer,  and  after  the  schism  were  handed 
over  by  Rev.  Mr.  Tucker,  to  the  Congregational  party. 


374  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLIMOIS. 

Alton  Presbytery  met  with  the  Monticello  church,  Oct. 
l6,  1847.  There  were  present  ten  ministers  and  fifteen  eld- 
ers. Elder  B.  I.  Oilman,  represented  Monticello  church. 
Two  missionary  delegates,  viz.:  Revs.  Joseph  Butler  and  C. 
H.  Palmer,  were  present  from  the  Presbytery  of  Palestine, 
n.  s.  The  churches  of  Vergennes  and  Liberty  Prairie  were 
received.  Wm.  H.  Bird  was  installed  pastor  of  Vergennes 
church,  by  a  committe  of  Presbytery,  July  18,  1847.  -^ 
committee  was  appointed  to  ordain  John  Gibson,  pastor  of 
Plum  Creek  church.  Wm.  E.  Chittenden  was  dismissed 
from  the  pastorat§rof  Belleville  church.  Robert  Kirkwood 
was  dismissed  to  the  Fourth  Presbytery  of  New  York,  and 
Charles  B.  Barton  to  that  of  Illinois.  The  thanks  of  the 
Presbytery  were  presented  to  the  Principal,  Miss  Philena 
Fobes,  teachers  and  pupils  of  Monticello  Female  Seminary, 
for  the  interesting  performances  in  Calisthenics  and  Music, 
with  which  they  had  favored  the  body.  And  they  were 
assured  the  Presbytery  both  individually  and  collectively  feel 
the  warmest  interest  in  the  continued  prosperity  of  the  insti- 
tution. E.  B.  Olmsted  was  received  from  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Synod. 


Vergennes  Church  is  in  the  north  part  of  Jackson  county, 
in  T.  7,  S.  R.,  2  W.  It  was  organized  by  Revs.  W.  H.  Bird 
and  Josiah  Wood,  July  17,  1847,  with  twenty-four  members. 
Thomas  L.  Ross,  Russell  Tuthill  and  S.  C.  Porter,  elders. 
W.  H.  Bird  labored  here  for  several  years.  But  most  of  the 
leading  members  have  removed  or  died.  The  church  still 
exists  and  has  occasional  services.  But  it  never  had  any 
other  house  of  worship  than  an  inconvenient  school-house. 
Elder  R.  B.  Blacklock,  M.  D.,  is  still  .on  the  ground. 


Liberty  Prairie  Church  was  in  Madison  county,  T.  5  N. 
R.  8  W.  It  was  organized  by  Revs.  Lemuel  Foster  and 
Joseph  Gordon,  July  ii,  1S47,  with  ten  members.  Wm.  S. 
B.  Robinson,  Thomas  Waples  and  Franklin  Sleight,  elders. 
It  had  but  a  brief  organic  existence,  though  its  principal 
members  still  remain,  and  are  connected  with  Moro  or 
Edwardsville  churches. 


edward  b.  olmsted.  375 

Edward  Bigelow  Olmstkd, 

Auto-biographical. 

"I  was  born  on  the  29th  day  of  Nov.  181 3,  in  Philadel- 
phia." So  says  the  family  record.  My  father,  Edward 
Olmsted,  was  a  printer  and  publisher  in  Philadelphia,  and 
relinquished  his  business  to  accept  a  commission  as  3rd 
Lieut.,  in  the  i6th  Infantry  Reg.,  U.  S.  A.,  which  was  soon 
ordered  to  join  the  expedition  under  General  Wilkinson, 
destined  to  invade  Canada.  But  that  Province  was  not  fated 
to  become  a  star  on  the  broad  shield  of  the  great  Republic. 
The  battle  of  Williamsburg,  sometimes  called  Chrystler's 
field,  fought  Nov.  nth,  1813,  does  not  figure  much  in 
history,  but  was  as  decisive,  so  far  as  the  conquest  of  Canada 
was  concerned,  as  Waterloo  or  Pharsalia. 
Lieut.  Olmsted  fell  at  the  head  of  his  company,  and  was 
buried  on  the  field  of  battle,  after  the  manner  of  Sir  John 
Moore.  .  In  his  last  letter,  to  his  father,  dated  Sackets 
Harbor,  Oct.  2nd,  1813,  he  writes:  "By  vacancies  that 
have  occurred,  I  am  now  a  ist  Lieut.,  in  command  of 
sixty  men.  The  conflict  will  be  a  bloody  one,  and  if 
I  survive  it  I  will  write  the  particulars,  ( I  hope  from 
Montreal ),  if  not,  remember  me  as  I  deserve.  I  hope 
to  sustain  the  honor  of  our  family  and  name." 
The  family  is  English  and  very  ancient.  The  founder  in 
America  was  James  Olmsted,  who  came  over  with  other  Pur- 
itans in  the  ship  Lion  in  1632,  braving  the  danger  of  winter 
winds  and  inhospitable  shores,  that  they  might  found  "a 
Church  without  a  bishop,  and  a  State  without  a  king." 
Among  the  names  of  the_^  founders  of  the  Hartford  colony 
on  the  monument  in  Hartford  City  are  three  Olmsteds.  from 
whom,  it  is  thought,  all  of  the  name  have  descended.  They 
have,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  learn,  been  a  God-fearing 
people,  and  have  inscribed  the  name  high  on  the  roll  of  fame 
in  civil  and  military  life.  Notably,  Capt.  Gideon  Olmsted, 
of  the  Colonial  Navy ;  Prof.  Dennison  Olmsted ;  Prof.  L.  G. 
Olmsted,  LL.D.,  and  Fred.  Law  Olmsted,  the  planner  of  New 
York  City  Central  and  other  parks.  I  know  that 

no  one  is  entitled  to  any  credit  for  what  his  ancestors  did  or 
said ;  at  the  same  time  it  is  pleasant  to  know  that  those  who 
have  gone  before  have  maintained  the   name   and   honor  of 


3/6  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

the  family.  My  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was 

Sarah  Webster,  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey.  Her  parents 
were  Quakers.  She. was  a  decided  Presbyterian.  Her  sec- 
ond marriage,  to  John  Stevenson,  of  Chambersburg,  Pa., 
caused  our  removal  thither.  I  had  the  usual  experience 
of  boys.  With  morning  shining  face,  crept  unwillingly  to 
school.  There  was  no  attrac  )a  there.  The  small  boys 
were  called  by  our  teacher  "  trash."  When  it  was  time  for 
recess  he  would  say  the  "trash"  may  go  out.  His  attention 
was  given  to  the  more  advanced  scholars,  because,  I  sup- 
pose, it  was  more  agreeable  to  his  taste.  On 
Sabbath  days  I  \fent  with  the  family  to  the  Presbyterian 
church,  then,  and  during  my  entire  boyhood,  in  charge  of 
David  Denny,  a  very  dignified  and  learned  pastor,  who  never 
uttered  a  sentiment  that  I  can  remember.  But  singularly 
enough,  two  words  are  indelibly  engraved  on  my  mind, 
which  may  serve  as  a  key  to  his  discourses — condign  piinish- 
ment.  There  was  no  food  for  babes,  and  not  much  proven- 
der for  the  half  grown  lambs  of  the  fold.  About  1830  or 
1832,  there  was  a  great  revival  in  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church,  then  in  charge  of  Dr.  Kurtz,  afterwards  editor  of  the 
Lutheran  Observer  oi  Baltimore.  A  conflict  was  going  on  in 
that  Church  at  that  time  between  old  measure  men  and  new 
measure  men.  Dr.  Kurtz  headed  the  latter  party,  and  of 
course  was  a  revivalist.  Some  of  the  fathers  were  scandal- 
ised when  the  pastor  invited  the  anxious  to  remain  and  be 
conversed  with  and  prayed  for.  One  of  my  visions  of  the 
time  was  the  sturdy  old  German  deacons  rising  up  as  the 
announcement  was  made,  at  the  close  of  services,  for  an  in- 
quiry meeting,  reaching  up  deliberately  for  their  broad- 
brimmed  hats,  and  marching  out  in  single  file.  In  a  short 
time,  however,  there  v/ere  very  few  to  say  "  the  old  is  better." 
New  measures  carried  the  day;  and  the  Lutheran  Church 
entered  an  era  of  life  and  prosperity.  About  the  same  time  was 
brewing  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  the  trouble  that  ended 
in  the  organization  of  the  New  School  or  Constitutional  Gen- 
eral Assembly.  The  former  was  a  matter  of  "  measures," 
the  latter  of  doctrine,  with  perhaps  a  right  smart  sprinkle  of 
measures  too.  Although  not  considered  a  bad 
boy,  in  fact  having  the  approbation  of  the  good,  I  found  out 
at  these  meetings,  that  I  was  a  guilty  sinner.  I  never  had, 
and  never  have  had  a  single  doubt  in  regard  to  the  doctrine 
of  the  atonement.     I  reached  out    like  one  sinking  into   un- 


EDWARD    B.  OLMSTED.  3/7 

known  depths,  and  Christ  took  me  by  the  hand,  I  was  as 
well  assured  of  forgiveness  as  though  the  words  were  audibly 
spoken,  and  though  I  have  read  and  studied  the  Vestiges 
of  Creation,  Renan's  Life  of  Christ,  Huxley  and  Robert  In- 
gersol,  and  other  doubters,  the  equanimity  of  my  faith  has 
never  for  a  moment  been  disturbed  to  the  extent  of  an  atom. 
What  right  has  the  effeminate  inhabitant  of  an  equatorial  re- 
gion to  say  to  the  sturdy  and  hardy  Laplander  there  is  neither 
snow  nor  ice.  "  Why  did  I  enter  the  ministry?  " 

Somehow  it  seemed,  after  I  united  wath  the  Church,  a 
general  sentiment  that  I  should  study  for  that  purpose.  I 
was  very  much  impressed  with  the  importance  of  religion 
and  was  anxious  to  induce  others  to  enjoy  its  blessings.  A 
way  opened  itself  so  clearly  to  the  ministry  that  I  dared  not 
refuse  to  enter.  I  had  no  debatings  nor  discussions  in  my 
mind  about  it,  and  I  never  asked  any  one's  opinion  as  to  its 
propriety.  At  about  the  age  of  nineteen,  I  enter- 

ed Pennsylvania  College,  at  Gettysburg.  While  there  was 
rewarded  for  early  rising  by  a  glorious  view  of  the  meteoric 
shower  of  Nov.  13,  1833 — the  most  brilliant  heavenly  pyro- 
technic display  of  which  history  makes  mention.  My  step- 
father carried  on  an  extensive  tailoring  establishment,  in 
which  many  of  my  youthful  days  were  spent. 

To  complete  my  studies  at  Gettysburg,  seemed  impracti- 
cable, and  although  Horace  Greely  had  not  yet  said,  "  Young 
man,  go  out  West  and  grow  up  with  the  country,"  neverthe- 
less I  went ;  by  stage  to  Pittsburg,  by  boat  to  Cincinnati,  and 
by  stage  to  Indianapolis,  where  I  met  the  Reverend  and 
beloved  Abraham  Reck,  who  had  left  a  flourishing  and 
wealthy  church  in  Maryland  to  found  an  English  Lutheran 
•church  in  Indianapolis.  His  first  salutation  was,  the  Lord 
has  sent  you  to  me  to  prepare  for  the  ministry.  This  was  in 
1836,  and  in  October,  1838,  he  and  I  rode  to  Corydon,  Ind., 
to  a  meeting  of  the  Synod  of  the  West,  at  which  I  was  duly 
licensed.  There  was  a  call   for  a   minister   from 

churches  in  Union  county.  111.  The  Synod  directed  me  to 
visit  them,  which  I  did  on  horseback  and  alone,  through  a 
sparsely  settled  country,  to  me  an  unknown  world.  The 
people  of  the  two  churches  (near  Jonesboro),  agreed  to  give 
me  one  hundred  dollars  per  annum  and  my  boarding.  After 
a  stay  of  two  weeks,  the  same  faithful  horse  carried  me  back 
to  Indianapolis.  Packing  up  my  few  effects — mostly  books, 
a  saddle  and  inevitable  saddle-bags,  then  new,  but  now  laid 


3/8  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

up  in  ordinary,  after  a  close  companionship  of  many  thous- 
and miles,  through  forests,  across  rivers,  over  prairies,  in  sun- 
shine and  in  storm.  And  they  would  be  good  for  ten  }^ears 
travel  yet,  but  how  would  they  look  on  a  railroad  car?  N. 
B.  They  shall  not  be  laughed  at,  but  some  day  will  find  a 
place  among  the  venerated  relics  of  our  pioneer  history. 

By  stage  to  Madison,  Ind.,  and  by  boat  to  Cale- 
donia, where  I  landed  in  Nov.,  1838,  and  proceeded  to  Jones- 
boro  on  foot,  A  horse  had  been  sent  to  Caledonia  for  me, 
but  delays  on  the  river,  caused  by  low  water,  resulted  in  the 
return  of  the  horse^without  the  expected  rider. 
On  July  10,  1839,  I  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  Capt.  James  Riddle,  in  the  room  in  which  1  write 
these  notes.  Unwilling  to  be  married  by  a  magistrate,  T  rode 
to  Union  county  and  procured  the  services  of  Rev.  James 
Alexander,  of' the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church.  My 
faithful  and  devoted  wife  is  yet  spared  to  me.  Time  has 
dealt  gently  with  us.  There  is  some  abatement  of  the  "  nat- 
ural force,"  manifest  mainly  in  the  inability  to  prolong  effort. 
But  we  enjoy  serene  and  green  old  age,  she  being  my  junior 
by  seven  years.  Our  children  are  these  :   George 

Edward,  born  June  4,  1840,  at  Jonesboro ;  James  Henry, 
born  May  5,  1842,  at  Caledonia;  Sarah  Elizabeth,  born 
February  i,  1844,  at  Jonesboro;  Andrew  Deardorff,  born 
April  10,  1846,  at  Jonesboro;  Charles  Marcus,  born  Decem- 
ber 27,  1848,  at  Bethel,  Bond  county ;  Elizabeth  Ellen,  born 
February  16,  1852,  at  Caledonia;  William  Webster,  born 
March  14,  1854.  Sarah  Elizabeth  died  at  Bethel,  February 
2,  1849.  Upon  the  marble  of  her  headstone  are  these  words  : 
"  Her  sun  has  gone  down  while  it  is  yet  day."  Henry  died 
at  Caledonia,  November  6,  1856,  by  the  accidental  discharge 
of  a  gun  in  his  own  hands.  On  his  tombstone  are  these 
words :  "  I  was  dumb  ;  I  opened  not  my  mouth  because  thou 
didst  it."  The  four  sons  and  daughter  are  honorably  settled 
in  life,  and  we  have  cause  for  gratitude  to  God  for  our  ex- 
emption from  trouble  on  their  account.  Incapable  of  false- 
hood, fraud  or  deceitfulness,  or  of  uttering  a  profane  or  vul- 
gar word  or  sentiment,  they  have  won  the  confidence  and  es- 
teem of  their  associates.  Two  of  them  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  The  others  might  be,  and  ought  to  be. 
I  was  ordained  in  the  Lutheran  church,  at  Hills- 
boro,  October  4,  1839.  I  served  the  two  churches  near 
Jonesboro,  and  organized  two  others — one  in  Pulaski  county,. 


EDWARD    B.  0L>5STED.  379 

the  other  in  Jackson  county,  and  divided  my  time  among 
them,  and  added  largely  to  the  membership.  The  latter 
two  churches  are  now  large  and  flourishing  and  have  erected 
good  buildings.  The  formation  of  the  Jackson  county 
church  was  the  immediate  cause  of  my  connection  with  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  A  small  Presbyterian  church  had 
been  organized  in  the  same  neighborhood,  and  Bro.  Bird,  the 
stated  supply,  and  the  brethren  Wood  and  Dunn,  thought  the 
American  Home  Mission  Society  would  commission  me  to 
serve  both  churches.  To  this  end  I  attended  the  meeting  of 
Presbytery  at  Monticello,  where  the  scheme  was  declared  im- 
practicable. For  some  time  I  had  felt  discouraged  on  ac- 
count of  my  inability  to  preach  in  the  German  language,  and 
still  more  from  the  fact  that  my  nearest  ministerial  neighbor, 
Rev.  Scherer,  of  Hillsboro,  was  one  hundred  and  forty  miles 
away  from  me.  Rev.  A.  T.  Norton  especially  represented  to 
me  that  I  could  accomplish  more  by  the  change,  and  I  did 
not  doubt  it.  So  I  obtained  a  dismission  from  the  President 
of  the  Synod,  and  united  with  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  the  Presbytery  of  Alton,  at  an  adjourned  session  at 
Jacksonville,    on    October   22,    1847.  ^'ly    suc- 

cessor at  Jonesboro  was  a  German  and  English  preacher, 
Rev.  John  Krack  and  I  was  elected  stated  supply  of  the 
Bethel  church  in  Bond  county,  to  which  place  I  removed 
my  family.  The  four  years  I  remained  there  were  the 
happiest  and  probably  the  most  useful  of  my  life.  There 
were  many  additions  to  the  church  and  one  or  two  precious 
and  extensive  revivals  of  religion.  I  shall  never  forget 
the  godly  men  and  women,  old  and  young,  of  that  excel- 
lent church  and  neighborhood.  From  Bethel 
I  removed  to  Caledonia,  leaving  the  former  place  November 
5,  185 1.  On  the  6th  of  June,  1852,  I  organized  the  Presby- 
terian church  of  Caledonia,  of  five  members.  During  a  large 
part  of  the  intervening  time  I  have  been  stated  supply — it 
seems  to  me  to  little  purpose.  I  do  not  propose  to  excul- 
pate myself  nor  to  blame  others,  because  it  is  written,  "  One 
man  soweth  and  another  reapeth." 

From  a  report  of  Rev.  Robert  Stewart,  dated  January, 
1 85 1,  I  extract  the  following:  "On  Thursday  I  went  to  Cal- 
edonia. There  are  Quakers,  Methodists,  Baptists,  Luther- 
ans, German  Reformed,  Presbyterians,  Cumberland  Presby- 
terians, Campbellites,  Universalists,  and  what  else  I  know 
not;  and  in  building  up  Christ's   kingdom  these  discordant 


380  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

materials  must  be  taken  and  made  to  harmonize.  In  this 
work  we  must  have  much  patience,  perseverance,  self-denial, 
wisdom  and  faith."  This  is  the  enterprise  I  afterwards  en- 
gaged in.  In  patience  I  rivaled  the  Man  of  Uz ;  in  per- 
severance and  self-denial  it  seems  to  me  I  have  not 
been  wanting;  and  I  have  come  to  doubt  the  wisdom  of 
trying  to  harmonize  such  discordant  elements;  and  even 
faith  ought  to  have  the  element  of  plausibility.  The  great 
trouble  with  the  image  of  Daniel's  dream  was,  that  the  legs, 
which  ought  and  do  represent  two  sturdy  pillars,  were  part 
iron  and  part  clay.  They  did  not  harmonize  and  could  not 
be  made  to  do  so.  This  is  one  of  many  causes 

standing  in  the  way  of  success  here  and  in  many  other 
places  in  Southern  Illinois.  I  do  not  propose  to  discuss  the 
others.  In  1853,  ^^^  perhaps  in  1852,  I  preached 

half  my  time  in  Cairo,  and  aided  in  the  founding  of  that 
church.  I  have  also  supplied  the  Vienna  and  Villa  Ridge 
churches  at  times,  and  now  supply  the  church  of  America,  a 
promising  but  small  church.  Now  in  conclusion,  let  me  say  I 
rejoice  in  the  providence  of  God,  which  lead  me  into  the 
Presbyterian  ministry.  My  brethren  have  honored  me  as 
much  as  I  deserved.  Once  I  represented  the  Synod  of  the 
West  in  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Synod  of  the  United 
States,  which  met  in  Philadelphia,  and  once  the  Presbytery 
of  Alton  sent  me  to  the  General  Assembly  at  Dayton.  For 
a  time  I  was  Stated  Clerk  of  our  Synod,  and  to  Bro.  Norton 
and  others  I  am  in  part  indebted  for  the  appointment  of 
Hospital  Chaplain,  U.  S.  A.,  during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion. 
My  relations  with  all  the  brethren  have  been  cordial  and 
pleasant,  and  one  of  my  greatest  trials  is  that  I  cannot  see 
them  often  and  know  them  better.  And  no  small  part  of 
my  enjoyment  consists  in  recalling,  in  silence  and  in  solitude, 
the  kindly  utterances  of  those  who  are  gone  and  of  those 
who  remain. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Jacksonville,  Octo- 
ber 21,  1847.  Members  were  present  from  four  Presbyteries. 
The  church  of  String  Prairie,  Green  county,  was  transferred 
to  the  Presbytery  of  Alton.  The  usual  business  was  rapidly 
and  pleasantly  transacted.  The  Synod  of  Illinois, 

o.  s.,  met  at  Peoria,  October  24,  1847.     Members  were  pres- 
ent from  six  Presbyteries. 


ALVIN    M.  DIXON.  381* 


YEAR   1848. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  with  Pisgah  church, 
Morgan  county.  A.  M.  Dixon  was  received  from  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Hamilton,  Ohio.  Chauncey  Eddy  was  released 
from  the  pastorate  of  the  First  church  of  Jacksonville,  and 
granted  a  letter  of  dismission  and  general  recommendation. 
The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Farmington,  Sep- 
tember 20;  also  a  pro  re  iiata  meeting  at  Jacksonville,  No- 
vember 17,  at  which  L.  M.  Glover  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Washtenaw  and  installed  pastor  of  First  Pres- 
byterian church,  Jacksonville.  William  H.  Williams  was  dis- 
missed to  Presbytery  of  Des  Moines. 


Alvin  M.  Dixon  was  born  September  24,  1809,  in  Maury 
county,  Tenn.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  Irish,  his  ma- 
ternal grandfather,  Scotch — both  Presbyterians  back  to  John 
Knox.  He  graduated  at  Illinois  College  in  1836;  studied 
theology  at  Lane  Seminary.  He  always  intended  to  be  a 
minister — never  but  once  swerving  from  that  purpose,  and 
that  for  only  a  short  period.  He  was  licensed  and  ordained 
by  the  Presbyterian  and  Congregational  Convention  of  Wis- 
consin in  1842.  Subsequently  labored  at  Waverly  and  Car- 
linville,    111.  At    both    places  were    extensive 

revivals.  He  preached  at  Tafton — now  Blooming'..on — Wis., 
ten  years.  He  supplied  for  a  short  time  Shullsburg,  Wis., 
and  Hebron,  111.  He  never  preached  in  more  than  one  place 
without  witnessing  one  or  more  revivals.  He  is  now  supply 
pastor  in  Edgar,  Neb.  He  has  been  twice  mar- 

ried. His  first  wife  was  Miss  Sarah  Howell,  of  Greenville, 
111.  His  second,  Mrs.  E.  J.  Holmes,  widow  of  Rev.  Thomas 
Holmes,  Vandalia,  111.  His  first  marriage  was  in  March, 
1837,  the  second,  October  25,  1876.  He  had  four  children, 
all  by  his  first  wife.  Alletta  H.,  Julia  H.,  Laura  A.,  now 
Mrs.  Reynard,  and  Mary  A.  When  he  went  to 

Jacksonville  to  fit  for  college  he  had  only  seventy-five  cents, 
and  no  friend  to  afford  the  least  help.  He  fitted  for  college, 
and  paid  his  way  through  by  his  own  industry  and  frugality. 
He  has  educated  his  four  children,  giving  them  college  and 
seminary  advantages,  and  has  enough  to  save  him  from  the 
Presbyterian  Hospital. 


382  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Livingston  M.  Glover  was  born  February   21,  18 19,  in 
Phelps,  Ontario   county,  N.  Y.     He  is    descended    from  an 
English   ancestry.       Families    bearing   the    name    are  com- 
mon in  all  parts  of  Britain,  among  them  persons  of  considera- 
ble distinction  in  their  time.    Two  brothers,  John  and  Henry 
Glover,  emigrated  to  America,  the  first  about  1630,  settling 
at  Dorchester;  the  second,  about   1640,  setthng  at  Dedham, 
Mass.     From  the    last  the   subject  of  this  sketch  was   de- 
scended.    His  father,  Philander  Glover,  and  his  mother,  Ru- 
hamah  Hall,  were  natives  of  Conway,  Mass.     About  the  be- 
ginning of  the  present  century  the  family  settled  in  the  "  Gen- 
esee countr}^,"  N.  -Y.,  then  a  wilderness,  now  a  garden.     In 
1833  they  removed  to  the  territory  of  Michigan,  settling  at 
Lodi  Plains,   Washtenaw  county.     There   he   was    initiated 
into  the  mysteries  of  farming.     His  preparatory  studies  were 
pursued  at  Ann  Arbor.      He  graduated  at  Western  Reserve 
College,  Hudson,  Ohio,  in  1840,  and  pursued  his  theological 
studies  at  Lane  Seminary.     He  was  licensed  and  began  his 
ministry  in  Lodi,  Mich.,  where  several  years  of  his  boyhood 
were  spent,  and  where  his  religious  life  began.     Thfs  pastor- 
ate lasted  from  1842  to  1848,  when  he  accepted  a  call  to  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Jacksonville,  111.     This  pastor- 
ate he  has  retained  with  great  credit  to  himself  and  great  ad- 
vantage to  the  cause  to  the  present  time,  1879,  a  period  of 
thirty-one  years,  with  the  prospect  that  he  will  close  his  life 
in  the  same  relation.     His  work  has   not   only  been  uninter- 
rupted, but  arduous.     While   a  close  and  thorough  student, 
he  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the  educational  and  benevo- 
lent enterprises  of  the  place  and  region.     For  eighteen  years 
he  was  a  Trustee  of  Illinois  College  and    Secretary  of  the 
Board.     He  is  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Jack- 
sonville   Female  Academy,    and   has    raised    large  sums  of 
money  in  aid  of  its  objects.     He  is  also  President  of  the  Board 
of  Managers  of  the  Oak  Lawn  Retreat,  a  private  institution 
for  the  treatment  of  the  insane.    His  preaching  is  thoroughly 
orthodox,  logical,  simple  and  clear.     A  large  number  of  his 
discourses  has  been  published  in  pamphlet  form.     He  is  sel- 
dom out  of  his  pulpit  on  Sabbaths,  or  out  of  town  either  for 
business  or  pleasure.     He   has    twice   traveled  abroad.     In 
1858  he  went  as  far  as  Syria  and  Egypt,  touching   at  many 
places  of  interest  in   Europe.     In  1873  he  went  as  delegate 
from  the  Presbyterian  General  Assembly  of  this  country  to 
that  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland.     He  is  honorary  mem- 


MEETING    OF    PRESBYTERIES.  383 

ber  of  several  scientific  associations,  and  in  1864  received  the 
degree  of  D.  D.  from  Center  College,  Kentucky.  In  1843 
he  married  Miss  Marcia  A.  Nutting,  daughter  of  Prof.  Rufus 
Nutting,  formerly  of  Western  Reserve  College.  They  have 
five  children — three  sons  and  two  daughters.  The  eldest 
son,  Lyman  Beecher,  is  a  graduate  of  Wabash  College.  This 
son  for  several  years  edited  the  Daily  Jo2(j'na/  of  Jacksonville, 
and  is  now  agent  of  the  American  Press  Association  of 
Chicago. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Shawneetown, 
April  14,  1848.  Thomas  W.  Hynes,  minister,  and  James  A. 
Ramsey,  elder,  were  appointed  to  the  next  Assembly.  The 
church  of  New  Haven  was  dissolved,  and  its  members  at- 
tached to  those  Presbyterian  churches  most  convenient  to 
them.  The  same  Presbytery  met  at  Edwardsville,  October 
2d.  The  church  of  Pocahontas  was  received.  Valentine 
Pentzer  was  engaged  for  six  months  as  Presbyterial  Mission- 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  n.  s.,  met  at  Marshall,  Clark 
county,  April  27,  1 848.  IMessrs.  Chamberlin  aud  Norton, 
Missionary  delegates  from  Alton  Presbytery,  were  present ; 
also  Rev.  Samuel  Kaldridge,  M.   D.  The  same 

Presbytery  met  with  Trinity  church,  Edwards  county,  Sep- 
tember II.  Joseph  Wilson,  licentiate,  was  received  from 
Cincinnati  Presbytery,  examined  and  ordained,  sine  titulo, 
Tuesday,  September  12. 


Joseph  Wilson. 

Auto-biographical. 

I  was  born  in  Stamfordham,  England,  July  31,  18 14.  My 
ancestors  were  of  the  same  nationality  and  belonged  to  the 
Presbyterian  church  of  the  place  where  I  was  born. 

I  was  graduated  from  Wabash  College  at  Crawfordsville, 
Ind.,  and  also  from  Lane  Theological  Seminary,  at  Cincin- 
nati. I  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Cin- 
cinnati and  ordained  by  that    of  Wabash,  formerly  the  old 


384  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Palestine  Presbytery.  Have  labored  as  stated  supply  for 
the  churches  of  New  Providence  in  this  State,  and  of  Day- 
ton and  Rossville,  Ind.  Then  at  Pleasant  Prairie  and  Neoga; 
then  at  Shelbyville,  and  then  again  at  Pleasant  Prairie  and 
Neoga.  I  was  married  in  Neoga  to  Miss  Mildred 

R.  Johnson  of  the  same  place.  We  have  now  living  two 
children — Nellie  C,  born  December  18,  1872,  and  Inolie  P., 
born  July  20,  1874.  At  New  Providence,  during 

my  stay,  there  was  a  large  addition  to  the  church,  traceable, 
no  doubt,  to  the  long  and  faithful  labors  of  Rev.  J.  C. 
Campbell.  There  was  also  a  fair  degree  of  prosperity  in  the 
churches  of  Prairie-^'Bird  and  Shelbyville  whilst  I  was  with 
them.  The  churches  also  at  Pleasant  Hill  and  Neoga  en- 
joyed special  seasons  of  revival.  I  have  labored 
at  other  points,  but  those  mentioned  have  been  the  principal 
scenes  of  my  ministry. 

At  present  I  have  no  ministerial  charge,  and  am  engaged 
in  mercantile  business. 

Joseph  Wilson. 


The  Prfsbytery  of  Palestine,  o.  s.,  met  with  Pisgah 
church,  Lawrence  county,  April  13,  1848.  Resolutions  were 
passed  expressive  of  the  sorrow  of  Presbytery  in  view  of  the 
death  of  their  highly  esteemed  brother.  Rev.  Stephen  Bliss, 
and  of  condolence  with  his  bereaved  family.  Isaac  Bennet, 
minister,  and  R.  H.  Allison,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend 
the  Assembly.  An  adjourned  meeting  was  held  with  Mc- 
Clusky  church,  June  i,  1848.  Robert  Rutherford  was  put 
on  trial  for  various  common  fame  charges.  The  evidence 
was  heard,  and  another  adjourned  meeting  held  at  Paris, 
August  I,  1848,  when  he  was  "suspended  from  the  functions 
of  the  ministry  and  the  ordinances  of  the  Church  until  he 
give  evidence  of  repentance."  Mr.  Rutherford  appealed  to 
Synod.  The  same  Presbytery  met  at  Palestine, 

September  21,  1848.  Lawrenceville  church  was  received. 
Preston  W.  Thomson,  licentiate,  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Salem,  examined  and  ordained,  sine  titiilo, 
September  23,  1848.  Presbytery  directed  the  Clerk  to  no- 
tify the  Synod  of  Illinois  that  this  Presbytery  will  apply  ta 
the  next  Assembly  to  be  attached  to  the  Synod  of  Indiana. 
At  a  called  meeting  held  at  Paris,  November  25,  1848,  Joseph 
Piatt  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Western  District, 


preston  w.  thomson.  385 

Preston  Wallace  Thomson. 

Auto-biographical. 

I  was  born  January  17,  18 16,  in  Nicholas  county,  Ky.  My 
grandfather,  James  Thomson,  emigrated  from  county  Don- 
egal, Ireland,  in  1769,  to  America.  He  was  an  elder  in  the 
Presbyterian  church  in  Ireland  and  in  this  country.  My 
father  settled  in  Indiana  in  1828.  He  became  an  elder  in  the 
Sand  Creek  church,  Decatur  county,  Ind.,  where  he  died 
August  7,  1840.  Three  of  my  father's  sons  became  ministers. 
His  two  daughters  married  ministers — one.  Rev.  S.  H.  Thom- 
son, Ph.  D.,  LL.D.,  was  for  thirty  years  professor  of  mathe- 
matics and  natural  science  in  Hanover  College,  Ind.  He  has 
a  son  who  is  a  foreign  missionary  in  Monterey,  Mex.  Five 
of  my  father's  grandsons  became  ministers.  My 

father's  brother.  Rev.  John  Thomson,  had  four  sons  minis- 
ters— one  of  them.  Rev.  William  M.  Thomson,  D.  D.,  author 
of  "  The  Land  and  the  Book  " — and  one  grandson  a  minister. 
Thus,  thirteen  of  my  grandfather's  descendants  were  and  are 
ministers — all  Presbyterian.  My  mother's  father, 

William  Henry,  was  for  many  years  an  elder  of  the  Cane 
Ridge  Presbyterian  church,  Bourbon  county,  Ky.  His  father 
was  a  Presbyterian  from  the  North  of  Ireland.  So  I  am  of 
pretty  fair  Presbyterian  stock.  As  Rev.  James  Gallaher 
said  of  himself,  "  I  was  born  on  a  Presbyterian  last." 

My  literary  education  was  somewhat  irregular.  I 
read  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  but  did  not  practice 
much.  I  soon  gave  up  that  business  and  turned  my  atten- 
tion to  the  ministry.  I  took  a  full  course  in  the  New  Al- 
bany Theological  Seminary,  and  graduated  in  1847. 

I  was  licensed  by  the  New  Albany  Presbytery,  in  the 
fall  of  1846,  at  Bedford,  Ind.  I  was  ordained  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Palestine  in  1848.  I  spent  some  nine  months 
under  the  American  Tract  Society  as  colporteur.  I  com- 
menced my  ministerial  labors  in  the  churches  of  Mt.  Carmel 
and  Wabash,  111.,  in  the  summer  of  1848.  Preached  to  the 
Mt.  Carmel  church  about  two  years ;  when  in  lieu  of  that  I 
took  Richland  church,  and  continued  to  preach  to  that  and 
the  Wabash  until  the  fall  of  1852,  when  I  removed  to  the 
west  side  of  the  Illinois  river.  In  the  spring  of  185  i  we  had 
the  most  thorough  revival  of  religion,  in  the  Wabash 
church,  in  its  permanent  effects  that  I  have  ever  witnessed. 

24 


386  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Another  took  place  there  the  next  winter,  though  not  so 
marked.  Having  removed  to  the  west  side  of  the  lUinois 
river,  I  took  charge  of  the  churches  of  Vermont  and  Ben- 
nington, now  Ipava.  To  the  former  I  preached  about  six- 
teen months  ;  when  in  heu  of  it  I  took  charge  of  the  Pleasant 
Prairie  church,  now  Prairie  City,  in  the  spring  of  1854.  I 
was  installed  pastor  over  the  churches  of  Ipava  and  Prairie 
City  in  the  fall  of  1854.  In  the  spring  of  1857  ^^^  removed 
our  residence  to  Prairie  City.  In  the  spring  of  1858  I  re- 
signed the  charge  of  the  Ipava  church.  In  lieu  of  it,  after 
attending  the  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  in  New  Or- 
leans in  1858,  I  to6k  charge  of  the  church  of  Shiloh  one 
half  the  time  till  the  spring  of  1865.  Then,  on  my  return 
from  the  Assembly  at  Pittsburgh,  I  gave  my  whole  time  to 
the  Prairie  City  church.  In  the  fall  of  1867  I  resigned  my 
charge  of  the  Prairie  city  church,  having  preached  to  it  thirteen 
years  and  a  half.  Then  for  a  time  I  supplied  the  churches 
of  Lenox  and  Biggsville,  Next  the  church  of  John  Knox 
for  two  years,  and  then  in  1870  the  church  of  Camp  Creek 
and  was  installed  pastor.  In  connection  with,  and  following 
the  week  of  prayer,  January,  1872,  we  had  a  gracious  revi- 
val of  religion  in  which  twenty-five  persons  made  public 
profession  of  their  faith  in  Christ  at  one  time.  In  the 
spring  of  1875  I  resigned  the  charge  of  the  Camp  Creek 
church.  Since  then  I  have  not  been  engaged  in  regular 
ministerial  work.  I    married     Miss    Mary    Ann 

Ashmore,  in  Clark  county,  111.,  on  the  14th  of  December, 
1848,  with  whom  I  still  live.  We  have  a  daughter,  Emma 
Clarinda,  our  only  child,  born  the  lOth  of  January,  185 1. 
She  married  Theophilus  G.  Walker  in  connection  with  the 
25th  anniversary  of  ow'  marriage.  They  have  a  son,  born 
December  8,  1876.  He  is  called  Wallace  Allen,  named  for 
his  two  grandfathers.  We  now  live  with  our  son-in-law,  on 
Camp  Creek. 

Preston  W.  Thomson. 


Lawrenceville  is  the  civil  capital  of  Lawrence  county. 
It  has  a  pleasant  site  on  the  south  bluff  of  Embarrass  river, 
ten  miles  west  of  Vincennes,  and  at  the  intersection  of  the 
Paris  and  Danville  with  the  O.  and  M.  R.  R.  The  Pres- 
byterian church  of  Lawrenceville,  was  organized  Aug.  12, 
1848,  with  twenty  members.     John  B.  Ma.xwell  was  the  first 


MEETIXG    OF    PRESBYTERIES.  387 

elder.  The  records  of  the  church  were  burned  in  the  office 
of  Dr.  Wm.  N.  Thompson.  A.  M.  Martin  was  elder  in  1850; 
Dr.  James  Wright  in  1859;  Dr.  Wm.  N.  Thompson  in  1871, 
but  soon  died ;  Thomas  Kirkwood  is  an  elder  at  this  time 
and  has  been  for  a  number  of  years.  There  is  a  good  brick 
.house  of  worship  which  was  erected  not  long  after  the  organ- 
ization. Mrs.  Mary  M.,  wife  of  John  B.  Maxwell,  was  the 
first  mover  towards  its  erection,  and  her  husband  bore  a 
large  part  of  the  expense.  Mrs.  M.  is  still  living,  and  was 
eighty-five  years  of  age  July  26,  1879.  Through  misman- 
agement and  no  management  our  progress  in  this  place  has 
been  in  the  wrong  direction.  The  church  has  steadily  de- 
creased for  a  number  of  years,  and  now  counts  only  seven 
members.     It  is  entirely  vacant. 


The  Preseytery  of  Sangamon  met  with  Irish  Grove 
church,  April  7,  1848.  Andrew  Todd,  minister,  and  John 
Allen,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  Assembly.  The 
same  Presbytery  met  at  Jacksonville  Sept.  i,  and  by  adjourn- 
ment, at  Springfield  Sept.  26.  Difficulties  in  the  First  church 
at  Springfield  were  the  principal  subject  of  consideration  at 
these  September  meetings.  They  ultimated  in  the  resigna- 
tion of  Mr.  Bergen,  as  pastor  of  that  church;  but  with  the 
highest  estimate  and  expression  on  all  sides,  of  his  character, 
standing  and  ability.  At  another  adjourned  meeting,  Oct. 
14,  at  Rpck  Island,  it  was  announced  that  Synod  had  so 
changed  the  bounds  of  the  Presbytery  as  to  include  Revs. 
James  Stafford,  T.  W.  Hynes  and  P.  D.  Young.  Elisha 
F.  Chester  was  dismissed  to  the   Presbytery  of  Rock  River. 


Alton  Presbytery  met  with  the  Bethel  church.  Bond 
county,  April  20,  1848.  Joseph  S.  Graves  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Association  of  Illinois,  and  Lemuel  Grosvener  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Northern  Missouri  were  received.  Hickory 
Creek  church,  Fayette  county,  was  received.  Arrangements 
were  made  for  the  installation  of  J.  A.  Ranney  at  Belleville, 
on  May  19,  and  of  Lemuel  Grosvenor  at  Collinsville  May  18. 
John  Gibson  was  ordained  over  the  church  of  Plum  Creek, 
Nov.  22,  1847,  by  Committee  of  Presbytery.  W.  E.  Chitten- 
den was  dismissed.  At  an  adjourned  meeting  at  Woodburn, 
May  10,  Macoupin  county,  George  Spaulding  was  ordained 


PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLIXOIS, 


over  the  churches  of  Woodburn  and  Brighton.  The 

fall  meeting  was  held  at  Alton  Oct.  12.  Van  Burensburg 
church  was  received.  L.  S.  Williams  was  dismissed  to  the 
Presbytery  of  St.  Louis. 


Joseph  S.  Graves  was  born  July  22,  18 14,  at  Hartford^ 
Conn.  Educated  at  Illinois  College  and  Lane  Seminary. 
Ordained,  April,  1843,  by  Illinois  Congregational  Associa- 
tion. Dismissed  from  Alton  Presbytery,  April  13,  1849,  ^^ 
Hamilton  Presbytery-.  Labored  at  Woodburn  and  Bunker 
Hill,  111.,  Cheviot  and  Aurora,  Ohio,  and  Roscoe,  111. 


Lemuel  Grosvenor,  son  of  Deacon  Lemuel  Putnam  Gros- 
venor,  was  born  April  27,  1 8 14,  in  Boston,  Mass.  He  studied  at 
the  Latin  school  in  his  native  city,  and  graduated  at  Mid- 
dlebury  College  in  1835,  and  at  Andover  in  1843.  Ordained 
by  St.  Louis  Presbytery,  April  21,  1846.  Supply  pastor  of 
Rock  Hill  church.  Mo.,  1845-46.  Joined  Alton  Presbytery 
as  above.  Was  installed  pastor  of  Collinsville  church,  May 
18,  1848.  Dismissed  from  that  charge  Sept.  21,  1850. 
Supply  pastor  subsequently  of  Jerseyville  church.  On  leav- 
ing the  West  he  was  settled  at  Woodstock,  Ct.,  until  about 
i860,  when  he  gave  up  preaching  except  on  rare  occasions. 
He  was  married  to  his  first  wife,  Hannah  J. 
Pearce,  daughter  of  Hon.  Dutee  Pearce,  of  Newport,  R.  I., 
Oct.,  1845.  She  died  March  9,  1865.  He  married  Miss 
Grace  Daganne,  of  Boston,  in  April,  1866,  and  went  abroad 
soon  after.  He  resided  one  year  in  Paris,  and  afterwards  in 
London,  where  he  died  Aug.  8,  1870.  Before  he 

went  abroad  he  entered  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  dropped 
the  Rev.  from  his  name,  and  requested  his  friends  to  do  the 
same.     He  had  no  children.  Immediately  after 

his  graduation  at  college  he  entered  upon  the  study  of  the 
law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Boston.  He  soon  emi- 
grated to  Galveston,  Texas,  where  he  united  school  teaching 
with  his  legal  profession.  During  the  time  he  was  brought 
very  low  by  fever,  and  it  pleased  God  to  bless  the  efforts  of 
an  Episcopal  clergyman  to  his  conversion.  He  then  conse- 
crated himself  to  the  ministry,  studied  at  Andover  and  la- 
bored at  the  West  as  stated  above.  He  was  a  great  grand- 
son of  Gen.  Israel  Putnam,  and  wrote  many  valuable  articles 


JOHN    GIBSON.  389 

defending  his  ancestor  from  libels  of  modern  historians.  He 
was  a  scholarly  man,  and  contributed  many  original  thoughts 
to  the  literature  of  his  day. 


John  Gibson. 

This  gifted  man,  and  beloved  brother  and  father  in  the 
ministry,  died  at  Duncansville,  Blair  county,  Pa.,  June  2, 
1869,  at  the  house  of  his  brother.  Rev.  William  J.  Gibson. 

I  append  an  interesting  letter  from  this  brother,  re- 
specting Mr.  Gibson's  history  before  he  became  connected 
with  the  Alton  Presbytery : 

Duncansville,  Blair  Co.,  Pa.,  June  29,  1869. 

John  was  the  eldest  of  nine  children,  and  I  the  youngest. 
My  brother  was  born  at  Kellswater,  near  Monnerea,  County 
Derry,  Ireland,  November  6,  1790.  In  1797  our  father 
came  to  this  country.  He    was  a    minister    in 

the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church;  and  after  preach- 
ing some  time  in  New  York  and  in  Philadelphia,  he 
finally  settled  in  Ryegate,  Caledonia  county,  Vt.  There  my 
two  older  brothers,  John  and  Robert  (who  died  in  1837,  pas- 
tor of  the  Sixth  Street  Reformed  Presbyterian  church),  re- 
ceived their  academical  education,  principally  under  the 
direction  of  our  father.  In  1811  John  left  home  for  the  city 
of  New  York.  He  studied  theology  under  Rev.  Dr.  S.  B. 
Wylie,  of  Philadelphia,  then  the  only  theological  professor 
in  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  church.  In   what 

year  he  was  licensed  I  cannot  tell  He  was  ordained  pastor 
of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church,  in  Baltimore  city,  De- 
cember 31,  1819.  Some  few  years  after  his  settlement,  he 
married  Miss  Elizabeth  Jameson,  daughter  of  Dr.  Horatio 
G.  Jameson,  of  Baltimore.  By  her  he  had  six  children,  four 
of  whom  are  still  living — a  daughter  and  three  sons. 

His  oldest  son  is  a  Lieutenant-Commander  in  the  Navy, 
and  his  second  son  a  brevet-Brigadier  General  in  the  regular 
army,  being  a  graduate  of  West  Point  Mihtary  Academy ; 
and  his  third  son  is  a  lawyer  by  profession ;  his  fourth  son 
studied  law,  but  died  soon  after  being  admitted  to  the  bar. 
At  the  time  of  the  division  of  the  Covenanter 
Church,  afterwards  denominated  Old  School  and  New 
School,  my  father  and  brother  Robert  went  with  the  Old 
.School  party  and  John  with  the  New  School ;  but  in  a  short 


390  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

time  he  left  them  and  connected  himself  with  the  Presbytery 
of  Baltimore,    of  the  General  Assembly.  In  the 

closing  part  of  the  year  1834,  he  went  to  the  southwest;  first, 
I  believe,  to  St.  Louis,  then  to  New  Orleans,  and  in  1835 
took  charge  of  Brandon  Academy,  Mississippi,  where  he  con- 
tinued for  three  years,  till  1838.  After  that  time  you  proba- 
bly know  more  of  his  history  than  I  do,  as  he  went  with  the 
New  School  in  the  division  of  our  Church,  and  I  have  always 
been  a  member  of  the  Old  School  division,  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  General  Assembly  for  the  first  time  in  1838,  the 
year  that    division  took    place.  In    June  of  last 

year,  at  my  earnest- 'solicitation,  he  came  to  spend  his  last 
days  with  us.  He  was  then  in  feeble  health,  but  was  able  to 
preach  occasionally  for  me  till  about  the  middle  of  last  win- 
ter, when  manifest  symptoms  of  dropsy  began  to  appear. 
The  disease  was  the  result  of  other  diseases  with  which  he 
had  been  afflicted  for  years  before.  He  died  in  peace, 
though  in  much  physical  suffering,  on  the  second  day  of  this 
month.  Had  he  lived  till  the  sixth  day  of  November,  he 
would  have  been  seventy-nine  years  of  age.  My 

dear  sir,  I  am  obliged  to  you  for  your  favor  and  the  kind 
things  you  are  pleased  to  say  about  my  brother ;  and  if  we 
live,  I  hope  to  know  you  better  after  the  re-union  of  the  Old 
and  New  Schools. 

W.  J.  Gibson. 
When  I  first  made  the  acquaintance  of  John  Gibson,  he 
was  teaching  in  Alton.  This  was  probably  in  1840  or  1841. 
He  became  a  member  of  Alton  Presbytery,  October  18,. 
1847,  and  was  made  pastor  of  Plum  Creek  church  on  the  22d 
of  November  following.  That  pastorate  was  not  of  long 
continuance,  though  the  last  years  of  his  ministerial  life  were 
spent  with  that  people.  Meantime  he  labored  at  Belleville, 
Vandalia,  and  with  several  other  of  the  churches  in  Alton 
Presbytery,    for    limited    periods.  His  sermons 

were  exceedingly  rich  in  matter,  and  were  uniformly  deliv- 
ered without  manuscript.  He  was  a  highly  instructive 
preacher,  though   cool  and   unimpassioned.  He 

was  exceedingly  social  in  his  disposition,  and  affable  and 
pleasant  in  his  manners.  He  was  ever  prompt  in 

his  attendance  upon  ecclesiastical  meetings,  and  was  looked 
up  to  as  an  authority  on  doctrinal  and  constitutional  ques- 
tions. His  brethren  in  the  Presbytery  miss  his  genial,  sunny 
smile,  and  his  sparkling  wit,  tempered,  as  it  ever  was,  with  a 


SYNOD    OF    ILLINOIS.  *  39I 

humble  devotional  spirit.  There  were  faults  and 

sad  falls  in  one  period  of  his  history ;  but  those  of  us  who 
knew  him  the  most  intimately,  during  the  last  twenty-five 
years  of  his  life,  have  not  the  slightest  doubt  of  his  sincere 
repentance  and  thorough  reform. 


George  Spaulding  was  ordained  by  Alton  Presbytery, 
May  10,  1848,  Dismissed  by  them  to  Piscatiqua  Associa- 
tion, April  23,  1853.  When  last  heard  from,  in  1869,  he  was 
in  West  Eau  Claire,  Wis. 


Hickory  Creek  Church,  in  Fayette  county,  about  four- 
teen miles  southeast  of  Vandalia,  was  organized,  March  24, 
1848,  with  twelve  members,  by  Rev.  William  Chamberlin. 
Alfred  Ervin  and  Leonard  Washburn,  elders.  It  existed  a 
few  years,  and  exerted  a  good  influence ;  but  deaths,  re- 
movals and  the  lack  of  ministerial  supply  led  to  its  discon- 
tinuance as  an  organization.  The  members  remaining  united 
with  the  Cumberland  Precinct,  now  Brownstown  church. 


Van  Burensburg  Church,  eight  miles  north  of  Mulberry 
Grove  and  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Montgomery  county, 
was  organized.  May  28,  1848,  by  Rev.  William  Chamberlin, 
with  six  members,  James  H.  Abell  and  Thomas  Harris,  eld- 
ers. This  church  was  connected  with  that  of  Mulberry 
Grove,  September  11,  1843.  Since  which  time  the  two  have 
been  merged  with  that  of  Greenville — Mulberry  Grove  being 
now  an  out  station  of  the  Greenville  church. 


Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Quincy,  October  19,  1848. 
Rev.  J.  M.  Sturtevant,  Moderator.  The   Synod 

OF  Illinois,  o.  s.,  met  at  Rock  Island,  October  12.  The  ap- 
peal of  Robert  Rutherford  against  the  sentence  of  Palestine 
Presbytery,  suspending  him  from  the  ministry,  was  referred 
to  an  adjourned  meeting  of  Synod,  to  be  held  at  Jackson- 
ville, January  4,  1849.  [The  meeting  failed  from  want  of  a 
quorum.]  Kaskaskia  Presbytery  was  made  to  embrace  all 
that  part  of  the  State  lying  south  of  the  north  line  of  town- 
ship three  north  on  the   3d  principal  meridian.     Sangamon 


392  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Presbytery  was  bounded  thus  :  Beginning  with  the  northeast 
corner  of  T.  3  N.,  R.  i  W. ;  thence  north  with  the  3d  princi- 
pal meridian  to  its  intersection  with  Salt  Creek;  thence  down 
that  creek  and  Sangamon  river  to  the  Illinois  ;  thence  down 
the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  rivers  to  the  northwest  corner  of 
Kaskaskia  Presbytery;  thence  east  with  the  north  line  of 
that  Pesbytery  to  the  place  of  beginning.  Palestine  Presby- 
tery was  defined  thus  :  Beginning  on  the  third  principal  mer- 
idian, at  its  intersection  with  the  north  line  of  Kaskaskia 
Presbytery,  north  to  the  northern  line  of  T.  21  N. ;  thence 
east  to  the  east  line  of  the  State ;  thence  with  the  State  line 
to  the  northeast  corner  of  Kaskaskia  Presbytery. 


CHAPTER  X. 

MEETINGS  OF  PRESBYTERIES  AND  SYNODS  FROM  1 849  TO 
1853,  INCLUDING  SKETCHES  OF  THE  CHURCHES  ORGANIZED 
AND  OF  THE  MINISTERS  COMMENCING  THEIR  LABORS  HERE 
WITHIN  THE  PERIOD. 

Authorities  :    As  in  the  previous  chapter. 

YEAR    1849. 

ILLINOIS  Presbytery  met  with  Spring  Creek  church,  April 
13,  1849.  J-  ^^-  Grout  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Schuyler.  Messrs.  Grout  and  Pond  were  continued  as  Pres- 
byterial  Missionaries.  Whitehall  church  gave  notice  of 
withdrawal  from  this  Presbytery  to  attach  themselves  to 
Sangamon  Presbytery,  o.  s.  The  name  of  the  church  was 
stricken  from  the  roll.  Albert  Hale  resigned  his  office  as 
Stated  Clerk,  and  L.  M.  Glover  was  appointed  in  his  place. 
H.  Blodgett,  minister,  and  D.  A.  Smith,  elder,  were  appointed 
Commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  The  fall  meeting  was  at 
Jacksonville,  September  4,  1849. 


Joseph  Merriam  Grout  was  born  in  Westboro,  Mass., 
September  1 1,  1814.  His  ancestors  were  English.  He  grad- 
uated at  Yale  College  in  1840,  and  at  Yale  Divinity  School 
in  1843.  He  labored  in  the  West,  first  in  Schuyler  Presby- 
tery; then  in  that  of  Illinois  as  Presbyterial  Missionary.  He 
took  charge  of  Shelby ville  church,  June  30,  185 1,  and  con- 
tinued to  act  as  supply  pastor  until  his  death  by  cholera, 
August  I,  1855.     He  was  buried  at  Shelbyville. 

He  married  Mrs.  Priscilla  Groves,  of  Mechanicsville,  111. 
They  had  two  children — William  T.,  born  ]\Iarch  12,  1853, 
and  now  living  in  Sangamon  county ;  and  Joseph  M.,  born 
after  his  father's  death.  Mrs.  Grout  died  within  ten  weeks 
after  the  birth  of  Joseph  M.  This  young  man  is  a  lawyer  in 
Springfield,  a  member  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  church. 
The  following  circumstance  was  related  to  me 


394  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

by  Rev.  Dr.  David  Dimond :  On  the  death  of  his  father,  Mr, 
Grout  became  heir  to  three  thousand  dollars.  He  went 
East ;  received  his  money ;  placed  it  in  his  valise ;  went  witk 
the  valise  in  his  hand  to  the  railroad  depot,  and  put  it  down 
for  a  moment  to  purchase  his  ticket.  On  turning  to  take  it 
up,  the  valise  could  not  be  found.  Neither  it  or  its  contents 
were  ever  more  heard  of  by  their  owner.  Mr.  Grout  seems 
to  have  kept  this  misfortune  a  secret  from  all,  save  a  few 
trusted  friends.  Several  circumstances  corroborate  the  ac- 
count. One  is,  that  on  his  return  to  Shelbyville  he  was  ob- 
liged to  give  up  property  for  which  he  had  bargained. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Chester,  April 
13,  1849.  Isaac  Bennet,  who  became  connected  with  this 
Presbytery  by  the  action  of  the  Synod  at  its  last  meeting, 
was  present.  B.  F.  Spilman,  minister,  and  Dr.  William  Sim, 
elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  This 
Presbytery  reported  to  the  Assembly  that  they  consist  of  five 
ministers  and  nineteen  churches.  The  fall  meeting  was  held 
at  Carlyle,  Clinton  county,  commencing  October  2,  1849. 
Presbytery,  dissatisfied  with  their  northern  boundary,  as  fixed 
by  the  last  Synod,  sent  a  memorial  praying  that  it  might  be 
extended  as  far  north  as  the  southern  boundary  of  Montgom- 
ery county — to  run  due  east  from  the  Illinois  river  to  the  Lit- 
tle Wabash ;  thence  down  that  river  to  its  mouth. 


Palestine  Presbytery,  n.  s.,  met  at  Pleasant  Prairie,  April 
28,  1849.  Charles  H.  Palmer,  minister,  and  Asa  R.  Palmer, 
elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  The 
fall  meeting  was  held  at  Danville,  September  25.  It  was  re- 
solved to  ask  the  Synod  to  change  the  name  of  this  Presby- 
tery to  that  of  Wabash.  Also  to  request  Illinois  Synod  to 
unite  with  that  of  Indiana  in  petitioning  the  Assembly  to  at- 
tach this  Presbytery  to  the  Synod  of  Indiana ;  and  also  to 
add  to  this  Presbytery  all  that  portion  of  the  Synod  of  Indi- 
ana which  lies  south  of  Warren  county,  and  west  of  the 
Wabash  river  in  Indiana. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  o,  s.,  met  with  the  Pleasant 
Prairie  church,  April  5,  1849.     John  A.  Steele,  minister,  and 


ROBINSON    CHURCH.  395. 

John  Y.  Allison,  elder,  were  chosen  Commissioners  to  the 
next  Assembly.  The  church  of  Robinson  was  received. 
The  Presbytery  made  petition  to  the  Assembly  to  be  at- 
tached to  the  Synod  of  Indiana  with  such  boundaries  as 
were  theirs  when  notice  of  the  petition  was  given  to  Synod. 
The  fall  meeting  was  held  with  Bethel  or  Oak- 
land church,  commencing  October  4.  It  was  stated  that  the 
petition  of  the  Presbytery  to  be  attached  to  the  Synod  of 
Indiana  had  been  granted  by  the  Assembly.  H.  I.  Venable 
was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  New  Albany.  Robert 
A.  Mitchell,  licentiate,  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
New  Albany.     The  church  of  Richland  was  received. 


The  church  at  Robinson,  Crawford  county,  was  organized, 
October  28,  1848,  with  sixteen  members,  James  Eagleton, 
elder.  The  members  were  from  Palestine  church.  This  or- 
ganization had  but  a  brief  existence.  It  seems  to  have  been 
premature ;  and  the  members,  convinced  of  this,  dissolved 
the  organization  and  returned  to  the  parent  church. 

But  on  November  8,  1872,  Rev.  Thomas  Spencer  and 
Elder  Findley  Paull  renewed  the  organization  with  forty- 
eight  members,  under  the  name  of  "The  First  Presbyterian 
Church"  of  Robinson.  The  first  elders,  appointed  for  three 
years,  were  William  C.  Wilson,  John  H.  Wilkin  and  Rufus 
R.  Lull.  November  28,  1875,  F.  Robb  was  appointed  for 
three  years,  William  Austin  for  two  years,  and  Joseph  Al- 
exander for  one  year.  Ministers  :  Aaron  Thompson,  from 
the  beginning  to  the  end  of  1873;  Thomas  Spencer,  from 
beginning  of  1874  until  his  death,  August  15,  1876;  John  E. 
Carson  commenced  July  7,  1877,  and  remained  one  year. 
This  church  has  no  house  of  worship  in  their  own  name  ;  but 
have  the  right  to  use  the  house  of  the  Methodists,  whenever 
the  latter  do  not  wish  it.  At  present  the  Presbyterians  oc- 
cupy the  house  one  half  the  time.  The  Sabbath  schools  of 
the  two  churches  are  together.  This  congregation  in  1878 
erected  a  parsonage  at  a  cost  of  one  thousand  dollars.  The 
lot  on  which  it  stands  was  donated,  and  its  value  is  not  reck- 
oned in  the  thousand  dollars  cost.  All  the  ministers  thus 
far  have  been  supply  pastors. 


Richland  Church,    Richland    county,  six  miles  south  of 


39^  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Olney,  was  organized  at  Fairview,  Aug.  26,  1848,  by  a  Com- 
mittee of  Palestine  Presbytery,  with  these  eighteen  members  : 
Miles  Yocum,  Maria  Yocum,  Jefferson  Matthews,  Jphn  Hil- 
lis,  Malissa  Hillis,  Wm.  Hillis,  Ann  Hillis,  John  Reasoner, 
Jacob  Lutzin,  Henry  Roush,  Catharine  Roush,  Elizabeth 
Roush,  Mary  Knight,  John  T.  Madden,  Mary  Mad- 
den, John  Walker,  Julia  Walker,  Emily  Reasoner. 
Elders :  William  Hillis  and  Miles  Yocum.  Other 
elders :  Miles  R.  Yocum,  William  Bell,  Harley  Kings- 
bury, James  E.  Bell,  Milton  Eckley,  W.  M.  Robinson,  L.  W. 
Miller,  W.  M.  Severance,  Thomas  Eagleson,  M.  D. 

Ministers  :  Isaac  Bennet  organized  the  church.  John 
Crozier  with  S.  C.  Baldridge  held  a  meeting  here  in  Feb., 
1855.  R.  H.  Lilly  in  1856;  John  Crozier,  1857.  Thomas 
Smith  was  supply  pastor  from  Aug.,  1868  to  March,  1871  ; 
W.  M.  Reed,  1873;  C.  C.  Bomberger,  1875;  Joseph  Butler 
preached  here  occasionally ;  J.  Scott  Davis  commenced  here 
in  June,  1878,  preaching  once  in  two  weeks.  He  still  con- 
tinues. The  church  building  is  situated  on  S.  E. 
quarter  of  N.  W.  quarter  of  Sec.  35,  T.  3  N.,  R.  10  E.  The 
site  is  one-quarter  of  an  acre.  The  cemetery,  of  one  acre, 
adjoins  the  church  site  on  the  west.  The  building  was  com- 
menced May  14,  1863,  and  finished  June,  1865.  It  cost  in 
all  about  one  thousand  dollars.  The  Board  of  Church  Ex- 
tension donated  two  hundred  dollars.  Before  the  erection 
of  the  church,  the  congregation  had  met  in  school  houses  and 
in  the  Methodist  church  in  Fairview — a  little  village  about 
one  mile  east.  Up  to  1878,  the  members  of  this  church,  all 
told,  numbered  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight.  This  congrega- 
tion is  much  scattered. 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  held  a  called  meeting, 
Feb.  6,  1849,  and  organized  the  "Third  Presbytertan  church 
of  Springfield,"  with  forty-four  members.  The  Presbytery 
met  at  the  same  place,  April  6,  1849,  for  their  regular  spring 
meeting.  The  church  of  Rattan's  Prairie  was  received.  The 
church  of  Whitehall  was  received  on  their  own  request.  It 
had  been  until  this  time  connected  with  the  Illinois  Presby- 
tery. James  Stafford,  minister,  and  E.  R.  Wiley,  elder,  were 
appointed  commissioners  to  the  next  Assembly.  James 
Smith,  D.  D.,  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Louisville, 
and  installed  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church,  Spring- 


THIRD    SPRINGFIELD    CHURCH.  397 

field,  April  12,  1849.  An  adjourned  meeting  was  held  at 
Greenville,  May  i,  to  settle  difficulties  between  the  pastor  of 
that  church,  James  Stafford,  and  Geo.  Donnell.  The  object 
was  happily  accomplished.  The  Presbytery  held  a  called 
meeting  at  Springfield,  and  installed  Richard  V.  Dodge  pas- 
tor of  the  "Third  church  of  Springfield  "  Aug.  2, 

Their  regular  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Petersburg,  Oct.  8. 
Valentine  Pentzer  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Upper 
Missouri. 


The  Third  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  in 
Springfield,  111.,  the  7th  of  February,  1849,  by  the  following 
named  persons,  leaving  the  First  Presbyterian  church,  viz.: 
Asahel  Stone,  Emelia  Grimsley,  Eliza  Lowry,  James  L.. 
Lamb,  Susan  C.  Lamb,  Rebecca  Bradstreet,  Edmund  R. 
Wiley,  Catharine  Wiley,  H.  G.  Henry,  Mrs.  A.  G.  Henry,. 
Augusta  Ulrich,  E.  B.  Pease,  Mary  A.  Pease,  Harriet  Ulrich, 
C.  W.  Pelton,  Martha  A.  Pelton,  Mary  L.  Brigham,  A. 
Crosby,  Mrs.  A.  Crosby,  Sarah  A.  Richard,  H.  D.  Brigham, 
Abigal  S.  Tously,  Catharine  Latham,  John  E.  Roll,  Susan  L. 
Cook,  Mary  Johnson,  Jacob  Ruckle,  Laura  A.  Ruckle,  C.  H. 
Van  Bergan,  Daniel  Ruckle,  Catharine  H.  Ruckle,  E.  H. 
Beach,  Andrew  Johnson,  Sarah  Johnson,  Eliza  H.  Beach,  Wm. 
Lowry,  Philip  Stone,  Abigal  C.  Stone,  R.  Beach,  James  Hap- 
per,  Jane  Happer,  G.  L.  Cranmer.  Sarah  Crosby,  Nancy 
Hargrave,  Maria  W.  D.  Ruth.  Names  of  Elders  :  Asahel 
Stone,  James  L.  Lamb,  E.  R.  Wiley,  Richard  H.  Beach, 
Harvey  D.  Brigham,  Charles  B.  Pelton,  John  S.  Vreden- 
burgh,  Edmund  G.  Johns,  Lucian  C.  Boynton,  E.  R.  Ulrich, 
R.  W.  Dillen,  Pharis  C.  Dorwin,  Adam  Johnson,  Alexander 
Pringle,  John  S.  Vredenburgh,  jr.,  Edwin  A.  Wilson. 

Names  of  ministers :  first,  Richard  V.  Dodge ;  sec- 
ond, C.  P.  Jennings;  third,  G.  W.  F.  Burch ;  fourth,  H.  M. 
Paynter  ;  fifth,  J.  L  Gulick ;  sixth,  A.  K.  Bates;  seventh, 
F.  M.  Baldwin,  supply  pastor. 

They  first  worshiped  in  the  court-house.  The  first  build- 
mg  cost  over  $10,000;  second,  over  $65,000,  which  swamped 
it  and  they  had  to  sell  to  First  church  ;  quite  a  number  of 
the  members  staying  in  said  First  church  organization,  while 
three  elders  and  twenty-five  members  kept  up  the  Third 
church  organization  and  built  a  small  church  for  $2,500,  and 
now    have  a   membership    of    over   seventy    in    the    norths 


398  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

end  of  the  city,  well  attended  and  new  members  admitted 
every  communion.  Are  in  a  healthy  condition  and  out 
of  debt. 


The  church  of  Rattan's  Prairie,  now  called  Moro,  was 
organized  by  Revs.  Valentine  Pentzer  and  P.  D,  Young,  De- 
cember 9,  1848,  in  a  school  house  where  the  village  of  Beth- 
alto  now  is,  with  these  members,  viz. :  Samuel  Smith,  Ruth 
Smith,  Hugh  Smith,  Letitia  Dorsey,  James  Purdy  Smith, 
Elizabeth  Smith,  D.  Duncan  Smith,  Ann  M.  Pentzer,  Mrs. 
Ann  Smith.  Samii6l  Smith  was  made  elder.  He  died  in 
June,  1856.  Since  appointed,  Hugh  Smith,  Nov.  20,  1854; 
Wm.  A.  Lanterman  and  Geo.  F.  Stahl,  same  date ;  Samuel 
L.  Dorsey,  James  Harvey  Smith,  Hiram  E.  Stahl,  elected  in 
first  part  of  1870;  W.  S.  B.  Robinson  about  1876. 

Ministers:  Valentine  Pentzer;  P.  D.  Young,  1850 ;  Peter 
Hassinger,  1853-56;  S.  B.  Smith,  1857-58;  R.  M.  Roberts, 
1S60;  F.  H.  L.  Laird,  1862  ;  A.  N.  Denny,  1864,  till  his  death, 
Sept.  29,  1868;  R.  G.  Ross,  1869;  M.  B.  Gregg,  1871 ;  Geo. 
B.  McComb,  1872;  John  Huston,  1874:  Wm.  L.  Johnson, 
1876  ;  Samuel  B.   Taggart,    1879.  The  name  of 

the  church  was  changed  from  "  Rattan's  Prairie  "  to  "  Moro  " 
by   Presbytery  April  6,    1865,  There  has  been 

but  one  house  of  worship.  It  was  erected  in  the  summer  and 
fall  of  1853.  It  is  near  the  Moro  depot.  A  cemetry  is  in 
the  same  enclosure  with  the  church.  The  cemetery  adjoins 
the  church  site.  Before  the  church  was  erected,  the  common 
place  of  meeting  was  Bethalto  school  house. 


James  Smith,  D.  D.,  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  of 
Christian  parents.  On  his  mother's  side  he  was  descended 
from  the  celebrated  Bruce  family.  His  mother  was  renown- 
ed for  her  beauty,  he  has  said,  and  he  for  the  wildness  of  his 
youth.  He  was  known  in  his  native  place  as  "  the  wild 
rover."  When  on  the  street  with  his  mother  he  has  heard 
the  suppressed  whisper,  "  There  goes  the  beautiful  mother 
and  the  wild  rover."  He  had  a  good  education,  and  was  ex- 
tremely fond  of  reading.  He  tells  that  in  early  life  he  was 
himself  a  deist,  led  astray  by  the  writings  of  Volney  and  Tom 
Paine.  This  was  the  state  of  his  mind  when  he  came  to  this 
country  and  settled  in  Tennessee,  where    he  edited  a  paper 


JAMES  SMITH,   D.  D.  399 

in  Nashville.  Soon,  however,  he  was  converted.  His  deism 
and  infidelity  were  renounced,  and  he  turned  to  preaching 
the  faith  which  once  he  had  despised.  His  familiarity 
-with  infidel  and  deistical  writings  peculiarly  quali- 
fied him  for  the  defense  of  the  faith. 
During  the  winter  of  1839  while  upon  a  visit  to  Columbus, 
Miss.,  the  home  of  that  artful  and  noted  enemy  of  Christian- 
ity— Olmsted — the  author  of  the  work,  "  The  Bible  its 
own  refutation,"  he  was  challenged  to  a  public  debate  on 
the  Evidences  of  Christianity.  Olmsted  was  an  artful  and 
eloquent  man,  the  leader  of  the  deistical  party  in  Mississippi. 
He  was  popular  with  the  irreligious  masses,  and  exercised  a 
most  pernicious  influence,  especially  with  the  young  men. 
From  a  sense  of  duty  Dr.  Smith  accepted  the  challenge.  At 
the  appointed  time,  in  the  presence  of  a  vast  assembly  from 
all  parts  of  the  State,  Dr.  Smith  met  his  antagonist  in  open 
debate.  He  was  fully  prepared,  had  his  arguments  system- 
atically arranged  and  was  ready  to  meet  his  opponent  at 
every  point.  The  discussion  lasted  three  weeks,  and  resulted 
in  the  utter  defeat  of  the  infidel,  who  was  no  longer  able  to 
keep  his  temper.  On  closing  his  argument  on  the  last  night, 
Dr.  Smith  so  carried  the  audience  with  him  that  when  Olm- 
sted rose  to  reply  the  congregation  in  a  mass  left  the  spot. 
The  infidel  raved  awhile  to  a  few  that  lingered,  and  then 
closed  in  disgust.  When  the  debate  was  closed,  Dr.  Smith 
received  a  written  testimonial,  signed  by  a  number  of  the 
best  citizens  of  the  place,  thanking  him  for  his  able  defense 
of  the  truth.  One  of  the  papers,  summing  up  the  general 
sentiment  in  regard  to  the  debate,  says  :  "  The  conclusion  of 
of  every  enquirer  after  truth  must  have  been  that  the  champ- 
ion of  deism  was  signally  defeated,  and  his  cause  left  bleed- 
ing on  the  field."  Dr.  Smith  afterward  com- 
piled his  argument,  and  published  it  in  the  form  of  a  book 
entitled,  "  Christian  Evidences."  This  book  was  read  by 
Abraham  Lincoln,  who  pronounced  its  arguments  unanswer- 
able, and  said,  in  the  presence  of  most  respectable  and  truth- 
ful people,  I  have  no  more  doubts  as  to  the  truth  of  the 
Christian  religion.  Dr.  Smith  was  connected 
with  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  in  Kentucky,  but 
was  thoroughly  Calvinistic  in  his  theology.  The  Springfield 
church.  111.,  of  which  he  became  pastor,  April  11,  1849, 
prospered  under  his  ministry.  He  was  dismissed  from  that 
charge,  December  17,  1856.  He  acted  for  two  or 


400  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

three  years  as  agent  for  Peoria  University.  On  Mr.  Lincoln's- 
accession  to  the  Presidency,  he  appointed  Dr.  Smith  consul 
to  Glasgow,  Scotland.  There  he  spent  the  closing  years  of 
his  life.  He  died  in  Dundee  in  the  seventieth  year  of  his 
age. 

Richard  Varick  Dodge  was  born  in  Illinois;  graduated 
at  Yale  College  in  1840,  and  at  Princeton  Seminary  in  1842; 
ordained,  sine  titulo,  June,  1846;  supply  pastor  at  Princeton, 
Ind.,  1844;  Terre  Haute,  1846;  pastor  Third  Presbyterian 
church,  Springfield,  1849;  Second  church.  Wheeling,  Va., 
1857;  Third,  Wheeling,  1862 ;  Second  church,  Washington, 
Pa.,  1864;  supply  pastor  Fourth  church.  Wheeling,  Va., 
1868;  pastor  Madison,  Wis.,  1869.  Is  now  without  charge 
in  Chicago,  111. 

Valentine  Pentzer  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Pa., 
May  13,  1 8 II.  He  was  educated  at  Jefferson  College,  Pa. 
Removed  to  Marion  College,  Mo.,  in  1837,  and,  while  engaged 
in  teaching  in  that  institution,  was  married  to  Miss  Ann  M. 
Owen.  Went  to  Southwest  Missouri  in  1838,  and  was  en- 
gaged in  preaching  and  teaching  in  various  places  until  1847, 
when  he  came  to  Madison  county.  III,  and  supplied  Rattan's 
Prairie  church.  In  1849  he  removed  to  Macoupin  county 
and  labored  with  Dry-Point  church.  He  died  there,  Novem- 
ber 9,  1849,  leaving  his  wife  and  six  children  in  straitened 
circumstances.  He  was  a  man  of  untiring  energy  and  devot- 
edly attached  to  the  cause  in  which  he  labored. 


Alton  Presbytery  m.et  at  Belleville,  April  12,  1849. 
George  Spaulding  was  dismissed  from  the  Brighton  church, 
and  installed,  by  a  Committee  of  Presbytery,  pastor  of  Bun- 
ker Hill  church.  May  24,  1849,  retaining  also  his  pastoral 
charge  of  Woodburn.  Joseph  S.  Graves  was  dismissed  to 
the  Hamilton  Presbytery,  Ohio.  Calvin  Butler  was  received 
from  Evansville  Presbytery.  Vandalia  church  was  taken 
under  the  care  of  this  Presbytery.  A.  T.  Norton,  minister, 
and  Asa  L.  Saunders,  elder,  were  appointed  to  the  Assem- 
bly. The  tone  of  the  narrative  was  very  encouraging.  The 
Missionary  spirit  was  steadily  increasing.  Extensive  revi- 
vals had  been  experienced — one  of  great  power  in  the  Alton 
church. 


CALVIN    BUTLER.  4OI 

Calvin  Butler  was  born  in  Jericho,  Vt.,  May  23,  1797. 
His  ancestors,  on  the  Butler  side,  were  Scotch-Irish.  He 
was  educated  at  Middlebury  College,  Vt.,  and  at  Andover 
Seminary.  Ordained  by  Londonderry  Presbytery  in  1827. 
Labored  first  at  Princeton,  Ind. ;  then  at  Evansville.  Went 
next  to  Washington,  Daviess  county,  Ind.,  where  he  preached 
till  the  fall  of  1838,  he  then  removed  to  Warrick  county,  Ind., 
and  preached  to  two  churches  until  1849,  when  he  came  to 
Marine,  Madison  county,  111.  Joined  Alton  Presbytery  as 
above.  Died  suddenly  of  heart  disease  at  Marine,  111.,  Nov. 
2,  1854.  The  house  of  the  family  was  burned,  Nov.  10,  1855. 
No  insurance.     The  loss  was  partly  made  up  by  friends. 

He  married  Malvina  French  in  Vermont.  His  sec- 
ond marriage  was  to  Catharine  Smith,  in  1839.  There  are 
seven  of  his  children  living — two  sons  of  Malvina's,  and  one 
son  and  four  daughters  of  Catharine's.  The  last  wife  is  still 
living  and  resides  with  her  children. 


Alton  Presbytery  met  at  Vandalia,  September  20,  1849. 
N.  A.  Hunt  was  installed  by  Committee,  June  10,  1849,  over 
the  church  of  Marion.  In  the  summer  of  this  year  the 
country  was  visited  by  cholera.  Several  of  the  churches  of 
this  Presbytery  suffered  severely  from  this  scourge.  A  day 
of  fasting  and  prayer,  appointed  by  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  was  observed  in  August  with  great  unanimity 
and  earnestness.  Almost  instantly  the  plague  abated. 
Presbytery  reported  to  Synod  twenty-one  ministers,  twenty- 
six  churches,  one  thousand,  three  hundred  and  eighteen  com- 
municants, ;$i,450.20  Missionary  money  raised,  and  ^3,316.25 
paid  for  support  of  gospel  in  their  own  churches.  A  called 
meeting  was  held  at  Greenville,  October  18,  and  on  the  21st, 
Robert  Stewart  was  installed  pastor  of  that  church. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Danville,  Septem- 
ber 27,  1849.  The  name  of  "Pa,lestine"  Presbytery,  n.  s., 
was  changed  to  that  of  "  Wabash."  "  The  Alton  Presbytery 
Reporter"  was  made  the  vehicle  for  publishing  the  minutes 
of  the    Synod.  The    Synod    of  Illinois,  o.  s., 

met  at  Canton,  October  11.  The  sentence  of  the  Presbytery 
of  Palestine,  suspending  Robert  Rutherford  from  the  minis- 
try, was  removed.     P.  D.  Young,  James    Stafford    and  the 

25 


402  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

churches  of  Edwardsville,  Greenville  and  Bethany  were  at- 
tached, for  the  present,  to  the  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia. 

YEAR  1850. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  CarroUton,  Febru- 
ary 21,  1850.  "Alton  Presbytery  Reporter"  was  adopted  as 
the  medium  of  the  churches  of  this  Presbytery.  The  Car- 
roUton church,  which  had  become  greatly  disorganized,  was 
righted  up  by  the  interposition  of  Presbytery.  A  new  board 
'of  elders  was  appointed,  consisting  of  A.  W.  Lynn,  Robert 
F.  Clark,  Chester  Armstrong  and  J.  H.  Wilson,  and  a  new 
roll  of  members  made  out.  The  same  Presbytery 

held  its  fall  meeting  with  Pisgah  church,  commencing  Sep- 
tember 12. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  with  Elkhorn 
church,  April  12,  1850.  James  Stafford  was  dismissed  from 
the  pastoral  care  of  the  Greenville  church.  P.  D.  Young, 
■rakxister,  and  Elder  Amzi  Andrews,  elder,  were  appointed 
to  the  Assembly.  The  Presbytery  reported  six  ministers, 
one  licentiate,  seventeen  churches,  five  hundred  and  thirty- 
four  members,  and  seventy  dollars  for  Foreign  and  Domestic 
Missions.  The  fall   meeting  was  held  at  Green- 

ville, Bond  county,  commencing  October  5.  Blackburn  Lef- 
fler,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  and  John  Kennedy, 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Louisville,  were  received. 


John  Kennedy  was  a  native  of  Belfast,  Ireland.  He  was 
in  the  work  of  the  ministry  more  than  forty-three  years. 
About  twenty-five  years  of  his.  life  were  spent  in  the  United 
States.  He  united  with  the   Kaskaskia    Presby- 

tery as  above.  He  died  in  Chester,  July  21,  1851,  in  the 
sixty-sixth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  pre-eminently  good 
man. 


The  Presbytery  of  Wabash,  formerly  Palestine,  n.  s.,  met 
with  New  Providence  church,  April  26,  1850.  Rev.  Samuel 
Baldridge,  M.  D.,  of  the  Free  Presbytery  of  Ripley,  Ohio,  was 
present  as  a  corresponding  member.     Joseph  Wilson,  minis- 


ALTON'  AXD  SANGAMON  PRESBYTERIES.         4O3 

ter,  was  appointed  Commissioner  to.  the  Assembly.  The 
fall  meeting  was  held  with  Trinity  church,  Edwards  county, 
•commencing  September  19.  This  Presbytery  approved  the 
attitude  of  standing  in  prayer  as  being  the  most  convenient, 
the  most  common,  the  most  becoming  and  the  most  scrip- 
tural. 

The  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  o.  s.,  met  at  Palestine,  April 
II,  1850.  John  A.  Steele,  minister,  and  John  Y,  Allison, 
elder,  were  appointed  to  the  Assembly.  Edgar  Academy, 
at  Paris,  was  taken  under  the  care  of  Presbytery.  Joseph 
Piatt  returned  his  dismission,  dated  December  9,  1848.  Re- 
fering  to  the  act  of  Synod  in  changing  their  bounds.  Presby- 
tery resolved  to  use  all  proper  efforts  to  retain  their  integrity 
and  identity.  The  same  Presbytery  held  their  fall  meeting 
at  Grandview,  commencing  Sept.  12,  1850.  B.  Leffler  was 
dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia,  Joseph  Adams  to 
that  of  Wisconsin  and  Joseph  Piatt  to  that  of  Logansport. 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon*,  o.  s.,  met  at  Jacksonville, 
April  5,  1850.  Andrew  Todd  was  dismissed  on  account  of 
failing  health  from  the  pastoral  care  of  Jacksonville  church, 
and  also  from  this  to  the  Presbytery  of  Florida.  J.  G.  Ber- 
gen, minister,  and  John  Todd,  elder,  were  appointed  to 
attend  the  Assembly.  The  fall  meeting  of  the  Presbytery 
was  held  at  Springfield,  commencing  Oct.  8.  The  death  of 
Andrew  Todd  was  announced  as  having  taken  place  near 
JVIonticello,  Florida,  Sept.  2,  1850,  and  before  he  had  used 
liis  letter  from  this  Presbytery,  Wm.  Perkins  was  received 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Rock  River.  John  V.  Dodge  was 
received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Vincennes. 

John  Varick  Dodge  was  born  in  New  York.  Graduated 
at  Yale  College  1836  and  at  Princeton  Seminary.  Ordained 
at  Evansville,  Ind.,  June  6,  1S40.  Pastor  at  Jacksonville, 
111.,  185 1.  Supply  pastor  at  Canton,  111.,  1856,  and  at  Third 
church.  Wheeling,  Va.,  1859-60.  Chaplain  U.  S.  army, 
1862-65.     Resides  at  Evansville,  Ind. 

The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Murphysboro,  Jack- 
son county,    April    18,    1850.      Joseph   E.    McMurray  was 


404  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

licensed  April  20,  1850.  Amos  P.  Brown  was  dismissed  to> 
the  Presbytery  of  Peoria.  John  Gibson,  minister,  and  Sam- 
uel Wade,  elder,  were  appointed  to  the  Assembly.  John  K. 
Deering  was  ordained,  sme  titido,  April  23,  1850.  The  Pres- 
bytery reported  to  the  Assembly  twenty-one  ministers, 
twenty-six  churches,  1,428  communicants,  ^1,384  for  Mis- 
sions, for  support  of  gospel  in  the  churches,  ^3,550- 


John  K.  Deering  was  born  May  i,  1823,  at  Paris,  Maine. 
Educated  at  Bangor  Seminary.  Ordained  as  above.  Labored 
in  Jonesboro,  Unions-County.  Dismissed  from  Alton  Presby- 
tery, April  19,  185 1.  Has  labored  since  in  Assahet,  Sterling 
and  Franklin,  Mass.  Also  at  Farmington  Falls,  Holden, 
Solon,  Minot,  Maine.  Was  three  years  in  mercantile  busi- 
ness with  his  brother  in  Portland  Maine,  being  unable  to 
preach.  Three  winters,  1858,  1859  and  i860  he  spent  travel- 
ing in  the  Southern  States.  In  Nov.  1852,  he 
married  Miss  Lydia  P.  Prescott,  of  Farmington  Falls,  Maine^ 
They  have  five  children. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Greenville,  Bond 
county,  Sept.  20,  1850.  John  H.  Russ  was  received  from 
the  Presbytery  of  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.  Ewington  and  Metropo- 
lis churches  were  received.  Also  the  Congregational  church 
of  Chesterfield  on  the  plan  of  correspondence.  It  was 
decided  that  the  records  of  Congregational  churches  in  cor- 
respondence with  Presbytery  were  not  subject  to  review- 
George.  C.  Wood  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Mar- 
shall, Mich.  Lemuel  Grosvenor  was  dismissed  from  the  pas- 
toral charge  of  Collinsville  church.  The  entire  support  of 
the  Missionary,  Joseph  Gordon,  has  since  April  last  been 
borne  by  the  Presbytery. 


John  Hovey  Russ,  was  born  in  Hinsdale,  Mass,  May  10, 
1797.  Educated  at  Williams  College,  Mass.  Ordained  by 
the  Mountain  Association  in  Piainfield,  Mass,  June  2,  1829. 
Soon  after  his  ordination  he  removed  to  Ohio,  and  preached 
in  Sandusky  City,  Greenfield,  New  Haven  and  Plymouth. 
Was  pastor  of  York  church,  Medina  county,  Ohio,  where 
he  remained  five  years.     He  afterwards  preached  in  Burling- 


METROPOLIS    CITY    AND    CHURCH,  4O5 

ton,  Marion  county,  and  in  New  Carlisle,  Clark  county,  Ohio, 
one  year  at  each  place.  For  nine  years  he  preached  in  Bluff- 
ton,  Wells  county,  Ind.  His  next  field  was 
Ewington,  Effingham  county,  where  he  died  May  4,  1857. 

He  married  Miss  Harriet  Edwards,  sister  of  Rev. 
Joseph  S.  Edwards,  Nov.  5,  1830,  in  Harrisville,  Medina 
county,  Ohio.  He  labored  three  years  in  Ewington,  111.,  in 
the  ministry,  and  then  devoted  himself  to  teaching.  While 
in  Ewington  he  buried  two  sons,  sixteen  and  eighteen  years 
of  age.  Two  sons  remain — Henry,  at  Bethany,  Harrison 
county,  Mo.,  and  Lyman  B.,  at  Mason,  Effingham  county  111. 
The  widow — if  still  living — is  with  the  latter. 


Ewington  Church,  Effingham  county,  was  organized  by 
John  H.  Russ  with  eight  members,  in  1850,  Jesse  Parkurst, 
elder.  The  Central  R.  R.  was  constructed  passing  through 
Effingham.  The  county  seat  was  removed  from  Ewington 
to  Effingham.  The  former  place  went  down  utterly  and  the 
church  with  it. 


Metropolis  City  and  Church.  The  town  of  Massac  lies 
between  Metropolis  City  and  the  site  of  old  Fort  Massac — oc- 
cupying the  entire  space  between  the  two.  Going  up  the 
river,  Metropolis  City  is  first,  next  Massac  town  and  then 
the  site  of  the  Fort.  All  three  lie  along  the  river  bank  and 
occupy  a  space  of  about  two  miles.  Just  above  the  site  of 
the  Fort,  Massac  Creek  empties  into  the  Ohio.  In  171 1  a 
missionary  station  was  established  by  the  French  Jesuits  at 
Massac.  In  Nov.,  1758,  as  Washington  was  drawing  near 
Fort  Duquesne,  the  frightened  garrison,  about  five  hundred 
in  number,  set  fire  to  the  fort  and  retreated  down  the  river. 
They  landed  at  the  French  missionary  station  of  171 1  on  the 
lower  Ohio  and  built  a  fort  called  Massac,  one  authority  says 
from  M.  Massac  who  superintended  its  construction.  Gov. 
Joliu  Reynolds,  in  his  "  Pioneer  History  of  Illinois,"  and  John 
M.  Peck  in  his  Gazetteer  give  a  different  account  of  the  origin 
of  its  name.  They  say,  "  The  Indians  on  the  side  of  the  river 
opposite  the  Fort  covered  themselves  with  bear  skins,  and 
imitated  that  animal  in  their  movements  on  the  sandy  beach 
of  the  river.  A  party  of  the  French  soldiers,  supposing 
them  true  and  genuine  bears,  crossed  the  river  to  have  a  bear 


406  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

hunt.  The  remainder  of  the  troops  left  their  quarters  to  see 
the  sport.  In  the  meantime  a  large  body  of  warriors,  who 
were  concealed  in  the  woods  near  by,  came  silently  behind 
the  fort,  entered  it  without  opposition,  and  very  few  of  the 
French  escaped  the  massacre.  They  afterwards  built 
another  fort  on  the  same  ground  and  called  it  Massac  in 
memory  of  this  massacred  They  subsequently  aban- 
doned the  position.  Gen.  Geo.  Rogers  Clark,  in  his  move- 
ment on  Kaskaskia  in  June,  1778,  landed  at  this  fort  and 
marched  his  troops  across  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles. 
Subsequently  to  this  a  military  road  was  opened  from  Fort 
Massac  to  Kaskaslda,  and  the  miles  marked  on  trees  and 
painted  red.  Gov.  Reynolds  saw  these  marks  in  1800,  when 
a  boy  of  twelve,  he  passed  over  the  route.  In  1800,  two  com- 
panies of  United  States  troops  were,  stationed  at  this  fort. 
The  site  of  the  fort  is  still  clearly  traceable.  The- 

Presbyterian  church  of  Metropohs  City  was  organized  June 
8,  1850,  by  Revs.  Robert  Stewart  and  John  K.  Deering  with 
these  members :  Mrs.  Catharine  McBean,  George  Hawpe, 
Mrs.  Rebecca  Hawpe,  Dorcas  Gregg,  Nancy  Carmichael, 
Joseph  E.  Smith,  Mrs.  Jane  E.  Smith  and  Mrs.  Harriet 
House,  in  the  school-room  of  Mrs.  House.  Joseph  E.  Smith 
(died  June  13,  185 1)  and  George  Hawpe,  elders.  The  elders 
since  appointed  are  Aaron  Huffman,  in  185 1;  Reuben 
Laughlin,  in  1868  ;  Joseph  P.  Bowker  and  David  H.  Freeman, 
March  25,  1868.  Until  1866  this  church  had  but  little  minis- 
terial care.  Revs.  R.  Stewart,  W.  H.  Bird,  N.  A.  Hunt  and  E. 
B.  Olmsted  paid  it  occasional  visits.  Rev.  Geo.  W.  Elliott 
was  here  awhile  in  185 1  and  Rev.  G.  W.  McCord  in  1855. 
Rev.  A.  S.  Avery  began  here  in  Aug.  i,  1855,  and  continued 
three  years.  March,  1866,  the  writer  visited  the  place  and 
labored  several  days.  He  found  but  three  members  left. 
During  the  visit  he  received  eight  more.  July  5,  next  ensu- 
ing, Rev.  J.  H.  Scott  took  charge  of  the  church  and  remained 
until  Sept.  6,  1871.  Rev.  Edward  Scofield  was  here  from 
Aug.  13,  1872,  to  April,  1873.  His  daughter,  Mrs.  Julia. 
McCartney,  wife  of  Juuge  McCartney,  is  still  there.  Rev.  J. 
H.  Scott  returned  there  after  Mr.  Scofield's  departure  and 
remained  in  charge  of  the  church  until  Oct.,  1878,  when  fail- 
ing health  compelled  his  resignation.  He  continued  there,, 
however,  in  his  own  pleasant  home  until  his  death,  Feb.  25, 
1879.  The  house  of  worship  was  erected  in  1866,  1867  and 
1868,  and    dedicated  Sept.  6,  1868.     It  cost  ^2,000,  of  whiclr 


PRESBYTERY    OF    ILLINOIS,  40/ 

five  hundred  dollars  were  donated  by  the  Board  of  Church 
Erection.  The  site — a  very  beautiful  one — was  donated  by 
Mrs.  Catharine  McBean,  to  whom,  under  God,  the  existence 
of  this  church    is    owing.  Its    whole  number  of 

members  from  the  beginning  has  been  ninety-nine. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  CoUinsville,  Sep- 
tember 26,  1850.  Members  were  present  from  five  Presby- 
teries, including  that  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  Henry  C. 
Abernethy  was  chosen  Stated  Clerk  in  place  of  George  C. 
Wood,  removed  from  the  bounds  of  this  Synod, 

The  Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s,,  met  at  Springfield,  October 
10,  1850.  Members  were  present  from  five  Presbyteries. 
The  conflict  of  opinion  between  the  Synod  and  the  Presby- 
tery of  Palestine,  as  to  the  proper  boundaries  of  the  latter, 
seems  to  have  been  settled  by  the  action  of  the  Assembly. 
By  that  action  the  bounds  of  the  Presbytery  were  declared 
to  be  as  they  were  before  the  Synod's  attempt  to  change 
them  in  1848. 

YEAR  185 1. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  Carlinville,  April  24, 
185 1.  Alanson  Alvord  was  dismissed  to  the  Fox  River 
Congregational  Union.  Hugh  Barr,  minister,  and  Charles 
R..  Wells,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  Assembly. 
Socrates  Smith  was  dismissed  to  Alton  Presbytery.  The 
Presbytery  reported  fifteen  ministers  and  fourteen  churches. 
The  fall  meeting  was  held  with  the  Spring 
Creek  church,  commencing  September  20.  John  G.  Rankin 
was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Schuyler,  and  Gideon 
C.  Clark  from  the  Ilhnois  Central  Association.  Shelby 
church  was  received,  A  called  meeting  was  held  at  Jack- 
sonville, November  12,  at  which  George  Pierson,  licentiate, 
was  received  from  the  Andover  Association,  examined  and 
ordained,  sine  titido,  November  13.  He  was  immediately 
dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  having  the  Choctaw  churches  in 
charge. 


John  Gault  Rankin  was  born  March  31,  1821,  in  Jeffer- 
son county,  East  Tenn.     His   ancestors    were    Scotch-Irish 


408  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Presbyterians.  His  father  and  three  uncles  were  Presbyte- 
rian ministers.  Graduated  at  Mission  Institute,  near  Quincy, 
111.,  in  1845,  and  at  Lane  Seminary  in  1848.  Was  licensed 
by  Cincinnati  Presbytery,  May  5,  1847,  near  the  close  of  his 
middle  year  in  the  seminary.  He  was  examined  in  theology 
by  the  late  Thornton  A.  Mills,  D.  D.  Mr.  Mills,  not  having  a 
very  high  idea  of  Dr.  Beecher's  theology,  took  all "  the  boys  " 
through  a  fiery  ordeal.  But  as  Dr.  Beecher  was  always  on 
hand  ready  to  defend  his  "  boys  " — as  he  used  to  call  them — 
the  greater  part  of  their  examination  consisted,  after  all,  in 
sitting  quietly  and  listening  to  the  theological  hair-splitting 
of  Drs.  Beecher  and  Mills.  Mr.  Rankin  was  ordained  by 
Schuyler  Presbytery,  September  13,  1849.  He  commenced 
laboring  with  the  First  Presbyterian  church,  Warsaw,  111., 
September  10,  1848.  Resigned,  March,  1850.  In  March, 
1851,  hetook  charge  of  Carrollton  church,  Green  county, 
111.,  and  remained  ten  years.  In  March,  1861,  he  returned  to 
Warsaw,  and  continued  till  December,  1868.  He  then  took 
charge  of  Monticello  church,  Madison  county,  and  was  chap- 
lain of  the  Monticello  Seminary.  In  1872  he  was  with  Fer- 
guson church,  St.  Louis  county,  Mo.  His  next  field  was 
Centralia,  111.,  from  whence  he  returned  to  his  old  field,  War- 
saw, III,  where  he  still  remains.  He  was  married  in  Quincy, 
111.,  to  Miss  Philomela  Prentiss,  April  3,  185 1.  Her  native 
place  was  Prattsburg,  Steuben  county,  N.  Y.  Her  father, 
Harvey  P.  Prentiss,  still  lives  in  Quincy.  Her  mother  was 
Livonia  Loomis,  daughter  of  Deacon  Gamaliel  Loomis,  of 
Prattsburg,  N.  Y.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rankin  have  no  children. 


Gideon  C.  Clark  was  born  in  Somers,  Tolland  county, 
Ct.,  February  21,  1821.  His  ancestors  came  from  England 
in  the  Mayflower  in  1620.  He  was  educated  at  Yale  College 
and  the  "Theological  Institute"  at  East  Windsor,  Ct.  He 
was  converted  at  the  age  of  twelve,  and  soon  had  his  atten- 
tion directed  towards  the  ministry  by  his  mother.  He 
was  licensed  at  Northampton,  Mass.,  by  a  Congregational 
Association  in  1846.  Ordained,  September  29,  1847,  -^^^^^ 
titiilo,  at  Somers,  Ct.,  his  native  place,  by  a  council  called  for 
the  purpose,  and  came  immediately  West.  His  labors  have 
been  almost  exclusively  in  Illinois.  (i)  Rockport,  Pike 
county,  a  very  hard  field.  (2)  Winchester,  Scott  county. 
Here  he  found  a  Presbyterian  church,  and  here  he  remained 


GEORGE    PIERSON.  4O9 

five  and  an  half  years.  Here  his  labors  were  pleasant  and 
successful.  At  this  time  he  changed  his  ecclesiastical  rela- 
tions from  the  Congregational  to  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
While  here,  March  17,  1852,  he  married  Miss  Jane  A.  Smith, 
of  Jacksonville,  111.  (3)  Collinsville.  Here  he  remained 
eight  years.  (4)  Woodburn,  Macoupin  county.  The  church 
was  Congregational,  but  much  nearer  the  New  England 
model  in  doctrine  and  discipline  than  any  other  he  had 
found  in  the  West.  He  was  here  five  and  an  half  years,  la- 
boring with  acceptance  and  success.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Assembly  at  New  York  in  1869,  and  witnessed  the  re- 
union of  the  two  branches  of  the  Church.  (5)  Nokomis, 
Montgomery  county,  one  year.  (6)  Mt.  Vernon,  Jefferson 
county,  where  he  labored  three  years.  (7)  Fowler,  Benton 
county,  Ind.  He  went  here  to  build  on  his  own  foundation, 
and  succeeded — organizing  a  church  at  Fowler  and  another 
at  Sheldon,  eighteen  miles  distant.  He  remained  in  this 
field  eighteen  months.  (8)  Shipman,  Macoupin  county,  111. 
This  was  a  scene  of  former  revival  labors.  He  had  been 
with  them  at  the  organization  of  the  church,  and  at  the  ded- 
ication of  their  house,  and  was  bound  to  them  by  many  ties 
of  affectionate  remembrance.  He  remained  two  years.  (9) 
Greenfield,  Green  county,  was  his  next  field.  He  occupied 
it  with  acceptance  until  April,  1879.  Mrs.  Clark  is  still  liv- 
ing. They  have  three  daughters.  Olive,  born  February  22, 
1853 — married,  December  25,  1872,  to  Mr.  C.  M.  Noble,  of 
Mt.  Vernon,  111.  Clara,  born  July  20,  1855 — married,  Sep- 
tember 19,  1875,  to  Henry  Templeton,  of  Fowler,  Ind. 
Katie,  born  December  12,  1862.  Mr.  Clark  has 

labored  much  and  successfully  in  revival  meetings. 

George  Pierson,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Illinois.  Graduated 
at  Illinois  College,  1848,  and  at  Andover  Seminary,  185 1. 
Ordained  Nov.  13,  185 1,  as  above.  Missionary  among  the 
Choctaws  1852-55  ;  at  Strong's  Island,  Micronesia,  1855-57; 
Ebon,  Covell's  Island,  1857-60;  supply  pastor  Brooklyn 
Presbyterian  church,  Cal.,  1862-66;  pastor  of  same  1866-70; 
supply  pastor  Adel,  Iowa,  1871-75  ;  supply  pastor  Solomon, 
Kansas,  1876-79. 

The  present  Shelbyville  Church  was  organized  at  Prairie 
Bird,  June  30,  1851,  by  Revs.  Bilious  Pond  and  Elisha  Jen- 


4IO  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

ney,  with  these  members,  viz.:  Robert  Burke  and  Esther 
Burke,  his  wife  ;  David  Ewing  and  Evelyn  Evvdng,  his  wife ;. 
Adam  Fulton  and  Elizabeth  Fulton,  his  wife;  George  Hill 
and  Elizabeth  Hill,  his  wife;  Mrs.  Martha  Weakly,  Mrs. 
Sarah  Campbell,  Mrs.  Jane  Fickner,  Mrs.  Nancy  Ogden, 
Mrs.  M.  H.  Moulton,  Miss  Mary  H.  Mclver,  Miss  Sarah 
Hill,  Mrs.  Sarah  Breckenridge,  Miss  Mary  Ann  Burke  and 
Miss  Mary  Ann  Eversol.  David*  Ewing  was  made  elder. 
The  elders  subsequently  elected  are  these :  George  Hill, 
Feb.  7,  1852;  John  D.Amlin,  Feb.  23,  1857,  died  Aug.  1858; 
John  Hunter,  Nov.  21,  1858,  died  April  2,  1865;  George 
Griggs,  Nov.  21,  18-58;  Geo,  Hannaman,  April  7,  1S60; 
Robert  Carnes,  April  7,  i860;  Ebenezer  Cheney,  April  10,, 
1864;  Lindsay  McMorris,  March  ii,  1866;  Thomas  H. 
West,  March  11,  1866;  James  D.  Hunter,  Jan..  4,  1872; 
David  Ewing,  re-elected  after  being  connected  with  Prairie 
Bird  church.  Ministers :  J.  M.  Grout  took  charge  of  the 
church  at  its  organization  and  continued  as  supply  pastor 
until  his  death,  by  cholera,  Aug.  i,  1855,  Joseph  Wilson  in 
1856,  and  continued  till  1859.  H.  K.  Baines,  of  the  German 
Reformed  Church  officiated  for  a  time,  after  Mr.  Wilson. 
M.  P.  Ormsby,  in  i860,  and  continued  until  Jan.  1861. 
James  B,  Sheldon,  early  in  1861  and  continued  one  year. 
Timothy  Hill,  1862,  and  removed  in  August,  1865.  R,  D. 
Van  Deursen,  pastor  elect,  March  17,  1867,  installed  May  5, 
1867,  and  resigned  Sept.  29,  1871.  L.  I.  Root,  from  Nov., 
1871,  till  Feb.  2,  1874.  A.  W.  Williams,  from  Feb.  2,  1874, 
till  first  Sabbath  in  May  same  year.  B.  Mills,  May  18,  1874, 
to  Sept.  23,  1877.  W.  C.  West,  commenced  April  3,  1878, 
and  is  still  there.  Houses  of  worship  :  The  first 

house,  a  frame  building,  erected  in  1856  or  1857,  cost  six 
hundred  dollars.  It  is  now  used  as  a  private  residence.  The 
present  house  is  a  substantial  brick  building.  It  was  erected 
in  1864,  and  cost  ^5,500,  It  has  a  fine  audience  room.  Sab- 
bath school  and  lecture  rooms,  and  pastor's  study, 

David  Ewing  has  been  a  prominent  and  leading  man  in 
all  Presbyterian  movements  at  Shelbyville  and  Prairie  Bird. 
He  came  to  this  county  in  the  fall  of  1842,  He  was  born 
in  Fairfield  county,  Ohio,  near  Lancaster,  May  21,  1816. 
His  ancestors  were  Scotch-Irish.  He  has  six  children,  three 
sons  and  three  daughters. 


PLEASANT    RIDGE.  4II 

The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Sparta,  April  ii, 
185 1.  John  Mathews  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
St.  Louis.  The  church  of  Redbud  was  received.  James 
Stafford  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Palestine.  John 
Mathews,  minister,  and  L.  D.  Skilling,  elder,  were  appointed 
Commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  The  name  of  Elkhorn 
church  was  changed  to  that  of  the  First  Presbyterian  CJmrck 
of  Xasliville.  Presbytery  reported  to  the  Assembly  nine 
ministers,  twenty  one  churches,  six  hundred  and  sixty-five 
communicants,  for  Domestic  Missions  forty-three  dollars, 
Foreign,  sixteen  dollars,  for  support  of  gospel  in  the  congrega- 
tions, eight  hundred  and  fifty-five  dollars.  The  name  of 
Sparta  church  was  changed  to  Jordan's  Grove.  The 

fall  meeting  was  held  atEdwardsville,  Sept.  ly.     The  church 
of  Pleasant  Ridge  was  received. 


Redbud  Church  was  organized  Nov.  24,  1850,  by  B.  F. 
Spilman  with  fourteen  members.  Two  elders  were  appointed. 
Mr.  Spilman  gave  them  monthly  preaching  for  nearly  one 
year — in  all,  twenty-one  sermons.  This  church  was  dissolv- 
ed by  Kaskaskia  Presbytery,  April  16,  1855,  and  its  members 
attached  to  Jordan's  Grove. 


Pleasant  Ridge  was  organized  by  Rev.  Wm.  Gardner,. 
May  17,  1851,  with  these  fourteen  members :  James  H.  Han- 
na,  Elizabeth  A.  Hanna,  Eliza  Bean,  Elizabeth  Pettit,  James 
H.  C.  Hanna,  James  Bilderback,  Maria  Bilderback,  John  C. 
Hanna,  Mary  A.  Hanna,  Elizabeth  Conant,  Mary  Van  Zandt, 
Jane  Pettit.  Henry  N.  Pettit,  Louisa  Pettit.  Elders  :  James  H. 
Hanna.  He  continued  a  member  of  the  Session  until  his  death 
in  i860.  Elders  since:  Henry  N.  Pettit,  1855-65;  Wm.  H. 
Mann,  1858,  still  acts;  Harvey  Bilderback,  Sept.  30,  1865- 
66\  Alfred  H.  Mann,  Sept.  30,  1865,  to  Sept.  19,  1875,  James 
J.  Bean,  March  17,  1867,  still  acts  ;  John  W.  Burke,  March  17, 
1867  to  Nov.  15,1875.  Ministers:  The  first,  Alex.  Brown, 
who  died  in  Chester,  April  10,  1853.  He  occupied  the  pul- 
pit in  1852  and  until  his  death  ;  P.  D.  Young,  1855  and  part 
of  1856;  A.  A.  Morrison,  fall  of  1857  till  spring  of  1S60;  B. 
H.  Charles,  1862.  Mr.  C.  Monfort,  licentiate,  for  three 
months  in  1853  ;  A.  R.  Naylor,  fall  of  1863  to  spring  of  1866  ; 
A.  J.  Clarke,  as  supply  pastor,  from  July,   1867,   until  April,, 


412  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

1868,  when  he  became  pastor  of  this  and  Chester  church  un- 
til April,  1876.  At  that  time  the  pastoral  relation  was  dis- 
solved. He  continued,  however,  to  supply  both  churches 
until  Sept.,  1876.  J.  W.  Cecil,  for  thirty  Sabbaths,  beginning 
with  Jan.,  1877.  The   church    was    organized  in 

an  old  log  school  house  that  stood  about  half  a  mile  nearly 
due  west  of  the  present  church.  In  1855  and  1856,  th&  con- 
gregation built  a  neat  frame  house  twenty  by  thirty  feet. 
This  was  sufficient  to  accommodate  the  congregation  for 
twelve  or  fourteen  years.  It  cost  about  six  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars;  Church  Extension  donated  fifty  dollars.  In 
1873  the  house  was'-so  enlarged  as  to  double  its  capacity,  at 
a  cost  of  twelve  hundred  dollars.  Church  erection  donated 
three  hundred  dollars.  Its  site  is  T.  6  S,.  R.  7  W.,  Sec.  36, 
S.  W.  quarter,  or  near  the  center  of  the  south  half  of  the  sec- 
tion. The  dwelling  house  owned  and  occupied  by  Rev. 
John  Mathews,  when  he  was  preaching  in  this  neighborhood, 
is  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  northwest  of  this  church. 


The  Presbytery  of  Wabash  met  with  Pleasant  Prairie 
church,  April  17,  1851.  Long  Point  church  was  received. 
Enoch  Kingsbury,  minister,  and  A.  R.  Palmer,  elder,  were 
appointed  to  attend  the  Assembly^  Charles  H.  Palmer  was 
dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Logansport.  The 

fall  meeting  was  held  at  Danville,  Sept.  8.  Hillery  Patrick 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Kingston,  was  received.  The  church 
of  Liberty  Prairie  was  enrolled. 


Long  Point  Church  was  organized  by  Rev.  John  H.  Russ, 
April  5,  185 1,  at  the  dwelling-house  of  John  G.  Morrison. 
This  was  a  log  house  about  fifteen  by  twenty  feet,  consisting 
of  one  room  and  a  loft  over  head,  and  situated  about  four 
miles  southeast  of  the  town  plat  of  Neoga,  in  the  edge  of  ^  a 
narrow  strip  of  timber  running  from  northwest  to  southeast 
across  the  prairie,  and  hence  called  "  Long  Point."  Hence 
the  first  name  of  the  church.  The  spot  was  central  to  the 
population  and  had  begun  to  be  a  center  of  business.  The 
church  was  organized  with  these  ten  members  :  John  G. 
Morrison  and  Eliza  N.  Morrison,  James  H.  Morrison  and 
Sarah  C.  Morrison,  Nathan  Gould  and  Martha  Gould,  Sarah 
Morrison,  Margaret    Morrison,  Tirzah    Morrison  and   Mary 


HILLERY    PATRICK.  415: 

Ann  Parkerson.  John  G.  Morrison  and  Nathan  Gould  eld- 
ers. Ministers :  John  H.  Russ,  supplied  the  church  for  two 
years  one-fourth  the  time.  Joseph  Wilson  began  in  the 
spring  of  1854  and  continued  one-half  the  time  until  Oct. 
1 866,  with  the  exception  of  six  or  seven  months  in  1857-58, 
during  which  Samuel  Ward  was  supply.  October  i,  1865, 
John  B.  Brandt,  became  supply  pastor.  Elders:  John  G. 
Morrison  and  Nathan  Gould  the  first.  November,  1852, 
Wm.  M.  Allison;  July  10,  1858,  James  Ewing;  May  9,  1866, 
Alex.  B.  Ewing  and  Wm.  Clark.  April  29,  i860, 

the  present  house  of  worship  erected  at  Neoga,  was 
dedicated  during  a  session  of  the  Wabash  Presbytery  at  the 
place.  Great  change3  had  transpired  on  account  of  the 
construction  of  the  Illinois  Central  R.  R.,  and  the  fixing  of  a 
depot  there,  making  that  the  proper  church  center.  Up  to 
June,  1866,  this  church  had  received  one  hundred  and  ten 
members. 


HiLLERY  Patrick  was  born  in  Charlotte  county,  Virginia, 
Sept.  I,  1802.  His  classical  education  he  received  at  the 
colleges  of  Greenville  and  Washington,  East  Tenn.  He 
graduated  at  the  latter,  but  studied  mostly  at  the  former. 
For  one  year  after  graduation  he  studied  with  reference  to 
the  legal  profession.  But  becoming  a  converted  man  he 
changed  his  plan  of  life,  and  took  a  regular  theological 
course  at  Maryville,  under  Dr.  Isaac  Anderson.  He  was 
ordained  at  New  Philadelphia,  East  Tenn.,  July  28,  1826,  by 
the  Union  Presbytery,  and  the  same  day  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Houston,  with  whom  he  lived  happily  thirty-eight  and 
an  half  years.  In  1850,  he  came  with  his  family  to  Southern 
Illinois,  for  he  did  not  find  the  South  an  agi'eeable  home  for 
a  man  of  anti-slavery  views.  He  joined  Wabash  Pres- 
bytery as  above.  From  that  time  to  his  death  he  labored  in 
Southern  Illinois,  at  Carmi,  Sharon,  Equality,  Albion  and 
McLeansboro.  He  united  with  Alton  Presbytery,  Sept.  27, 
1S56,  and  after  that  labored  at  Mt.  Vernon,  Marion,  Old 
Ducoign,  Vergennes  and  Little  Muddy,  six  miles  east  of 
Tamaroa.  For  all  these  years  of  labor  he  did  not  receive 
from  all  Missionary  sources  and  from  the  churches  more 
than  seven  hundred  dollars.  In  1864,  when  residing  near 
Tamaroa  he  buried  his  faithful  wife.  After  that  he  resided 
in  Tamaroa.     His  children  are  six — one  son  and  five  daueh- 


414  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

ters — all  living,  and  able  to  say,  "  Our  Father  which  art  in 
Heaven."  He  died  at  Tamaroa,  III,  Oct.  27,  1872,  at  the 
residence  of  Mrs.  Spiller,  a  widowed  daughter  with  whom 
he  resided. 


Liberty  Prairie  Church,  Piatt  county,  was  organized 
Aug.  4,  185 1,  at  the  house  of  John  McKinney,  on  the  north 
side  of  Sangamon  river,  in  Macon  county,  near  its  east  line, 
by  Rev.  Enoch  Kingsbury  with  these  six  members,  viz.: 
John  McKinney,  Mrs.  EHza  McKinney,  Andrew  M.  Mc- 
Kinney, Mrs.  Mary  A.  McKinney,  James  S.  McKinney 
Isaac  R.  McKinney,  all  from  the  Presbyterian  church  in 
Livonia,  Ind.  Elders  :  John  McKinney  and  Andrew  McKin- 
ney, the  first ;  since  appointed,  Alex.  McKinney,  Z.  P.  Can- 
trell,  W.  B.  Taylor,  A.  L.  Rogers,  David  Moyer,  1873  ; 
Abraham  Funk.  Ministers :  Enoch  Kingsbury,  occasional 
for  the  four  first  years;  Charles  H.  Palmer,  June,  1855  ;  John 
C.  Campbell,  Aug.  8,  1857,  till  his  death,  Dec.  31,  1862; 
Joseph  E.  McMurray,  March  8,  1863,  one  year.  Two  or 
three  for  brief  periods  since.  Is  now — 1879 — vacant.  The 
name  was  changed  from  "  Liberty  Prairie  "  to  "  Cerro  Gordo  " 
in  i860.  Likewise  the  location  of  the  church  to  the  village 
of  Cerro  Gordo,  on  the  Wabash  R.  R.,  in  Piatt  county.  The 
church  edifice  was  dedicated  Nov.,  1861.  It  is  a  plain  frame 
building  with  a  spire. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  at  Lawrenceville,  May 
I,  185 1.  Robert  Simpson  was  received  from  the  Presbytery 
of  Vincennes.  The  church  of  Shiloh,  Lawrence  county,  was, 
at  their  own  request,  dissolved  and  the  members  attached  to 
the  Lawrenceville  church.  Erastus  W.  Thayer,  minister, 
and  J.  M.  Miller,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to 
the   Assembly.  The  fall   meeting   was   held   at 

Palestine,  Sept.,  18.     James  Cameron  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Sidney. 


Robert  Simpson,  in  1851-53,  was  in  Robinson,  Crawford 
county.  111.  From  1854  to  1867,  he  was  at  Newton,  Jasper 
county.     Then  his  name  disappears  from  the  minutes. 


GEORGE    M.    TUTrilLL.  4I5 

James  Cameron,  in  1852,  was  with  Hebron  church,  Charles- 
ton, 111.,  postoffice;  in  1853,  teacher  at  Charleston,  111.;  in 
1854-5,  pastor  at  Monmouth,  111. ;  from  1856  to  i860,  at 
Brunswick,  111.,  supply  pastor  two  years;  without  charge 
two  years;  1861,  at  Brunswick,  Mo.,  Wyaconda  Presbytery; 
1862-65,  back  again  to  Brunswick,  111,  but  in  same  Presby- 
tery; in  1866,  at  Peoria,  111;  1867-74,  not  reported;  in  1875- 
76,  he,  or  some  one  of  same  name,  again  appears  as  at  San 
Bernardino,  Cal.,  supply  pastor  in  Los  Angeles  Presbytery  ; 
in   1877-78,  supply  pastor  at  Colton,  Cal.,  same  Presbytery. 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  met  with  Sugar  Creek 
church,  April  4,  185 1.  William  Bishop,  licentiate,  was  re- 
ceived from  the  Second  Presb}'tery  of  New  York.  J.  V. 
Dodge  was  installed  pastor  of  the  Jacksonville  church  on 
the  fourth  Sabbath  of  April,  185  i,  by  a  Committee  of  Pres- 
bytery. Thomas  W.  Hynes,  minister,  and  J.  F.  Bergen, 
elder,  were  appointed  to  the  Assembly.  The  fall 

meeting  was  held  at  Hillsboro,  commencing  September  9, 
185 1.  T.  W.  Hynes  was  released  from  the  pastoral  care  of 
the  church  of  Hillsboro. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Bunker  Hill,  April  17, 
185 1.  The  church  of  Pickneyville  was  receivd;  George  M. 
Tuthill  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis.  Hub- 
bel  Loomis,  having  joined  the  Baptist  Church,  was  dis- 
missed. Joseph  E.  McMurray  was  ordained,  sine  tihdo,  April 
19,  185 1.  Lemuel  Grosvenor,  minister,  and  P.  B.  Whipple, 
€lder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  Assembly.  J.  K.  Deer- 
ing  was  dismissed  to  the  Association  of  Penobscot,  Maine. 
Robert  Stewart  was  dismissed  from  the  pastorate  of  Green- 
ville church,  that  he  might  act  as  Missionary  of  this  Pres- 
bytery. 


George  Miller  Tuthill  was  born  at  Wading  River, 
Long  Island,  N.  Y.,  October  31,  1818.  Graduated  at  Am- 
herst College,  1839,  and  at  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
1846.  Ordained  by  St.  Louis  Presbytery,  April  22,  1847; 
supply  pastor,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  1847-49;  Monticello,  111.  (God- 
frey postoffice),    1849-51;  supply  pastor,  Kalamazoo,  Mich., 


4l6  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

185 1  ;  pastor  (Cong.)  St.  Clair,  Mich.,  1851-58;  supply  pas- 
tor, Pontiac,  Mich.,  1858-65;  pastor,  Ashtabula,  Ohio,  1865- 
6"]  \  District  Superintendent  American  Bible  Society,  Kala- 
mazoo, March,  1871. 


Joseph  E.  McMurray  was  born  in  Tennessee,  September 
23,  1818;  educated  at  Lane  Seminary;  ordained  April  19, 
185 1  ;  dismissed  from  Alton  to  Schuyler  Presbytery,  Octo- 
ber 21,  1853.  Labored  several  years  at  Hardin,  111.  Re- 
signed at  Hardin,  October  14,  1855.  After  leaving  Hardin 
he  labored  awhile. --at  Brighton,  Iowa.  Was  railroad  agent 
and  postmaster  at  Cerro  Gordo,  111.,  several  years  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  For  two  years,  while  in  that  position,  he 
supplied  the  Cerro  Gordo  church.  He  came  to  the  Presby- 
terian from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which  he  was 
a  preacher.  He  came  under  the  care  of  Alton  Presbytery  and 
was  by  them  sent  to  Lane  Seminary.  He  died  at  Cerro 
Gordo,  III,  January  27,  1868.  He  married  Miss  Nancy  C. 
Parks,  of  Sringfield,  111.,  January  28,  1852.  The  widow,  Mrs. 
Nancy  C.  McMurray,  resides  now  at  Auburn,  111.  There  are 
three  children  living. 


PiNCKNEYViLE  Church,  n.  s.,  was  organized  April,  185 1,  by 
Rev.  Josiah  Wood,  with  eight  members,  Nathan  Weeks, 
elder.     It  accomplished  little  and  was  short-lived. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  with  Chesterfield  church, 
Macoupin  county,  Sept.  19,  185 1.  The  Union  church,  Ma- 
coupin county,  and  the  Mt.  Vernon  church.  Bond  county, 
were  received.  The  Missionary  report  commenced  thus  : 
"  The  plan  of  Missionary  operations  entered  upon  by  this 
Presbytery  in  the  spring  of  1840  has  been  signally  owned  of 
God.  Mainly  through  its  workings  our  churches  have  in- 
creased from  ten  to  thirty-two,  and  our  ministers  from  seven 
to  twenty-three."  Josiah  Wood  was  released  from  the  pas- 
toral care  of  Old  Ducoign  church.  Lemuel  Foster  was  dis- 
missed to  the  Presbytery  of  Illinois.  John  IngersoU  was  re- 
ceived from  the  Ashtabula  Association,  Ohio,  and  recom- 
mended to  labor,  as  an  Evangelist,  with  the  brethren  and 
churches  who  may  wish  his  services. 


UNION    CHURCH.  41/ 

John  Ingersoll.  I  have  not  been  able  to  learn  anything 
about  him.  He  came  to  Alton  Presbytery  as  above,  and  was 
dismissed  from  them  and  given  a  general  letter,  Oct.  6,  1855. 
I  don't  knov/  where  or  when  he  was  born,  or  educated,  or  or- 
dained. It  is  not  to  his  credit  that  he  is  the  father  of  the 
loud-mouthed,  blatant  infidel,  Bob  Ingersoll,  who  strives  to 
quiet  a  biting  conscience  by  reviling  God's  word.  He  resid- 
ed a  short  time  in  Alton,  and  his  wife  died  there.  He  has 
been  dead  for  several  years.  It  was  a  smart  but  queer  fam- 
ily, and  all  their  peculiar  characteristics  have  culminated  in 
the  infidel,  Bob. 


Union  Presbyterian  Church,  Macoupin  county,  111.,  was 
organized  July  12,  185 1,  at  the  house  of  Peter  Brown,  by 
Rev.  George  Spaulding,  with  these  eighteen  members : 
Peter  Brown,  Catharine  Brown,  John  H.  Brown,  Newell  H. 
Brown,  Elizabeth  C.  Brown,  Ephraim  M.  Gilmore,  Mary  M. 
Gilmore,  Lucinda  I.  Gilmore,  Mrs.  Mary  M.  Welch,  Halybur- 
ton  Parks,  Jane  Parks,  WiHiam  S.  Parks,  Julius  E.  Parks, 
Mrs.  Barbara  Dixon,  Mrs.  Amanda  Quick,  Mrs.  Mildred 
Tunstall,  Henry    W.    Meriwether  and  Dorotha  Meriwether. 

September  26,  1856,  the  name  of  Union  church  was 
changed  by  Presbytery  to  that  of  "  The  First  Presbyterian 
of  Plainview."  Elders :  H.  Parks,  Peter  Brown,  Ephraim 
Gilmore  and  Henry  W.  Meriwether,  elected  when  the  church 
was  organized.  July  22,  1855,  Martin  N.  Gulick.  October 
27,  1861,  Samuel  Brown.  In  December,  1867,  Samuel 
Welch  and  Samuel  L.  Wilson.  The  first  sacramental  meet- 
ing was  held  in  the  school  house  in  Old  Brooklyn,  July  13, 
1 85 1.  For  several  years  the  church  worshiped  in  neigh- 
boring school-houses  and  in  private  dwellings.  January  17, 
1858,  the  present  house  was  dedicated  by  Rev.  Edward  Mc- 
Millan. Ministers:  H.  D.  Piatt,  1855;  L.  P. 
Lindley,  1857;  T.  B.  Hurlbut,  1858;  W.  C.  Rankin,  1860-61; 
R.  Smith,  1860-61.  He  was  an  impostor.  He  joined  Alton 
Presbytery  on  a  forged  certificate.  Thomas  Reynolds,  1861- 
64;  E.  W.  Taylor,  i866-yo;  W.  R.  Adams,  1870;  E.  W. 
Taylor,  1872-73;  W.  R.  Adams,  pastor,  1874,  until  this 
time.  This  church  has  enjoyed  several  interest- 
ing revivals.  From  1874  to  1876,  eighty-five  were  added  by 
examination  and  sixteen  by  letter.  The  Presbyterian  is  the 
only  church  edifice  in  the  place.     The  greater  part   of  the 

26 


4l8  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

members  of  the  Dry-Point,  or  Bayless  church,  have  con- 
nected here.  The  congregation  has  a  nice  parsonage  conve- 
nient to  the  house  of  worship. 


Mt.  Vernon  Church,  Bond  county,  about  eight  miles  di- 
rectly west  of  Greenville,  was  organized,  August  25,  185 1, 
by  Revs.  E.  B.  Olmsted  and  R.  Stewart,  with  nine  mem- 
bers. Elders :  Patterson  F.  Luark  and  Jonathan  D.  Floyd. 
Name  changed  to  "  Shoal  Creek ;"  finally  transferred  to 
Bethel  church.  Rey,  T.  W.  Hynes  preaches  now  in  the  same 
neighborhood. 


Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Sringfield,  September  24, 
185 1.  Members  were  present  from  five  Presbyteries.  The 
Synod  consisted  at  the  time  of  sixty-six  ministers  and  eighty- 
seven  churches  in  five  Presbyteries.  The  Synod 
of  Illinois,  o.  s.,  met  in  Chicago,  October  9,  185 1. 

YEAR  1852. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  Jacksonville,  April 
16,  1852.  William  G.  Gallaher,  minister,  and  Samuel  Ran- 
nells,  elder,  were  appointed  to  the  Assembly.  The  Presby- 
tery convened  for  its  fall  meeting  at  Farmington,  August  27. 
There  were  collected  for  the  Presbytery's  Missionary  opera- 
tions this  year  four  hundred  and  thirty  dollars  and  ninety 
cents, 

Kaskaskia  Presbytery  met  at  Chester,  April  9,  1S52. 
William  Hamilton  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Muh- 
lenburg.  The  church  of  Mt.  Vernon  was,  at  its  own  request, 
dissolved  and  its  members  attached  to  Gilead  church.  James 
Stafford,  minister,  and  James  A.  Ramsey,  elder,  were  ap- 
pointed to  attend  the  Assembly.  The  fall  meeting  was  held 
with  the  Sugar  Creek  church,  commencing  October  7. 


Wabash  Presbytery  met  with  the  New  Providence  church, 
Aprill  22,  1852.  The  church  of  McLeansboro  was  received. 
The  fall  meeting  was  held  with  the  Pleasant  Prairie  church, 
commencing  September  9. 


JOHN    CROZIER.  4I9 

IMcLeansboro  Church,  n.  s.,  was  organized  probably  in 
the  early  part  of  1852  by  Rev.  Hillery  Patrick.  It  was  re- 
ported to  the  Assembly  as  one  of  the  churches  of  Wabash 
Presbytery  down  to  1855,  and  as  having  ten  members.  Then 
its  name  disappeared. 


Palestine  Presbytery  met  at  Charleston,  April  i,  1852. 
R.  H.  Lilly,  minister,  and  John  S.  Hite,  elder,  were  appointed 
to  the  Assembly.  John  Crozier,  licentiate,  was  received 
from  the  New  Albany  Presbytery,  examined  and  ordained 
on  Sabbath,  April  4.  The  church  of  Shelbyville  was  dis- 
solved. Isaac  Bennet  was  dismissed  from  the  pastorate  of 
Pisgah  church.     Also  from  this  to  Peoria  Presbytery. 


John  Crozier  was  born  in  Manchester,  Adams  county, 
Ohio,  Aug.  27,  1822.  His  father  was  David  Crozier,  third 
son  of  John  and  Jane  Crozier,  Scotch-Irish  Covenanters,  who 
emigrated  from  the  city  of  Armagh,  in  Ireland,  and  settled  in 
Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  soon  after  the  close  of  the  war 
of  the  Revolution.  His  mother  was  Margaret  Means,  eldest 
daughter  of  William  and  Nancy  McElroy  Means,  also  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  staunch  Presbyterians.  William 
Means  was  an  elder  in  the  Fair  Forest  congregation,  Spartan- 
burgh  district,  in  South  Carolina,  under  the  pastoral  care  of 
Rev.  Wm.  Williamson,  father  of  the  now  veteran  missionary, 
Dr.  Thomas  Williamson,  for  more  than  forty  years  a  laborious 
and  successful  missionary  among  the  Dacota  Indians.  Wm. 
Williamson  was  a  minister  and  a  slavc-Jiolderby  inheritance.  His 
conscience  was  disturbed  at  the  thought  of  holding  his  fellow- 
men  in  bondage,  some  of  whom  were  members  of  his  church, 
and  brethren  in  the  Lord.  So,  as  early  as  1804,  he  came  to 
Adams  county,  Ohio,  as  Dr.  Howe  in  his  history  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  in  South  Carolina  says,  "  From  a  desire 
to  manumit  his  servants,  and  for  other  reasons,  he  removed 
with  a  portion  of  his  congregation  to  the  state  of  Ohio." 
A  few  years  afterwards  his  elder,  William  Means,  who  had 
been  a  Whig  soldier  in  the  war  of  Independence  and  never 
oivned  a  slave,  followed  his  pastor  to  Ohio,  and  remained  an 
honored  and  useful  Ruling  Elder  in  the  church  of  Manches- 
ter until  the  fall  of  1822,  when  he  removed  to  Edgar  coun'.y, 
III.,  near  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Paris,  which  was  loca- 


420  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

ted  in  the  spring  of  1823,  and  when  the  Presbyterian  church 
of  Paris  was  organized  in  Nov.,  1824,  by  Rev.  Isaac  Reed,, 
Mr,  Means,  in  connection  with  Samuel  Vance,  and  John 
Bovell  was  chosen  a  Ruhng  Eelder,  and  lield  that  office  until 
his  death  in  1847. 

He  is  still  represented  in  that  church  by  two  sons,  John 
C.  and  Thomas  N.  Means,  the  former  of  whom  is  an  elder 
in  his  father's  stead.  The  family  of  Mr.  Crozier  also  came 
to  Illinois  in  the  fall  of  1822,  and  located  at  Paris.  David 
Crozier  laid  the  foundation  of  the  first  house  in  Paris.  The 
subject  of  this  sketcl;;.was  baptized  in  1825,  by  Rev.  Samuel 
T.  Scott,  of  Vincennes,  the  first  settled  minister  in  Indiana.. 
He  was  the  subject  of  early  religious  training  and  experi- 
enced deep  and  pungent  convictions  of  sin  before  he  was 
eleven  years  old.  In  1835,  the  family  removed  from  Paris,. 
and  settled  in  Joliet,  where  they  sojourned  five  years,  and  in 
1840,  they  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Iowa  City,  Iowa. 
Here  in  May,  1842,  he  united  with  the  First  Presbyterian- 
church  of  Iowa  City,  then  under  the  pastoral  care  of  the 
Rev.  Michael  Hummer.  Soon  after  he  became  deeply  anx- 
ious as  to  his  future  calling,  and  was  impressed  with  a  great 
desire  to  spend  his  life  in  the  proclamation  of  the  glorious- 
gospel,  if  God  in  his  providence  would  open  the  way.  After 
consulting  his  pastor  he  entered  upon  his  preparatory  stud- 
ies under  the  tuition  of  Dr.  Wm,  Reynolds,  who  kept  a  pri- 
vate school  in  the  winter  of  1842-43,  in  the  basement  of  the 
Protestant  Methodist  church  in  Iowa  City.  Five  months 
were  spent  here  in  reviewing  English  studies.  In  April,  1843, 
he  set  out  on  foot  for  Hanover  College,  Ind.,  a  distance  of 
five  hundred  miles.  He  took  Paris  the  place  of  his  early 
boyhood  in  his  way.  Rev.  H.  I.  Venable  had  been  for  a 
year  or  two  teaching  an  academy  at  Paris,  and  proposed  to 
young  Crozier  to  spend  a  year  or  two  there,  and  prepare  for 
college.  It  was  replied,  "  I  have  special  arrangements  made 
at  Hanover  for  boarding,  tuition,"  etc.  "  Well,"  said  Mr. 
Venable,  "  We  will  make  special  arrangements  kere."  Said 
the  young  man,  "  Your  session  is  nearly  out  and  it  is  scarcely 
zvorth  while  to  begin  for  this  piece  of  a  term."  "  Never,. 
mind,"  said  Mr.  V.  "You've  seen  your  kin,  and  now  begin 
at  once,  and  you  will  be  through  the  Latin  grammar  by  the 
time  the  session  closes  "  [three  zvecks).  "  But  I've  no  books,, 
and  no  money  to  pay  tuition."  "Never  mind  that"  rejoined 
Mr.  v.,  "  We  will  borrow  books  until  you  can  get  books  of 


JOHN    CROZIER.  421 

your  own ;    and  as    for  tuition,  I'll    get   that  out  of  you  ! 
Begin  at  once."     He  started  for  his  school-room,  and  said 
to   his  pupil,  "  Come   along  with  me."     A   Latin   grammar 
was   borrowed,  and  the  young  man  was   assigned   the   first 
declension  of  Latin  nouns    and   recited  three  lessons   that 
afternoon!    Here  he  remained  until    Sept.,   1845,  when  he 
entered    the  sophomore    class   in   Miami    Universit}-,   Ohio, 
then  under  the   Presidency  of  Dr.  E.  D.  MacMaster,  where, 
in  company  with  Dr.  S.  S.  Laws,  now  President  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Missouri,  Rev.  John  W.  Drake,  Ely  Booth,  Esq., 
and  the   lamented   Isaiah   Little   and   others,  he   graduated 
Aug.  10,   1848.     In  October  following,  he   entered  what  is 
now    the    Theological    Seminary    of    the    Northwest,   then 
located    at   New  Albany,   Ind.,    under    Dr.    James   Wood 
and  Daniel    Stewart.     The  next  year    the   Faculty  was  in- 
creased   by  the  addition  of  Dr.   E.  D.  MacMaster,  as  Pro- 
fessor  of  didactic,  polemic  and    exegetic  theology.      Also 
Dr.    Philip     Lindsley,    so     long    the    popular    and    accom- 
plished   President   of  the    University  of  Nashville,   became 
a    member  of  the   faculty.       Here    Mr.   C.    remained    three 
full   years,    and    graduated    in    1851    with   Drs.   R.   C.  Mat- 
thews, Thomas  R,  Welch,  John  M.  Worrell,  James  W.  Hoyte 
and    Rev.   J.   B.    Drake  and   others.     In  company  with  his 
class-mate,  R.  C.  Matthews,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the 
Presbytery  of  New  Albany,  at  Jeffersonville,  Ind.,  on  the  3d 
of  April,  1850,  and  during  the   following  seminary  vacation 
he  supplied  the  churches  of  Paoli  and  Utica,  Ind.     Immedi- 
ately on  his  graduation  he  accepted  an  invitation  to   supply 
the  church  of  Palestine,  111.,  and  soon  after  was  joined  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Harriet  N.  Williamson,  the  eldest  daughter 
of  the  late  Rev.  Alexander  Williamson.     In  April,  1852,  he 
was  ordained  as  an  evangelist  by  the  Presbytery  of  Palestine, 
in  session  at  Charleston,  111.     Rev.  John  A.  Steele  preached 
the  sermon,  presided  and  proposed  the   constitutional  ques- 
tions ;  Rev.   John   McDonald   offered   the  ordaining  prayer, 
and  Rev.  E.  W.  Thayer  gave   the  charge  to  the  evangelist. 
Rev.  Isaac  Bennett,  Rev.  R.  H.  Lilly  and  Rev.  James  Came- 
ron took  part  in  the  ordination.     Mr.  C.  supplied  the  church 
of  Palestine,  also  engaged  in  missionary  labors   in   the  sur- 
rounding country  until  the  fall  of  1852,  when  he  accepted  an 
invitation  to  supply  the  church  of  Charlestown,  Ind,     A  de- 
sire to  be  near  enough  the  seminary  to   pursue  a  resident 
graduate  course  led  him  to  accept  this    invitation.      But  his 


422  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

heart  was  with  the  destitutions  of  the  Home  Missionary- 
work,  and  in  April,  1853,  he  yielded  to  the  earnest  solicita- 
tions of  the  church  in  Iowa  City  to  undertake  the  pastoral 
office  over  them,  and  removed  thither  and  entered  on  his 
work.  The  church  was  weak  in  membership  and  resources, 
and  embarrassed  with  a  heavy  debt.  This  was  the  church 
where,  as  a  timid  youth,  he  had  ten  years  before  first  professed 
his  faith  in  Christ.  Though  signally  successful  in  his  work 
for  a  period  of  six  months,  yet  he  was  unable  to  divest  him- 
self of  a  sense  of  unfitness  to  have  the  pastoral  charge  over 
those  whom  a  few  years  before  he  had  been  accustomed  to 
look  up  to  as  his  su-periors.  His  first  charge  at  Palestine 
had  remained  vacant  and  he  gladly  gave  up  his  work  in  Iowa 
City  and  returned  to  Palestine.  Here  he  remained  until  the 
fall  of  1855,  when  the  Western  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Board  of  Domestic  Missions,  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  appointed 
him  general  financial  agent  for  the  Synods  north  of  the  Ohio 
river.  This  appointment,  unsought  and  undesired,  he  ac- 
cepted as  a  call  of  Providence,  and  during  the  next  eighteen 
months  traveled  constantly  in  the  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana 
and  Illinois,  presenting  the  claims  of  the  great  Home  Mis- 
sionary work  to  the  churches,  raising  funds  for  missions  and 
urging  upon  churches  and  pastors  plans  of  systematic  giving 
to  the  Boards  of  the  Church,  and  thus  to  dispense  with  sal- . 
aried  agents  to  carry  on  the  various  benevolent  schemes.  At 
the  close  of  his  agency  he  declined  overtures  to  settle  in 
a  well  established  and  wealthy  church  in  Ohio,  and  came  to 
Olney,  III,  there  to  build  up  a  church  not  on  another  man's 
foundation.  On  his  arrival  at  Olney,  in  February,  1857,  he 
found  four  feeble  women  and  one  man,  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church,  as  a  nucleus  with  which  to  make  a  begin- 
ning. Here  he  settled,  preaching  one-third  of  his  time  at 
Olney,  and  one-third  at  Richland  church,  five  miles  south  of 
Olney,  and  one-third  at  Union  church,  in  Lawrence  county, 
a  church  which,  in  company  with  Rev.  Robert  Simpson  and 
Elder  Findley  Paull,  of  Palestine,  he  had  organized  in  June, 
1854.  In  October,  1858,  the  Synod  of  Illinois  erected  a 
new  Presbytery,  embracing  eighteen  counties  in  the  south- 
eastern angle  of  the  State,  called  the  Presbytery  of  Saline. 
Five  ministers  were  included  in  this  organization,  viz. :  B.  F. 
Spilman,  John  S.  Howell,  John  B.  Saye,  Samuel  C.  Bald- 
ridge  and  John  Crozier,  with  the  following  churches  under 
their  care :  Olney,  Richland,  Union,   Lawrenceville,  Pisgah, 


JOHN    CROZIER.  423 

Wabash,  Friendsville,  Mount  Carmel,  Carmi,  Sharon,  Equal- 
ity, Shawneetown,  Golconda  and  Knob  Prairie.  The  first 
meeting  of  the  new  Presbytery  was  held  at  Friendsville  in 
May,  1859.  Two  days  before  the  meeting,  Rev.  B.  F.  Spil- 
man,  the  senior  minister  and  veteran  missionary  of  Southern 
Illinois,  was  called  to  his  rest.  Three  of  the  remaining  min- 
isters had  been  members  of  the  Presbytery  of  Palestine  and 
knew  little  of  the  great  field  committed  to  their  care.  It  was 
important  that  the  territory  be  at  once  explored,  the  vacant 
churches  visited,  and  laborers  introduced  into  the  fields 
"white  to  the  harvest."  Mr.  C's.  experience  as  a  missionary 
agent  at  once  led  the  brethren  to  fix  upon  him  as  the  man 
for  this  work,  if  his  own  field  could  be  temporarily  supplied. 
Providence  opened  the  way.  David  McKnight  Williamson, 
a  theological  student  of  Princeton,  who  had  completed  his 
second  year  in  the  seminary,  and  knew  something  of  the  des- 
tutions  in  this  part  of  Illinois,  wrote  to  one  of  the  brethren 
a  few  days  before  the  meeting  of  Presbytery,  proposing  to 
place  himself  under  the  care  of  Presbytery  and  be  licensed, 
and  spend  the  summer  in  such  labors  as  might  be  assigned 
him.  He  met  with  the  Presbytery  of  Saline  at  its  organiza- 
tion, and  was  licensed,  and  Presbytery  appointed  Mr.  C.  to 
evangelistic  services  within  the  bounds  of  Presbytery  for  the 
next  three  or  four  months,  and  Mr.  Williamson  to  supply  the 
churches  of  Mr.  C's.  charge.  During  the  summer  of  1859 
Mr.  C.  traversed  the  whole  field,  preaching  in  all  the  vacant 
churches,  and  encouraging  the  people  and  doing  what  could 
be  done  to  have  the  destitutions  supplied  and  obtaining  much 
valuable  information,  which  was  a  great  use  in  subsequent 
furtherance  of  the  work.  Mr.  C.  then  resumed  his  pastor- 
ate work  at  Olney.  The  present  house  of  worship  there  was 
completed  and  occupied  in  i860.  When  the  great  rebellion 
broke  out,  in  1861,  Mr.  C.  was  heart  and  sotd  with  the  Govern- 
ment, and  on  Sabbath  eve,  April  21,  i86i,he  preached  the  first 
patriotic  sermon  in  Olney  to  the  volunteers  of  Capt.  Lynch's 
company.  He  was  among  the  first  in  Olney  to  observe  the 
week  of  prayer  and  took  an  active  part  in  a  series  of  Union 
services  in  January,  1863,  when  the  churches  of  Olney  were 
blessed  with  the  first  general  revival  of  religion.  All  the 
churches  were  strengthened  by  this  work  of  grace,  and  about 
fifty  members  were  added  to  the-  Presbyterian  church.  So 
during  the  remaining  years  of  his  pastorate  in  Olney,  1864, 
1865  and  1866,  there  was  a  delightful  religious  interest  in  con- 


424  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

nection  with  Union  services  during  the  week  of  prayer,  the 
services  being  often  protracted  for  several  weeks.  At  the 
meeting  of  Presbytery,  in  April,  1866,  he  resigned  his  pas- 
toral charge,  leaving  as  a  result  of  nine  years'  labors,  a  church 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  communicants,  a  good  house  of 
worship  finished  and  paid  for,  with  a  good  Sabbath  school 
and  established  habits  of  systematic  benevolence.  Presby- 
tery immediately  appointed  him  Presbyterial  Missionary  for 
one  year  at  a  salary  of  one  thousand  dollars,  five  hundred 
of  which  was  appropriated  by  the  Board  of  Missions,  and 
five  hundred  by  ]Messrs.  Peeples  &  Ridgway,  of  Shawnee- 
town.  Mr.  C.  prosecuted  this  work  with  untiring  zeal  dur- 
ing the  year,  traveling  and  preaching  incessantly,  strengthen- 
ing the  weak  churches,  seeking  to  have  them  supplied,  and 
preparing  the  way  for  the  organization  of  churches.  With 
April,  1867,  closed  Mr.  C.'s  labors  in  Southern  Illinois. 

From  his  first  coming  to  Palestine  in  1851,  to  April,  1867, 
he  had  assisted  at  the  organization  of  the  following  churches  : 
Union,  Friendsville,  Olney,  Wakefield,  Hermon,  Odin, 
Flora,  Hopewell,  Bridgeport.  Grayville  and  Larkinsburgh, 
and  was  more  or  less  influential  in  preparing  the  way  for 
other  organizations  which  have  been  effected  by  those  who 
have  entered  into  his  labors.  In  July,  1867,  he  received  a 
call  to  the  pastorate  of  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Oxford, 
Ohio,  which  he  accepted,  and  in  August  he  began  his  labors 
there.  The  re-union  tide  by  this  time  had  begun  to  rise  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  made  itself  felt  in  every  commu- 
nity where  there  were  two  Presbyterian  churches,  and  but 
one  was  needed.  The  two  churches  at  Oxford  had  been 
asunder  for  thirty  years,  and  although  each  was  doing  a  good 
work  in  its  own  sphere,  yet  the  burden  of  support  of  two 
churches  was  felt  to  be  heavy,  and  the  question  of  union 
began  to  be  spoken  of.  Mr.  C.  promptly  told  the  session 
of  the  First  church,  that  though  it  would  be  a  great  per- 
sonal sacrifice  to  leave  Oxford,  with  its  high  educational  and 
social  advantages  ;  yet  when  the  time  for  re-union  came,  he 
would  open  the  way  so  that  the  two  churches  could  come 
together  with  vacant  pulpits,  and  the  united  charge  thus  be 
left  free  to  call  the  pastor  of  their  choice.  In  anticipation 
of  the  re-union  of  the  Assemblies,  in  Nov.,  1869,  Mr.  C.  ten- 
dered his  resignation  as  pastor  of  the  First  church  of  Ox- 
ford, in  September  previous,  having  been  called  to  the 
pastorate  of  the  North  Sangamon  church,  Presb}'tery  of  San- 


DAVID    A.   WALLACE.  1.25 

gamon.  He  removed  at  once  to  his  new  field  where  he  has 
continued  active  in  the  duties  of  his  office  in  his  own  pas- 
toral charge,  often  assisting  his  brethren  and  doing  much 
missionary  service  in  destitute  places  as  opportunity  offers. 
Elder  Findley  PauU,  furnishes  this  anecdote. 
During  his  pastorate  of  Palestine  church,  there  was  one 
season  a  large  crop  of  corn  raised.  Many  corn  buyers 
were  in  the  countr}^,  and  they  got  up  what  was  called  a 
Corn  Ball,  and  invitations  were  scattered  far  and  near.  Mr. 
C.  heard  of  it,  and  told  me  he  would  blow  it  up  and  he 
would  not  wait  until  it  was  over.  He  would  do  it  the  next 
Sabbath.  I  remarked,  "  Give  them  rope  and  they  will  hang 
themselves."  "  No,"  he  said,  "  I  will  doit  if  I  have  to  leave 
the  next  week."  He  preached  what  was  called  his  Corn 
Ball  Setmon,  from  Galations  iii :  i.  It  was  a  powerful  ser- 
mon and  cut  close.  One  of  the  managers  called  one  of 
the  elders  into  his  store  and  asked  if  he  had  Mr.  Crozier's 
subscription.  **  Yes,"  he  replied.  "  I  will  pay  twenty-five 
dollars  per  year  while  he  remains  here.  A  man  that  will 
rebuke  what  "he  believes  to  be  wrong  as  fearlessly  as  he  did, 
I  will  support."  The  proprietor  of  the  hotel,  where  the  ball 
was  held,  sent  him  a  fine  cake.  He  sent  it  back,  saying,  he 
"  would  not  eat  anything  oft'ered  in  sacrifice  to  idols,"  and 
wrote  a  kind  letter  with  it.  The  hotel  keeper  afterwards 
united  with  the  church. 


Palestine  Presbytery  met  at  Lawrenceville,  Oct.  5,  1852. 
D.  A.  Wallace  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Whitewa- 
ter. "  North  Arm  Presbyterian  church "  was  received. 
Also  the  church  of  Decatur. 


David  A.  Wallace. 

Auto-biographical. 

I  was  born  April  18,  1818,  in  Butler  county,  Ohio.  IMy 
ancestors  on  both  sides  were  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians. 
I  pursued  my  classical  studies  partly  under  the  tuition  of  my 
pastor.  Rev.  David  Monfort,  of  Franklin,  Indiana,  and  at 
Hanover  College.  I  studied  theology  at  New  Albany  Sem- 
inar}' under  the  instruction  of  Dr.  John  INIatthews. 

I  was  long  and  often  impressed  with  the  idea  that  I  must 


426  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

preach  the  gospel.  But  from  a  sense  of  unfitness,  a  lack  of 
qualifications  and  the  want  of  means  to  secure  an  education 
this  idea  was  dismissed  and  I  had  about  concluded  to  follow 
some  othe.r  calling.  But  just  at  that  time  my  pastor,  not 
knowing  the  struggle  that  had  been  going  on  in  my  own  mind, 
called  me  into  his  study  and  gave  me  such  counsel  and  en- 
couragement as  forever  settled  the  question.  I  at  once  set 
about  making  preparation  for  the  work.  I  was 

licensed  April  6,  1844,  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Indianapolis,  and  ordained  by  the  same  Presbytery 
pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Georgetown,  Brown 
county,  Ind.,  June  a'S,  1847.  After  my  licensure,  I  served 
for  a  time  the  churches  of  New  Burlington,  Windsor  and 
Bloutsville,  Delaware  county,  Ind.  My  next  charge  was 
Georgetown,  in  connection  with  Harmony,  a  church  which  I 
had  organized  in  Bartholomew  county,  Ind.  I  next  took 
charge  of  Union,  a  small  church  in  the  south  part  of  Decatur 
county,  Indiana,  in  connection  with  Napoleon,  (afterwards 
changed  to  Ripley),  and  all  of  Ripley  county  in  which  I 
organized  the  churches  of  Versailles  and  Mt.  Hope.  In  the 
spring  of  1852,  I  went  to  Lawrenceville,  III,  and  supplied 
that  and  Pisgah  churches  one  year.  I  then  went  to  the 
church  of  Nashville,  111.,  and  was  installed  pastor,  June  18, 
1854.  The  pastoral  relation  was  dissolved  Oct.  i,  1862.  I 
returned  to  Lawrence  county,  and  labored  in  a  destitute 
missionary  field  one  year.  I  then  took  charge  of  Crow 
Meadow  church,  in  Marshall  county.  111.,  which  I  served  till 
October,  1868,  at  which  time  I  was  compelled  to  give  up,  in 
consequence  of  a  severe  attack  of  inflammatory  rheumatism. 
For  some  time  I  was  unable  to  preach  much,  but  engaged 
in  colporteur  work  and  preached  occasionally.  In  the  spring 
of  1 87 1, 1  went  to  Iowa,  to  try  to  recuperate,  and  found  work 
there  for  a  while  in  the  church  of  Frankville,  Winnesheik 
county,  and  then  at  Mt.  Hope,  Allamakee  county.  At  the 
end  of  the  year  I  returned  to  Illinois,  and  served  the 
churches  of  Salem  (at  Mahomet),  and  Springvale  in  Cham- 
paign county,  111.  I  now  have  no  regular  pastoral 
charge.  I  have  settled  on  a  small  farm  in  Livingston  county, 
111.  I  was  married  Nov.  18,  1846,  in  Decatur 
county,  Ind.,  to  Miss  Margaret  Jane  Thomson.  We  have 
two  children,  Henry  Melancthon,  born  Aug.  23,  1847,  and 
Sarah  Ernestine,  born  Oct.  5,  1850. 

D.  A.  Wallace. 

Sannemin,  Livingston  County,  IlL 


FIRST    CHURCH    OF    DECATUR.  42/ 

North  Arm  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  in  the 
summer  of  1852  by  the  Committee  of  Presbytery,  with  ten 
members,  Samuel  Mann,  elder.  It  was  in  Edgar  county, 
not  far  from  Paris,  and  was  dissolved  by  Presbytery  of  Pales- 
tine, April  24,  1854,  and  its  members  attached  to  Paris 
church. 


The  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Decatur  was  organiz- 
ed in  the  house  of  Mr.  Samuel  Powers  on  the  first  day  of  May, 
1852,  by  the  Rev,  Robert  H.  Lilly,  who  was  appointed  a 
committee  for  that  purpose  by  the  Presbytery  of  Palestine. 
The  members  at  the  organization  were  David  Hopkins, 
Catharine,  his  wife  and  Lydia,  their  daughter,  Nancy  Eagar, 
Mrs.  Mary  Lilly,  Miss  Agnes  McCormick,  John  Nicholson 
and  his  wife  Julia,  Robert  Moffit  and  his  wife  Elizabeth. 
David  Hopkins  was  elected  first  Ruling  Elder.  Rev.  Augus- 
tus F.  Pratt  gathered  up  this  little  church  and  preached  to 
them  one  year.  After  him  the  Rev.  David  Monfort,  D.  D., 
then  quite  an  old  and  feeble  man,  served  the  church  until 
Oct.,  1854.  About  the  middle  of  the  next  month,  the  church 
secured  the  services  of  the  Rev.  Erastus  W.  Thayer,  who 
served  them  until  the  spring  of   1857.  The  con- 

gregation up  to  about  this  time  worshiped  in  the  old  court- 
house, then  in  the  old  Academy,  and  in  a  new  building 
which  was  erected  on  East  Main  street,  on  a  lot  belonging 
to  Dr.  Roberts,  and  designed  ultimately  for  a  store-house. 
The  next  minister  was  the  Rev.  P.  D.  Young,  who  preached 
one  year.  Rev.  T.  M.  Oviatt  was  invited  to  the  charge  of  the 
church  in  July,  1858,  and  was,  in  the  following  spring,  in- 
stalled as  the  first  regular  pastor.  He  continued  in  the  pas- 
toral relation  till  Jan.,  1863,  and  was  succeeded  in  the  follow- 
ing spring  by  Rev.  D.  C.  Marquis,  who  was  called  from  this 
church  to  the  North  Presbyterian  church  in  Chicago,  in  Jan., 
1866.  The  church,  during  the  pastorate  of  these  last  two 
men,  had  a  steady  and  much  more  rapid  growth.  Mr.  Mar- 
quis, though  a  young  man,  had  preaching  powers  of  no  ordi- 
nary character.  His  sermons  were  evangelical,  clear  and 
profound,  and  were  delivered  with  great  force  and  animation. 
If  he  has  had  any  equal  as  a  sermonizer  among  the  young 
men  in  Central  Illinois,  it  was  his  immediate  successor,  the 
Rev.  Samuel  Conn.  Both  these  gentlemen  were  early  hon- 
ored with  the  degree  of  Doctor Divinitatis,hQCdi\ysQ  by  native 


428  PRESBYTERIAXIS5I    IN    ILLINOIS. 

power  and  hard  study,  they  earned  the  distinction.  Mr. 
Conn's  health,  which  was  never  firm,  suffered  under  the  labor 
and  care  of  the  church,  and  in  September,  1868,  he  closed 
his  labors  here.  During  the  last  year  of  Mr.  Conn's  pastorate 
a  second  church  was  organized  in  connection  with  the  New 
School  General  Assembly,  with  forty-two  members  from  the 
first  church  and  seven  from  other  quarters.  This  branch  of 
the  church  enjoyed  the  very  acceptable  services  of  the  Rev.  A. 
L.  Brooks  till  after  the  union  of  the  two  General  Assemblies, 
when  he  accepted  a  call  to  Danville,  111.,  and  the  two  churches 
united.  The  elders  of  both  cliurches  were  elected  to  consti- 
tute the  session  of'the  re-united  church.  After  Mr.  Conn 
left,  the  Rev.  John  Brown,  D.  D.,  supplied  this  church  during 
the  greater  part  of  the  next  winter.  In  the  spring 

of  1869,  Rev.  James  E.  Moffatt,  a  young  man  from  the  Chi- 
cago Theological  Seminary,  was  settled  as  pastor  and  re- 
mained four  years.  After  him  came  the  Rev.  Robert  Mac- 
kenzie and  preached  a  few  months  over  two  years.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1876,  Rev.  W,  H.  Prestley  accepted  a  call  to  this 
church,  and  is  now  preaching  most  acceptably  to  full  houses. 
The  church  which  began  with  ten  members  and 
one  RuHng  elder,  now  has  about  three  hundred  members,  a 
full  bench  of  Ruling  Elders  and  full  boards  of  deacons  and 
trustees.  A  large  and  successful  Sunday-school  is  maintain- 
ed under  the  auspices  of  this  church. 

Elders  of  First  church:  David  Hopkins,  Dr.  James  E. 
Roberts,  Samuel  Frederick,  Thomas  Lewis,  S.  C.  Roberts, 
Orlando  Powers,  S.  G.  Malone,  J.  E.  Roberts,  D.  C.  Brown, 
Geo.  E.  Morehouse,  T.  H.  Allen,  R.  P.  Lytle. 
The  Second  church  was  organized  Jan.  18,  1868,  by  Drs.  D. 
H.  Hamilton  and  W.  D.  Sanders  in  Powers'  Hall,  where  their 
meetings  were  subsequently  held.  Elders  :  Hazen  Pressey, 
J.  H.  Lewis,  G.  E.  Morehouse.  The    First    and 

Second  churches  were  united  Dec.  28,  1870.  Elders  elected 
■since  the  union  :  Reuben  Nims,  R.  C.  Crocker,  W.  R,  Scroggs. 
In  1855,  the  brick  church  on  Prairie  street  was 
begun.  It  progressed  but  slowly,  and  was  dedicated  March 
6,1859.     It  cost  ^9,000. 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  met  at  Springfield,  April  2, 
1852.  James  Smith,  D.  D.,  minister,  and  J.  T.  Eccles,  elder, 
were  appointed  to  attend  the  next  Assembly.    An  adjourned 


HARDIN    CPIURCPI.  42g> 

meeting  was  held  with  Sugar  Creek  church,  April  20.     The 
fall  meeting  was  held  with  Union  church,  commencing  Sept. 
14. 

Alton  Presbytery  met  at  Troy,  Madison  county,  April 
15,  1852.  Hardin  church,  Calhoun  county,  was  received- 
George  Spaulding  was  released,  on  account  of  ill  health,, 
from  the  pastorate  of  Woodburn  and  Bunker  Hill  churches, 
and  also  dismissed  from  the  Presbytery,  and  given  a  general 
letter  of  recommendation.  Socrates  Smith  was  received 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Illinois.  Lawson  A.  Parks  and  Wm. 
T.  Bartle  were  granted  license,  George  M.  Tuthill  was  dis- 
missed to  the  Eastern  Association  of  Michigan.  N.  A. 
Hunt  was  released  from  the  pastoral  charge  of  Marioa 
church.  Joseph  A.  Ranney.  minister,  and  L.  A.  Parks,  elder,, 
were  appointed  to  attend  the  Assembly.  David  Dimond. 
was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis.  The  narra- 
tive showed  that  the  past  year  had  been  one  of  great  pro- 
gress through  almost  the  entire  field. 


Hardin  Church  Is  located  in  the  town  of  Hardin,  the 
county  seat  of  Calhoun  county,  a  beautiful  and  picturesque 
little  village  nestling  at  the  foot  of  a  grand  bluff  on  the  Illi- 
nois river.  The  church  is  quite  as  old  as  the  village.  It 
was  organized  first,  on  Oct.  17,  185 1,  under  the  direction 
of  Alton  Presbytery,  by  Revs.  E.  B.  Olmsted  and  Robert 
Stewart,  in  the  parlor  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  F.  Child,  with  four- 
teen members.  Mrs.  Child  was  one  of  the  fourteen,  herself 
a  thorough  Scotchwoman  and  Presbyterian,  born  in  Edin- 
burg,  and  brought  up  on  oatmeal  and  the  Shorter  Catechism,, 
which  she  can  repeat  verbatim,  at  past  sixty  years  of  age. 
.Her  house  has  ever  been  a  preacher's  home,  and  her  daugh- 
ter Sarah,  as  well  as  herself,  a  great  help  to  the  church.  At 
this  first  organization,  Steele  Cunningham  and  John  Mort- 
land,  sr.,  were  chosen  elders.  The  former,  after  a  few  years, 
died.  "  Father "  Mortland,  as  he  is  now  familiarly  called, 
still  lives  and  continues,  as  he  has  done,  to  serve  the  church, 
though  past  eighty  3-ears  of  age.  For  many  years  the 
church  had  no  other  elder;  and  always  he  and  his  sons  have 
been  a  large  part  of  the  financial  strength  of  the  church. 

The  Hardin  church  is  another  plant  from  Scotch- 
Irish   seed.  From    the    spring  of    1852,   on  for 


430  PRE3BYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

three  years,  the  chUrch  had  the  services  of  Rev.  Joseph  E. 
McMurray  as  stated  supply.  Later  they  had  the  services  of 
Rev.  Loring  S.  WiUiams  for  a  short  time,  and  during  the  year 
1865,  Rev.  Horatio  N.  Wilbur.  Then  they  were  without  any 
minister,  and  had  only  very  occasional  preaching  until 
March  26,  1871,  when  H.  P.  Carson,  a  licentiate  of  Alton 
Presbytery,  sent  by  the  Home  Missionary  Committee,  began 
laboring  among  them  and  extended  his  efforts  to  six  other 
points  in  the  county.  In  the  meantime  the  church  records 
had  been  wholly  lost,  and  deaths  and  removals  had  reduced 
the  membership  to  four  souls,  including  the  only  elder  remain- 
ing. They  had  hitherto  no  exclusive  house  of  worship,  but 
had  helped  to  build  a  house  for  both  school  and  church  pur- 
poses, which  they  shared  with  the  public  school. 

After  Mr.  Carson  had  gathered  a  congregation  and  preached 
a  few  months,  it  was  found  nine  persons  wished  to  unite  with 
the  church.  Accordingly,  Rev.  A.  T.  Norton,  D.  D.,  came 
and  spent  a  few  days  preaching  and  administering  the  ordin- 
ances, and  with  the  consent  and  advice  of  the  elder,  recon- 
stituted the  church,  receiving  into  fellowship  those  who 
wished,  and  restoring  the  membership  to  the  original  num- 
ber, lacking  one.  This  was  on  August  12,  1871.  October 
29,  of  the  same  year,  three  more  members  were  received, 
when  Rev.  C.  S.  Armstrong,  of  Alton,  was  present  with  the 
church  and  administered  the  ordinances,  Mr.  Carson  assist- 
ing. On  the  same  day  the  church  chose  Robert  Sibley  for 
an  additional  Ruling  Elder.  Dr.  Armstrong  often  afterwards 
came  to  aid  the  preacher  in  charge,  and  it  was  chiefly  through 
God's  blessing  on  his  labors  in  a  revival  that  the  church  ex- 
perienced an  awakening  which  permanently  and  greatly 
effected  the  whole  village  and  vicinity  during  the  first 
months    in    1875.  The    church,    on   March  31, 

1872,  called  H.  P.  Carson  to  become  their  pastor.  The  call 
was  accepted  and  he  duly  ordained  at  an  adjourned  meeting 
of  the  Presbytery  with  congregation,  July  21,  1872.  In  the 
meantime  Mr.  B.  F.  Child,  on  his  dying  bed,  had  given  the 
church  a  lot  on  which  to  build  a  house  of  worship ;  so  that 
through  the  persevering  efforts  of  the  pastor-elect,  and  the 
earnest  and  generous  contributions  and  prayers  of  the  mem- 
bers, the  congregation  and  their  friends  generally,  irrespective 
of  creed  or  denomination,  the  church  was  able  to  present  for 
dedication  on  the  same  day  a  beautiful,  modern  and  tasteful 
house  to  the  Lord,  all  furnished,  even  to  a  large  fine  bell.  (The 


HARDIN   CHURCH.  43  I 

last  was  secured  through  the  voluntary  and  generous  efforts 
of  the  late  Captain  Stephen  Child,  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  F. 
Child,  who  secured  in  addition  to  his  own  the  more  than 
sufficient  contributions.)  The  2ist  day  of  July,  1872,  was  a 
memoriable  day  to  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Hardin,  and 
to  the  village  and  vicinity  generally.  Every  body  was  pres- 
ent, even  Roman  Catholics  and  infidels,  and  some  from 
twenty  miles  in  the  country.  The  dedicatory  services 
occurred  at  1 1  a.  m.,  just  after  the  Sabbath  school  session. 
Dr.  Norton  preached  the  dedicatory  sermon.  After  very 
generous  contributions  from  the  congregation,  including 
every  member  of  Presbytery  present,  if  not  every  body 
else,  which  cleared  all  financial  obligation.  Rev.  C.  S.  Arm- 
strong led  in  the  dedicatory  prayer.  The  ordi- 
nation services  occurred  in  the  afternoon.  Rev.  W.  L.  Tar- 
bet  preached  the  sermon.  Rev.  S.  H.  Hyde  gave  the  charge 
to  the  pastor  after  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  Presbytery. 
Rev.  W.  R.  Adams  gave  the  charge  to  the  people.  The  day 
closed  leaving  the  church,  for  the  first  time  in  its  over 
twenty  years'  history,  in  the  possession  of  a  home  duly  dedi- 
cated to  the  worship  of  the  Triune  God,  and  a  pastor  duly  set 
apart  for  His  and  their  service.  Rev.  H.  P.  Carson 
remained  their  pastor  until  April  20,  1879,  on  which  da}'  he 
preached  his  farewell  sermon.  The  pastoral  relation  by  con- 
current request  having  been  dissolved  by  Presbytery.  He  went 
to  take  charge  at  once  of  the  Presbyterian  church  ofTaylor- 
ville,  111.  During  his  pastorate  of  eight  years,  the  Sabbath 
school  grew  in  membership  from  forty  to  one  hundred  and 
fifty;  in  average  attendance  from  over  twenty  to  eighty;  a 
Sunday  school  teachers'  meeting  was  steadily  and  regularly 
maintained  after  the  first  year.  There  were  added  to  the  mem- 
bership of  the  church,  sixty-three;  forty-nine  on  profession 
and  fourteen  by  letter.  Only  two  died,  but  nineteen  moved 
away.  The  ordinance  of  baptism  was  administered  to  fifty- 
one  persons  including  infants.  The  second  additional  elder, 
Morris  Fisher,  was  chosen  Sept.  27,  1874.  For  years  he  has 
been  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath  school,  a  great  help  to  the 
church  financially  and  spiritually,  and  growing  in  efificienc}'. 
The  fifth  and  last  ruling  elder,  up  to  this  date,  is  L.  M. 
Brady,  who  was  elected  Sept.  9,  1877.  One  having  died, 
the  church  is  now  left  with  four  living,  active  elders. 

H.  P.  Carson. 


432  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

David  Dimond  was  born  at  Groton,  N.  H,,  April  26,  1S19. 
He  was  an  only  child.  His  father  died  when  he  was  but 
four  years  old.  He  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  until  he  was. 
fifteen  years  of  age.  He  united  with  the  Congregational 
Church  in  Brighton,  Mass.,  Feb.  8,  1835.  Fitted  for  college 
at  Andover,  Mass.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth  College, 
1842,  and  at  Andover  Seminary,  April  8,  1845.  Licensed  by 
Andover  Association  April  8,  1845.  Ordained  by  St.  Louis 
Presbytery  in  St.  Louis,  April  21,  1846.  Supply  pastor  at 
Troy,  Mo.,  until  Nov.  i,  1850,  when  he  went  to  Collinsville, 
111.,  where  he  labored  four  years.  United  with  Alton  Presby- 
tery first,  April  17,-1852.  Professor  of  Latin  and  Greek  in 
Webster  College,  Mo.,  ten  miles  west  of  St.  Louis,  and  sup- 
ply pastor  of  Rock  Hill  church  1855-59.  His 
next  field  was  Brighton,  111.,  where  he  remained  untill  1865. 
Then  to  Shelbyville  and  next  to  Anna,  Union  county.  111. 
From  thence  he  returned  to  Brighton  and  was  installed  pas- 
tor there.  This  position  he  still  retains.  He  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  D.  D.  from  his  Alma  Mater,  Dartmouth 
College,  July  21,  1870.  Seldom  has  this  honor  been  better 
deserved.  I  have  occasion  to  know  its  bestowal  was  not 
only  unsought,  but  took  him  entirely  by  surprise.  He  pos- 
sesses that  virtue  so  rare  in  these  latter  times — modesty.  In 
one  of  his  letters  to  the  writer  he  caps  the  climax  of  his  low 
estimation  of  himself  by  signing  his  name  "  david  dimond"  ! 
A  {&\v  of  his  intimate  associates  and  friends  understood  and 
appreciated  his  scholarly  attainments,  his  great  ability  and 
rare  worth.  Among  these  were  Drs.  Artemas  Bullard  and 
Henry  A.  Nelson.  With  talents  and  acquirements  sufficient 
for  the  highest  stations,  he  has  occupied,  for  the  most  part, 
only  the  humblest.  His  life  has  been  full  of  deep  affliction. 
He  has  buried  one  wife  and  all  his  children.  For  several 
years  past  he  has  been  nearly  blind.  But  he  still  pursues 
his  ministerial  labors,  drawing  upon  the  resources  of  a  thor- 
oughly disciplined  and  well-stored  mind.  His  first 
wife  was  Miss  Augusta  Coffin,  born  at  Hanover,  N.  H.,  Oct. 
25,1822.  She  was  united  to  Mr.  Dimond,  August  8,  1848. 
Her  death  occurred  at  Brighton,  Sabbath  July  30,  1871.  She 
was  an  intelligent,  accomplished,  lovely  Christian  lady,  and 
amidst  much  ill  health  acted  well  her  part.  She  was  the 
mother  of  five  children,  none  of  whom  remain.  Oct.  8,  1872,. 
Dr.  Dimond  married  his  second  wife,  Mrs.  Mary  W.  Waldron,. 
daughter  of  Stephen    Wingate,    M.    D.,    formerly  of  Great 


MEETING    OF    PRESBYTERIES.  433 

Falls,  N.  H.     She   still    lives   and   is  an    exemplification  of 
Mary  and  Martha  combined. 

Alton  Presbytery  met  at  Alton,  Sept.  i6,  1852.  Henry 
D.  Piatt  was  received  from  the  Illinois  Association.  T.  B. 
Hurlbut  was  installed  pastor  of  Upper  Alton  church,  Sept. 
19,  1852,  by  a  committee  of  Presbytery.  An  adjourned 
meeting  was  held  with  Spring  Cove  church,  October  17,  at 
which  Wm.  T.  Bartle  was  ordained,  sine  titnlo. 

Henry  Button  Platt  was  born  at  Plymouth,  Conn.,  July 
13,  1823.  He-  was  educated  at  the  Mission  Institute,  near 
Quincy,  111.,  and  at  New  Haven  Divinity  school.  He  was 
ordained  by  the  Illinois  Association  at  Griggsville,  111., 
April  13,  1851 ;  supply  pastor  Brighton  Presbyterian  church, 
1851-57;  united  with  Alton  Presbytery,  Oct.  17,  1852;  sup- 
ply pastor  Chesterfield,  Macoupin  county,  1858-68;  Home 
Missionary  Superintendent  (  Cong'l )  for  Southern  Illinois, 
1868-71  ;  supply  pastor  Congregational  church,  Lincoln,  111., 
1871.  Is  now  residing  at  Brighton,  and  supply  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  church  in  that  and  one  other  place.  He 
married  Miss  Sarah  E.  Stratton,  of  Brighton,  111.,  Feb.  5, 
1852.     They  have  two  danghters  and  a  son. 

William  T.  Bartle  was  born  at  Mullica  Hill,  Gloucester 
county,  N.  J.,  Feb.  17,  1822.  Educated  at  Knox  College, 
111.;  licensed  by  Alton  Presbytery,  at  Troy,  111.,  April  16, 
1852.  Dismissed  from  that  Presbytery  April  22,  1854. 
Has  labored  since  at  Knoxville,  Wethersfield,  Chicopee, 
Congregational  churches.  111.,  and  at  Camp  Point,  111.,  Lapeer 
and  Decatur,   Presbyterian   churches,  Michigan, 

His  first  wife  died  in  her  twenty-first  year.  He  married 
the  second  time,  and  has  eight  children.  He  has  been 
blessed  with  sound  health  and  been  a  very  laborious,  earn- 
est, successful  minister.  He  is  now,  1879,  in  Cromwell,  Iowa. 

The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  Sept. 
22,  1852.  The  Presbytery  of  Des  Moines  was  divided  into 
three,  and  the  Assembly  requested  to  organize  a  Synod  of 
Iowa,  n.  s.  The  Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s.,  met  at 

Peoria,  Oct.  14,  1852.  Members  were  present  from  six  Pres- 
byteries. Much  time  was  occupied  in  discussing  the  sub- 
jects of  theological  education  and  of  religious  papers. 

27 


CHAPTER  XI. 

MEETINGS  OF  PRESBYTERIES  AND  SYNODS  FROM  1 85  3  TO 
1857,  INCLUDING  SKETCHES  OF  THE  CHURCHES  ORGANIZED 
AND  THE  MINISTERS  COMMENCING  THEIR  LABORS  HERE 
WITHIN  THE  PERIOD. 

Authorities  :   As  in  pfevious  chapter. 

YEAR   1853, 

Illinois  Presbytery  met  at  CarroUton,  April  14,  1853, 
John  G.  Rankin,  minister,  and  C.  R.  Wells,  elder,  were  elected 
Commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  The  fall  meet- 

ing was  held  at  Winchester,  Scott  county,  commencing  Sep- 
tember 8.  C.  E.  Blood  and  Thomas  Lippincott  were  re- 
ceived from  Alton  Presbytery,  and  Rufus  Nutting,  jr.,  on 
evidence  of  his  ordaination  by  an  Ecclesiastical  Council. 


Rufus  Nutting  was  born  in  Randolph,  Vt,  September  28, 
1823.  His  father  was  of  English  descent  and  his  mother 
Scotch-English,  both  Calvinistic  and  orthodox,  after  the 
New  England  style.  He  graduated  at  the  Western  Reserve 
College  in  Northern  Ohio,  and  took  a  full  divinity  course  in 
the  Theological  Seminary  at  that  time  connected  with  the 
same  college.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Por- 
tage in  1847.  From  1849  to  1852  was  pastor  of  the  Congre- 
gational church  at  Ravenna,  Portage  county,  Ohio,  under 
the  then  existing  plan  of  Union.  In  1853  he  was  called  to 
the  professorship  of  Latin  and  Greek  languages  in  Illinois  Col- 
lege, at  Jacksonville.  After  thirteen  years'  service  in  that  ca- 
pacity he  resigned  on  account  of  impaired  health,  and  removed 
to  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  and  was  engaged  there  in  business, 
preaching  occasionally,  till  1876,  when  he  was  elected  to  the 
chair  of  Latin  and  Greek  languages  in  Blackburn  University  at 
Carlinville,  111.     That  post  he  still  occupies.  He 

was    married  in   1849   to    Margaretta    L.   Hurd,   of  Detroit, 
Mich.     He    has  six   children,  all  living — Millicent  M.,  born 


KASKASKIA    AND    WABASH    PRESBYTERIES.  435 

1850;  Margaretta  Caroline,  born  1852;  William  Hurd,  born 
1854;  Charles  Cleveland,  born  1858;  Helen  Louise,  born 
1864,  and  Annie  Scudder,  born  1867. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Nashville,  April 
■8,  1853.  A  Committee  was  appointed  to  install  B.  F.  Spil- 
man  pastor  of  Shawneetown  church  on  the  second  Friday 
•of  June  next.  William  Hamilton,  minister,  and  Amzi  An- 
drews, elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  next  Assembly. 
'C.  D.  Martin  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Palmyra. 
The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Hillsboro,  Octo- 
ber 7,  D.  A.  Wallace,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Palestine, 
and  Peter  Hassinger,  from  that  of  Red  Stone,  were  received. 
Arrangements  were  made  for  the  installation  of  James  Staf- 
ford over  Sugar  Creek  church,  October  23. 


Peter  Hassinger  was  born  in  Delaware  ;  studied  theolo- 
gy at  Princeton  in  1823-24;  ordained  in  Gravel  Run  church, 
Pa.,  October,  1828;  supply  pastor  in  Evansburg,  Hammonds- 
burg  and  Northbank,  1832;  pastor,  Clayville,  Pa.,  1837;  pas- 
tor, Unity,  Pa.,  1839;  Waynesburg  and  Newton,  1845-49; 
Somerset,  Jenner  and  Petersburg,  Pa.,  1851-52;  Edwardsville, 
Staunton,  Rattan  Prairie,  111.,  1853-57;  Sugar  Creek,  1857- 
60.     Postoffice  address,  Aviston,  111. 


Wabash  Presbytery  met  with  New  Providence  church, 
April  21,  1853.  Bethel  church,  in  Crawford  county,  and  Eb- 
enezer,  in  Richland,  were  received.  Hiram  Franklin  Tay- 
lor was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Kingston.  C.  H. 
Palmer  was  elected  Commissioner  to  the  next  Assembly. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held   with  Trinity  church, 
Edwards  county,  commencing  October  13. 


Bethel  Church,  Crawford  county,  was  organized  by 
Joseph  Butler  in  1853.  John  Duncan  and  William  Delzell, 
elders.  It  was  near  where  Duncanville  now  stands.  Mr. 
Butler  visited  them  a  few  times,  and  they  were  then  left  to 
starve.  Their  names  were — A.  D.  Delzell,  Mrs.  M.  E.  Del- 
zell, William  Delzell,  Mrs.  M.  I.  Delzell,  L.  B.  Delzell,  John 


43^  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Duncan  and  Mrs.  S.  M,  Duncan.  There  were  three  others,, 
making  ten  in  all.  Most  of  them  connected  with  Palestine 
church,  August  27,  1857,  and  were  afterwards  setoff  to  Beck- 
with  Prairie  church. 


Ebenezer  Church  was  organized  by  Joseph  Butler  early 
in  1853,  probably  in  Richland  county.  Robert  Delzell  an 
elder;  ten  members.  It  was  reported  in  1854-55  with  ten 
members;  in  1856  with  eight;  in  1857  with  ten.  After  that 
was  not  reported.  It  was  one  of  those  bantlings,  born  and 
left  to  perish.  I  have  found  no  one  who  knows  with  cer- 
tainty where  its  location  was. 


Hiram  Franklin  Taylor  preached  awhile  to  New  Prov- 
idence church,  Edgar  county,  111.  Died  in  1855,  being  at 
the  time  a  member  of  Des  Moines  Presbytery. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  at  Paris,  April  7,  1853. 
John  A.  Steele,  minister,  and  John  Y.  Allison,  elder,  were 
appointed  to  the  Assembly.  D.  A.  Wallace  was  dismissed 
to  the  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia ;  John  Crozier  to  Presbytery 
of  Cedar,  and  P.  W.  Thomson  and  James  Cameron  to  that 
of  Schuyler.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Grand- 

view,  commencing  October  15.     H.  I.  Venable  was  received 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Crawfordsville. 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  met  in  Jacksonville,  April 
I,  1853.  G.  McKinley,  minister,  and  E.  R.  Wiley,  elder, 
were  elected  to  the  Assembly.  The  fall  session 

was  held  with  North  Sangamon   church,  commencing  Sep- 
tember 8. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Brighton,  April  21, 
1853.  George  C.  Wood  was  received  from  the  Presbytery 
of  Marshall,  Mich.  Samuel  R.  H.  Wylie,  licentiate,  was  re- 
ceived from  the  Sangamon  Presbytery  of  the  Cumberland 
Presbyterian  Church.  John  Gibson  was  released  from  the 
pastoral  care  of  the  Plum  Creek  church.     A.  T.  Norton  and 


PRESBYTERY    OF    ILLINOIS.  437 

William  H.  Bird,  ministers,  and  A.  L.  Saunders  and  William 
P.  Pitman,  elders,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the 
Assembly.  The  Missionary  Committee  made  a  report  cov- 
ering one  year  and  seven  months.  In  that  time  they  had  re- 
ceived one  thousand  and  twenty-three  dollars  and  expended 
•one  thousand  and  twenty-nine  dollars.  Two  missionaries  had 
been  sustained  all  the  time  on  the  field,  and  one  other  for  a 
short  period.  The  church  of  Caledonia  was  received. 

The  fall  session  was  held  at  (Old)  Ducoign,  commencing 
.September  15.  The  church  of  Van  Burensburg  was  united 
with  that  of  Mulberry  Grove.  William  H.  Bird,  having  been 
previously  dismissed  from  the  pastorate  of  Vergennes  church, 
was  installed  over  the  church  of  Old  Ducoign.  J.  E.  Mc- 
Murray  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Schuyler. 


Caledonia  Church,  Pulaski  county,  was  organized  by  E. 
B.  Olmsted,  July  6,  185 1,  with  five  members,  George  Havvpe, 
•elder.  It  has  had  but  a  sickly  existence.  Louis  Jaccard  was 
an  elder  in  1876.  He  is  now  dead.  The  church  has  a  frame 
house  of  worship,  though  much  out  of  repair.  It  last  re- 
ported twelve  members. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  held  its  annual  meeting  at 
Belleville,    commencing  September    20,    1853. 
The  Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s.,  met  at  Macomb,   October  13, 

1853.  This  Synod,  as  now  constituted,  embraces  all  the 
State  of  Illinois,  except  the  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  which  is 
attached  to  the  Synod  of  Indiana. 

year  1854. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  Chatham,  April  13, 

1854.  A.  M.  Dixon,  minister,  and  John  Kirkpatrick,  elder, 
were  appointed  to  the  next  Assembly.  The  fall 
session  was  held  at  Mechanicsburg,  commencing  September 
8.  George  Pierson  was  received  from  Choctaw  Presbytery. 
Mr.  Pierson,  being  about  to  depart  on  a  mission  to  Microne- 
sia, desired  to  form  this  ecclesiastical  connection.  The 
.church  of  Virden  was  received. 


438  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

The  Church  of  Virden  was  organized  in  the  spring  of 
1 854  by  a  Commission  of  Illinois  Presbytery,  consisting  of 
Revs.  John  G.  Rankin,  Josiah  Porter  and  A.  M.  Dixon. 
Certificates  were  received  from  Mr.  John  I.  Beattie,  his  wife, 
Lucy,  and  his  daughter,  Letitia,  from  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Carlinville  ;  from  Mr.  Rufus  W.  Loud,  his  wife,  Jane, 
and  his  daughter,  Elizabeth  Jane,  from  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Winchester;  from  Mrs.  Lucy  D.  Hardin  and  her 
daughter,  Emily,  from  the  Second  Presbyterian  church  of 
Springfield,  111.  These  eight  persons  were  organized  into  a 
church,  to  be  known  under  the  name  of  the  "  First  Presby- 
terian church  of  Virden."  John  I.  Beattie  and  Rufus  W. 
Loud  were  chosen  elders.  The  church  was  sup- 

plied with  the  ministry  of  the  Word  from  the  summer  of 
1854  until  May,  1859,  by  ministers  from  Jacksonville,  Spring- 
field, Chatham,  Carlinville  and  Waverly.  In  May,  1 859,  the 
Rev.  William  L.  Tarbet,  from  Giles  county,  Tenn.,  began 
his  ministy  to  this  church.  In  the  spring  of  i860  Mr.  Tar- 
bet was  installed  pastor  and  continues  such  until  this  present. 
The  church  had  about  forty  members  at  the 
time  of  Mr.  Tarbet's  becoming  their  pastor.  Since  that  time 
there  have  been  received  to  the  communion  one  hundred 
and  fifty  members.  At  this  date,  April,  1879,  we  report  only 
one  hundred  and  twelve  members.  During  the  past  twenty 
years,  eleven  members  have  died,  and  twenty-nine  have  been 
dismissed.  Within  this  pastorate  I  have  baptized  eighty-one 
infants  and  forty  adults.  A  movement  was  made  towards 
erecting  a  house  of  worship  in  the  autumn  of  1856.  Messrs. 
R.  W.  Loud,  John  I.  Beattie  and  O.  Cnaffee  were  appointed  a 
building  Committee.  A  loan  of  five  hundred  dollars  was 
obtained  from  the  Church  Erection  Fund.  The  house  was 
completed  in  the  winter  of  1857,  ^^^  dedicated  March  24, 
1858.  Rev.  W.  D.  Sanders,  D.  D.,  preached  the  sermon, 
and  the  Rev.  W.  G,  Gallaher  offered  the  dedicatory  prayer. 
The  total  cost  of  the  building  was  four  thousand  dollars. 

When  I  became  the  pastor  of  this  church  it  had  rest- 
ing upon  it  a  debt  of  twelve  hundred  dollars,  which  was 
daily  increasing  by  accumulating  interest.  The  pastor  and 
one  of  his  elders,  R.  W.  Loud,  resolved  to  remove  this  bur- 
den ;  to  do  which  they  assessed  each  member  a  certain 
amount,  to  be  paid  in  three  annual  installments.  Having 
made  the  assessment  and  ascertained  it  would  just  re- 
move the  debt,  they  called  the  members  together  and  told 


ROBERT    M.  ROBERTS.  439 

them  what  they  had  done,  and  asked  them  to  ratify  it,  which 
the\'  most  generously  did.  Since  then  we  have  owed  no  man 
anything    but  to   love.  The    present  elders  are 

John  I.  Beattie,  Nathan  Johnson,  G.  W.  Simons,  W.  Wilder 
and  R.  Ball.     Ours  is  the  rotary  eldership. 

William  L.  Tarbet. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Hillsboro,  Feb.  i6, 
1854,  received  R.  M.  Roberts  from  the  Presbytery  of  New 
Albany,  and  installed  him  pastor  of  the  Hillsboro  church. 


Robert  M.  Roberts  was  born  in  Jonesboro,  Washington 
county,  Tenn.,  May  22,  1823.  His  father's  name  was  Thomas 
O.  Roberts  and  the  maiden  name  of  his  mother  Jane  Mitchell. 
His  father  was  of  Welsh  descent  and  his  mother  Scotch- 
Irish — both  Presbyterians.  He  received  his  collegiate  edu- 
cation at  Washington  College,  East  Tennessee,  under  the 
presidency  of  Rev.  A.  A.  Doak ;  his  theological  education 
at  Northwest  Theological  Seminary,  when  located  at  New 
Albany.  He    was   licensed  Oct.,    1848,  at  Paris, 

111.,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  and  commenced  his  min- 
istry at  Bedford,  Ind.,  where  he  labored  four  years. 

He  was  married  Aug.  28,  1850.  to  Mary  R.  Monfort, 
daughter  of  Rev.  David  Monfort,  D.  D.,  then  pastor  of  the 
church  at  Franklin,  Ind.  In  the  fall  of   1849,  he 

was  ordained  to  the  ministry  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Alba- 
ny. In  the  fall  of  1852,  he  accepted  a  call  from 
the  church  of  Hillsboro,  where  he  was  pastor  seven  years. 
Whilst  there  he  organized  the  churches  of  Butler  and  Litch- 
field and  supplied  them  as  he  could.  He  at  the  same  time 
supplied  the  church  of  Waveland  occasionally. 
Oct..  1859,  he  accepted  a  call  to  become  the  pastor  of 
the  church  at  Litchfield,  and  preached  there  nine  years.  In 
the  fall  of  1868,  he  removed  to  Areola,  and  supplied  the 
church  there  five  years.  Then  he  accepted  a  call  to  the 
church  of  Pana,  111.,  and  is  now  in  his  sixth  year  there.  He 
has  three  children' buried  at  Hillsboro,  Ills.,  all  of  them  hav- 
ing died  in  infancy.  He  has  a  son  and  daughter  still  living, 
T.  M.,  in  the  hardware  business  at  Nokomis,  111.,  and  Alma 
P.,  at  home  with  her  parents. 


440  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Shawneetown, 
April  14,  1854.  The  licentiate,  James  A.  Ramsey,  surrender- 
ed his  license,  from  want  of  health,  to  labor  as  a  preacher. 
The  surrender  was  accepted.  The  church  of  Pocahontas 
was  received.*  Elm  Point  church  was  received. 

A  committee  was  appointed  to  look  after  the  history  of  the 
churches  in  this  Presbytery.  James  Stafford,  minister,  and 
J,  F,  Spilman,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the 
next  Assembly.  Cave  Spring  church  was  received.  Arrange- 
ments were  made  for  installing  D.  A.  Wallace  over  Nashville 
church  on  the  i6th  of  next  June.  The  fall  meet- 

incf  was  held  at  Cack'le,  Oct.  6.  Daniel  Steele,  licentiate, 
was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Marion.  T.  W.  Hynes 
was  appointed  Stated  Clerk  in  place  of  B.  F.  Spilman. 


Pocahontas  Church  was  organized  March  19,  1854,  by  T. 
W.  Hynes  with  eleven  members,  W.  K.  Mount,  elder.  It 
was  dissolved  by  Presbytery  Sept.  18,  1866.  It  accomplished 
nothing. 


Elm  Point  Church  was  organized  Nov.  5,  1853,  by  Wm. 
Hamilton  and  Elder  John  Denny,  with  these  members : 
George  Denny,  Mary  McCaslin,  Margaret  Black,  Jane  Black, 
Anthony  Hill,  Josiah  T.  McLain,  Robert  Armstrong,  Wm. 
McCaslin,  Eliza  Hill,  James  Wafer,  Violet  E.  Alexander, 
Wm.  N.  Donnell.  Elders  :  George  Denny,  Anthony  Hill 
and  William  N.  Donnell.    Ministers  :  Wm.  Hamilton,  John 

5.  Howell,  T.  W.  Hynes ;  James  H.  Spilman,  commenced 
August,  1S75  and  still  continues.  Elders  besides  the  first 
three:  John  A.  A.  McNeely  and  Thomas  Wafer,  Jan.  12, 
i860.  Claudius  L.  Herndon  and  Joel  S.  Preddy,  April  29, 
1877.  The  house  of  worship  was  erected  in 
1856,  and  cost  about  ;^i,500.  It  was  built  by  themselves. 
There  is  a  cemetery  in  the  same  lot.  The  location  is  near 
the   south  line    of  S.    W.  quarter,  of  S.    E.  quarter  of  Sec. 

6,  T.  6,  R.  3.  Rev.  T.  W.  Hynes,  married 
Elizabeth  Wheeler,  a  member  of  Elm  Point  church,  Dec. 
8,  i860. 

*A  church  of  "Pocahontas"  was  received  by  this  Presbytery  at  its  session  in 
Shawneetown,  April,  1848.  But  it  muse  have  died,  and  been  forgotten;  for  now 
a  new  cliurch  of  the  same  place  and  name  is  received. 


CAVE    SPRING    CHURCH.  44 1 

Cave    Spring    Church,  in    southwest    part    of  Randolph 
"County,  was  organized  Nov.  25,  1853  v/ith  these  fifteen  mem- 
bers: H.  H.  McLaughHn,  J.  H.  McLaughhn,  Thomas  Kelley, 
Ehzabeth  Kelley,  James  Clelland,  Isabella  Clelland,  Permelia 
McLaughlin,  David  Carson,  Susanna  Carson,  Adam  Parkhill, 
Jane    Parkhill,    James  McLaughlin,  Elizabeth   McLanghlin, 
John  McLaughlin,   John   Parkhill  and    N.    E.    McLaughlin. 
Elders:  H.   H.   McLaughlin,  at  the   time   of  organization. 
Since,  Thomas  Kelley,  W.   H.  Brenneman,  Robert   Brown, 
W.   H.   Bilderback,  James  F,  Bilderback,  E.  P.  Bilderback. 
The  last  three  are  the  present  elders.     Ministers  :    A.  A. 
Morrison,  W.   H.  Templeton,  nine  years;  J.  C.  Wagaman, 
■one   year ;      W.    H.    Templeton,    again    for     three    years ; 
A.    W.    Wright,   one    year;     Samuel    Pettigrew,    one  year; 
J.  S.     Davis,    two   years;    W.    H.    Templeton,    the     third 
time,  is  still  the  supply.     Neither  of  these   ministers  have 
spent  with  this  church  more  than  about  one-fourth  of  the 
time.     It  is  entirely  a  country  church,  and    has  had  several 
different  places  of  worship.     The  second  was  in  Sec.  28,  T. 
7,  R.  5    W.     In   1872  it  was  Mt.  Summit  school  house.     In 
1877,  it  was  fixed  at  Spring   Vale  school    house  and    there 
continues.     This   church  has  now  sixty  members.      Its  post 
office  is  Rockwood,  Randolph  county,  III. 


The  Presbytery  of  Wabash  met  with  the  church  of 
Long  Point,  April  7,  1854.  E.  Kingsbury,  minister,  and 
Wm.  M.  Allison,  elder,  were  elected  to  attend  the  Assembly, 
The  fall  session  was  held  with  the  Liberty 
Prairie  church  in  Piatt  county,  Oct.  4,  1854.  H.  F.  Taylor 
•was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Des  Moines. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  at  Charleston,  Coles 
county,  April  20,  1854.  John  Crozier  was  received  from 
the  Presbytery  of  Cedar.  The  Presbytery  determined  to 
apply  to  the  Assembly  to  be  restored  to  the  Synod  of  Illi- 
nois. R.  H.  Lilly,  minister,  and  J.  Y.  Allison  were  ap- 
pointed to  the  Assembly.'  The  church  at  Martinsville  was 
received.  Arrangements  were  made  for  the  installation  of 
Samuel  Newell,  pastor  of  Paris  church  on  Sabbath,  May  28, 
prox.  R.  A.  Mitchell  was  ordained,  sine  titulo,  Sabbath, 
April  23,  1854.     The  North  Arm  church,  was  dissolved  and 


442  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

the  members  remaining  attached  to  Paris  church.  The 
records  of  the  Presbytery  were  examined  by  the  Synod  of 
Indiana,  at  New  Albany,  Oct.  2i,  1854. 


Samuel  Newell,  D.  D. — By  Mrs.  Martha  A.  Venable — 
He  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  April  23,  1811.  His  parents 
were  American  and  true  Presbyterians.  His  father  was  for 
many  years  an  elder  in  the  First  church,  Cincinnati.  His 
mother  was  a  woman  of  no  ordinary  piety.  His  primary  edu- 
cation was  obtained  at  the  schools  in  Cincinnati.  His  col- 
legiate education  af '  South  Hanover,  Ind.,  where  he  gradu- 
ated in  1835.  He  studied  theology  at  the  same  place  under 
Drs.  Matthews  and  McMaster.  He  was  licensed  by  Salem 
Presbytery  in  April,  1837.  He  labored  first  as  a  Presbyte- 
rial  missionary  in  the  bounds  of  Salem  Presbytery.  In  1841, 
he  removed  to  Cincinnati  where  he  had  been  called  as  co-pas- 
tor with  Joshua  L.  Wilson.  He  had  not  occupied  that  posi- 
tion long  before  he  was  called  to  Lebanon,  Ohio,  where  he 
was  pastor  for  nearly  twelve  years.  In  the  spring  of  1853  he 
took  charge  of  the  Paris  church,  111.,  which  position  he  occu- 
pied for  eighteen  years.  April  6,  1 837,  at  Livonia, 
Ind.,  he  married  Miss  C.  D.  D.  Martin,  daughter  of  Rev.  VV. 
W.  Martin,  one  of  Indiana's  early  ministers,  having  removed 
to  that  state  from  Kentucky  in  18 18.  The  ceremony  was 
performed  by  Rev.  W.  A.  Holiday,  of  Indianapolis.  They 
were  blessed  with  nine  children,  six  sons  and  three  daughters. 
Henry  A.,  born  July,  1838,  is  a  Presbyterian  minister,  and 
has  charge  of  Rochester  church,  Minn. ;  William  M.,  born 
Aug.,  1841,  is  an  M.  D. ;  Samuel  R.,  born  1843,  died  in  185 1.; 
John  Morrison,  born  1845,  also  an  M.  D.;  Susan  M.,  born 
Feb.  4,  1847;  Louisa  C,  born  Feb.  16,  1849,  died  1858;  Rob- 
ert M.,  born  1851,  also  an  M.  D. ;  Emma  B.,  born  Jan.  16, 
1853;  Samuel,  born  Aug.  19,  1858.  Of  this  large  family  all 
that  are  living,  excepting  one,  have  assumed  for  themselves 
the  vows  taken  by  their  parents.  Samuel  R.  died  of  that 
dread  disease,  cholera,  only  a  few  hours  from  his  infantile 
play  to  the  embrace  of  death.  Little  Louie  was  sick  eight 
weeks.  At  first  she  was  afraid  of  death,  but  having  given 
herself  to  Jesus,  she  looked  calmly  into  the  opening  tomb. 
Mrs.  Newell  went  to  her  heavenly  home  April  i, 
1870.  She  was  everything  included  in  the  names  wife  and 
mother.     She  was  an  helpmeet  for  her  husband.     His  heart 


ROBERT    A.   MITCHELL.  •  44J 

safely  trusted  in  her.  My  first  acquaintance  with 

Bro.  Newell  was  in  the  summer  of  1834  at  South  Hanover, 
where  he  was  a  student.  He  was  always  a  ready  speaker, 
often  making  addresses  on  temperance  in  neighborhoods 
around  South  Hanover.  The  Sabbath-school  cause  shared 
largely  in  his  efforts.  But  Bro.  Newell's  peculiar  fort  was  in 
the  pulpit.  I  never  knew  any  one  who,  in  times  of  adversity 
and  bereavement,  could  so  enter  the  feelings  of  the  afflicted. 
He  fell  asleep  Sabbath  morning,  June  22,  at 
about  eight  o'clock,  1879,  at  his  home  in  Paris,  111.  He  was- 
buried  the  next  Tuesday  from  the  church.  The  sermon  was 
preached  by  his  successor,  Rev.  R.  D.  Van  Deursen,  to  an 
immense  congregation. 


Robert  A.  Mitchell  was  born  near  Jonesboro,  Wash- 
ington county,  E.  Tenn,  April  6,  1829.  His  father,  James 
A.  Mitchell,  was  elder  in  the  church  of  Jonesboro  ;  and  both 
parents  were  of  strong  Calvinistic  predilections.  They  came 
to  what  is  now  the  city  of  Charleston,  Coles  county,  111.,  in 
the  fall  of  1833.  It  was  the  memorable  fall  of  what  was  called 
the  star-falling.  He  was  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  ten,  and  was 
the  first  to  discover,  from  the  door  of  the  tent,  that  strange  and 
exciting  phenomenon.  The  inhabitants  of  the  neighborhood 
all  came  to  the  encampment,  some  of  them  frantic  with  alarm, 
declaring  that  the  judgment  day  had  come. 
After  remaining  some  years  in  Coles  county,  and  giving  as- 
sistance in  opening  a  farm  on  the  prairie,  he  was  sent  back 
to  attend  college  in  his  native  State,  at  Washington  College, 
Washington  county,  then,  and  for  fifty  years  previous,  under 
the  control  of  the  Doaks.  During  his  college  course,  and 
while  at  home  on  a  visit,  he  was  received  under  the  care  of 
the  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  in  session  at  Paris,  111.  The 
first  question  asked  him  on  his  examination  was,  whether  he 
could  count  a  hundred  backwards!  He  had  from 

yo.-.th  a  desire  to  preach;  and  this  abiding  desire,  together 
with  the  hope  of  conversion,  is  all  the  account  he  gives  of  a 
call  to  the  ministry.  It  has  up  to  this  date  been  his  chief  joy 
to  preach.  He  formed,  while  at  college,  and  even  before,  a 
strong  aversion  to  the  Calvinistic  faith.  His  grandfather, 
who  lived  near  the  college,  discovering  this,  took  great  care 
to  satisfy  his  mind  on  these  disputed  points.  He  placed  in 
his  hands  Dickinson  on  the  "Five   Points."     This  was  read 


444  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

-again  and  again  with  great  care.  The  doctrine  of  human 
depravity,  as  discussed  in  that  book,  gave  him  the  first  in- 
sight into  these  doctrines  of  grace.  Even  after  this  he  was 
regarded  as  radical,  and  often  called  the  Presbyterian  Meth- 
odist— Presbyterian,  from  his  Calvinistic  views,  and  Metho- 
dist for  his  loud  preaching.  He  took  a  regular 
course  at  the  Theological  Seminary,  New  Albany,  Ind.  (now 
the  Northwest  Theological  Seminary  of  Chicago,)  He  was 
licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Albany,  November,  1848. 
Ordained  by  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  April  23,  1854.  He 
was  called  to  supply  the  church  of  Charleston,  the  home  of 
his  parents  and  man^p- kindred.  This  was  November,  1848. 
He  supplied  this  church  and  the  church  of  Pleasant  Prairie 
for  about  five  years.  He  then  took  charge  of  the  churches 
of  Oakland  and  Hebron  (Ashmore  postoffice)  for  three  years. 
He  then  was  recalled  in  1856,  and  regularly  installed  over 
the  church  of  Charleston,  where  he  continued  pastor  until 
near  1870.  At  the  close  of  this  pastorate,  by  far  the  happi- 
est of  his  life,  he  accepted  a  call  to  supply  the  church  of 
Kansas,  111.  He  served  this  church  eight  years,  and  then, 
and  up  to  this  date,  November,  1878,  supplied  the  churches 
of  Chrisman  and  Redmon,  both  of  Edgar  county,  111.  He 
has  since  included  Casey,  Clark  county,  in  his  field. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Ann  E.  Roberts,  a  native 
of  East  Tennessee,  in  March,  1849.  Their  living  children 
are  the  following:  Allison  McDonald,  aged  twenty-six  ;  Eliza 
Jane,  aged  twenty-four ;  James  Thomas,  aged  twenty-two ; 
Henry  Steel,  aged  nineteen;  Robert  Allen,  aged  thirteen; 
David  Nelson,  aged  ten. 


Martinsville  Church,  Clark  county,  was  organized  Nov. 
.26,  1853,  with  nineteen  members.  Elders:  Milton  Eckley,  T. 
B.  McClure  and  E.  F.  McClure.  This  church  has  gone 
down,  the  last  remaining  member  having  united  with  the 
Casey  church. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  at  Paris,  October  14, 
1854.  Samuel  C.  Baldridge,  licentiate,  was  received  from 
Madison  Presbytery,  examined  and  ordained  on  Sabbath, 
■October  15,  1854.  Union  church  on  String  Prairie,  Okaw 
•church  at  Fillmore  and  Sullivan  church  were  received.    John 


SAMUEL    C.  BALDRIDGE.  445', 

A.  Steele,  minister,  and  David  McCord,  elder,  were  appointed 
to  the  Assembly. 


Samuel  Coulter  Baldridge  was  born  at  Eugene,  Ver- 
milion county,  Ind.,  August  6,  1829.  His  father,  Rev.  Sam- 
uel Baldridge,  M.  D.,  was  of  Scotch-Irish  origin.  His 
mother,  Mary  Coulter,  was  daughter  of  Jonathan  Coulter,  of 
Perryville,  Ashland  county,  Ohio,  a  Western  Pennsylvania 
elder.  S.  C.  Baldridge  graduated  at  Hanover  College,  1849, 
and  studied  divinity  at  New  Albany  Theological  Seminary, 
where  he  graduated  in  1853.  He  was  led  to  the  ministry 
from  home  influences  and  the  spirit  and  example  of  a  noble 
band  of  young  men — his  associates  in  college.  He  was  li- 
censed by  the  Presbytery  of  Madison  in  the  spring  of  1853,. 
and  ordained  at  Paris,  111.,  October  15,  1854.  He  has  labored 
in  Wabash  and  Friendsville  churches,  Wabash  county,  since 
1853.  Since  i860  he  has  been  also  the  responsible  head  of 
Friendsville  Academy,  an  important  and  useful  institution 
still   in    successful  operation.  He   married  Miss 

Jane  Corrie,  December  17,  1855.  His  children  are  Herbert 
Coulter  Baldridge,  born  December  4,  1856,  and  Mary  Bald- 
ridge, born  November  9,  1865.  Mr.  Baldridge's  residence- 
and  address  are  Friendsville,  Wabash  county,  111. 


Union  Church,  Lawrence  county,  was  organized  June  17,. 
1854,  by  John  Crozier,  with  these  members:  William  B. 
Leech,  Mrs.  Mary  Leech,  Miss  Martha  Ann  Leech,  Joseph 
M.  Grimes,  Mrs.  Ruth  Grimes,  William  T.  Grimes,  Lavina 
Grimes,  Thomas  Grimes,  Winna  Ann  Grimes,  William  Good- 
man, Mrs.  Susanna  Goodman  and  Wickb  Devonshire.  Eld- 
ers :  Joseph  M.  Grimes  and  William  B.  Leech.  Other  eld- 
ers: William  Goodman,  December  13,  1863;  H.Kingsbury;. 
John  N.  B.  Hardy  and  Henry  Goodman,  November  29,  1868; 
H.  M.  Wagner;  J.  B.  McCord;  J.  C.  Wagy.  Ministers:  W. 
H.  Lilly;  John  Crozier;  J.  B.  Saye;  John  Mack;  Robert 
G.  Ross,  from  1870  to  1876;  Thomas  Smith  took  charge  in 
1876,  and  still  continues.  The  church  was  organized  at  the 
house  of  William  B.  Leech,  T.  4  N.,  R.  13  W.,  Sec.  17,  N.  W. 
quarter  of  the  section.  The  meetings  were  held  at  first  in  pri- 
vate houses,  and  then  in  school  houses  until  the  present 
house  of  worship  was  built.     It  is  in  T.  N.  4,  R.  13  W.,  Sec. 


44^  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

8,  S.  W.  corner  of  N.  W.  quarter.  It  was  dedicated  October 
2S,  1 868,  and  cost  fifteen  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  Of  this 
sum  three  hundred  dollars  was  from  Church  Erection. 

Before  the  erection  of  the  church,  meetings  were  some  times 
held  at  Prairieton,  about  one  and  an  half  mile  north  of  Cler- 
mont. This  church  has  received  in  all  one  hundred  and 
seven  members.     Its  present  number  is  forty-four. 


Sullivan  Church,  Moultrie  county  was  organized  by  H. 
I.  Venable,  July  i,  1854,  with  eight  members.  William 
Martin,  elder.     This.^church  went  down  entirely. 

Another,  by  the  same  name,  was  organized  by  Clarke  Lou- 
don and  Elder  G.  M.  Thompson,  April  23,  1870,  with  nine 
members.  Elders :  Andrew  Martin  and  Alex.  Walker. 
Another  elder  since  appointed  is  Dr.  J.  C.  Brooks.  Clarke 
Loudon  supplied  this  church  a  while.  John  Payson  Mills  fol- 
lowed in  1874.  Since  then  it  has  had  no  regular  supply. 
It   has  never  had  a  house  of  worship  of  its  own. 


Sangamon  Presbytery  met  at  Center  church,  near  Farm- 
ington,  April  7,  1854.  N.  S.  Conkling,  from  the  Presbytery 
of  Newton,  and  T.  M.  Newell,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Wash- 
ington, were  recieved.  R.  V.  Dodge,  minister,  and  John 
Todd,  elder,  were  appointed  to  the  Assembly.  Decatur 
church  requested  this  Presbytery  to  unite  with  them  in  ask- 
ing the  Assembly  to  transfer  them  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Palestine,  Synod  of  Indiana,  to  the  Presbytery  of  Sangamon, 
Synod  of  Illinois,  This  request  was  granted  by  the  As- 
sembly. The  fall  meeting  was  with  Providence 
church,  commencing  Sept.  12.  At  a  called  meeting  in  Jack- 
sonville, Oct.  13,  H.  R.  Lewis  was  received  from  the  Rush- 
ville  Cumberland  Presbytery. 


Henry  R.  Lewis.  Of  his  early  life  I  can  learn  nothing. 
He  united  with  Sangamon  Presbytery  from  the  Cumberland 
Church.  He  was  with  Taylorville  church  from  June,  1858, 
till  early  in  1861.  He  organized  the  church  of  Assumption, 
May  7,  1859,  and  the  Old  School  church  of  Pana,  Feb.  25, 
i860,  with  twelve  members.  H.  D.  Brigham  and  Joseph 
Poor,  were  elders.     In  Pana  he  resided  for  over  a  year,  and 


SAMUEL    R.  H.  WYLIE.  447 

preached  in  Short's  old  frame  town  hall,  now  Lawrence's. 
He  also  preached  for  the  Prairie  Home  church.  In  1862 
he  entered  the  army.  In  1870-73  he  was  in  Bonaparte, 
Iowa,  as  pastor  elect.  In  1874  he  was  in  Grasshopper,  Kan- 
sas. After  that  }'ear  his  name  does  not  appear  on  the  min- 
utes of  the  Assembly. 


Alton  Presbytery  met  at  Marine,  April  20,  1854.  Thomas 
H.  Holmes,  licentiate,  was  received.  Wm.  T.  Bartle  was 
dismissed  to  the  Central  Congregational  Association.  I\It. 
Vernon  and  Carbondale  churches  were  received.  The  Mis- 
sionary Committee  reported $658.27  raised,  $702.83  disbursed, 
and  the  two  Missionaries,  Joseph  Gordon  and  Robert  Stew- 
art, employed.  At  an  adjourned  meeting  held  at  Ducoign 
(old),  Samuel  R.  H.  Wylie  was  ordained. 


Samuel  R.  H.  Wylie  was  born  in  Logan  county,  Ky., 
Nov.  28,  181 1.  He  was  self-educated,  having  attended 
school  but  nine  months.  He  was  licensed  in  the  Cumber- 
land Church,  and  labored  in  that  connection  two  years  in 
Virginia,  Cass  county.  He  was  ordained  by  the  Alton 
Presbytery  as  above.  His  first  field  under  their  care,  was 
Pinckneyville,  from  which  point  he  also  supplied.  Plum 
•Creek  and  Vergennes.  He  removed  to  Mt.  Vernon,  to 
take  the  charge  of  that  church,  in  July,  1854.  He  was 
taken  sick  immediately  after  his  arrival,  and  died  Aug.  ii, 
1854.  He  was  the  father  of  six  children,  four  daughters  and 
two  sons.  The  two  eldest  daughters,  died  in  the  faith.  The 
sons  are  Christian  men,  and  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
•church,  as  are  also  their  surviving  sisters.  Mrs.  Wylie — Emily 
A. — IS  a  sister  of  Rev.  W.  H.  Bird.  She  is  now  Mrs.  Michael 
Tromly,  resides  in  Mt.  Vernon,  111.,  and  is  for  the  second 
time  a  widow. 


Mt.  Verxon  Church,  Jefferson  county,  was  organized 
Feb.  21,  1854,  by  Robert  Stewart  with  these  members:  War- 
ner White,  Eliza  White,  Juliana  Gray,  Louisa  M.  Bogan, 
George  Mills,  Hannah  Mills,  John  C.  Gray,  Sarah  A.  Tanner, 
William  D.Johnston,  John  S.  Bogan.  Elders  :  George  Mills, 
Warner  White,  John  S.  Bogan.     Other  elders :  Samuel  Gib- 


448  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

son,  Jan.  2,  1870;  William  B.  White,  Jan.  2,  1870;  Timothy 
Condit,  April  29,  1 85  5,  died  April,  1S61  ;  James  F.  Fitch  j, 
Stephen  B.  Kelso,  Dec.  1874;  James  M.  Pollock,  July  25, 
1876.  Ministers:  Samuel  R.  H.  Wylie,  July  13,  1854,  died 
Aug.  II,  1854;  Wm.  H.  Bird,  1855;  Hillery  Patrick,  1856,' 
Charles  Kenmore,  1858;  John  Gibson,  1858;  R.  G.  Williams, 
1869-70;  Gideon  C.  Clark,  1870-73;  Solomon  Cook,  1873-74; 
A.  C.  Johnson,  1874-76;  M.  M.  Cooper,  three  months  in 
1876;  Geo.  B.  McComb,  1876-78;  J.  J.  Graham,  June,  1878, 
who  was  installed  Aug.  16,  1878,  and  still  remains. 

In  the  interval  between   1858   and  1869,   the  Presbytery's 
missionary,  Joseph  (jordon,  paid  them  several  visits. 

The  organization  took  place  in  the  house  of  Dr.  John 
C.  Gray.  Their  first  place  of  meeting  was  Odd  Fellows  Hall,, 
the  use  of  which  was  furnished  them  gratis.  The  present 
brick  house  of  worship  was  erected  in  1854-55,  ^t  a  cost  of 
about  $4,000.  The  church  is  at  this  time  in  good  condition.. 
Congregations  increasing.  It  has  had  in  all,  eighty-seven 
members. 


C.-^RBONDALE  Church,  Jackson  county,  was  organized  Feb, 
12,  1854,  by  Josiah  Wood  and  Robert  Stewart  with  five 
members;  R.  R.  Brush,  elder.  Other  elders:  D.  H.  Brush, 
E.  P.  Purdy,  D.  N.  Hamilton.  Ministers  :  Josiah  Wood,  Wil- 
liam S.  Post,  Edward  F,  Fish,  J.  L.  Hawkins.  This  congre- 
gation possess  a  good  house  of  worship. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  with  Bethel  church,  Sept. 
29,  1854.  J.  A.  Ranney  was  released  from  the  pastoral  care 
of  Belleville  church,  and  John  Gibson  from  that  of  Troy. 
John  W.  McCord  was  received  from  the  White  River  Pres- 
bytery of  the  Cumberland  Church.  David  Dimond  was  dis- 
missed to  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis,  and  J.  A.  Ranney  to 
that  of  ^Marshall,  Mich.  The  church  of  Jonesboro  was  re- 
ceived. 


John  W.  McCord  was  born  in  La  Fayette  county,  Ky., 
Nov.  25,  1800.  He  was  self-educated.  He  was  ordained  in 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  IMarch  8,  1828,  and 
continued  laboring  in  connection  with  that  church  in  Mis- 


WILLIAM    D.  SANDERS.  449 

souri  and  Arkansas  until  he  united  with  Alton  Presb}-tery. 
He  remained  in  the  bounds  of  that  Presbytery,  laboring  at 
Richview  and  other  places,  until  April,  1859,  when  he  went 
into  Southwest  Missouri,  and  united  with  Osage  Presbytery, 
n.  s.  That  Presbytery  was  dissolved  by  the  war.  He  then 
became  connected  with  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  has  continued  to  labor  until  this  time  in  Central  and 
Western  Arkansas  as  an  itinerant.  His  post  office  address 
in  1870  was  Elgin,  Jackson  county,  Ark.,  where  he  had  his 
home  with  his  youngest  son,  C.  P.  McCord. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Jacksonville,  Oct.  5, 
1854.  That  of  Illinois,  o.  s.,  met  at  the  same  place  Oct.  il, 
1854.  The    Presbyteries  of  Sangamon  and  Kas- 

kaskia  both  appointed  committees  this  year  to  visit  Alton, 
and  see  whether  the  way  was  open  to  establish  there  an  Old 
School  church.  Both  committees  fulfilled  their  commission, 
but  did  not  find  the  way  open  for  the  enterprise  they  contem- 
plated. 

YEAR  1855. 

Illinois  Presbytery,  met  at  Naples,  April  13,  1855.  Wm. 
D.  Sanders  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Portage, 
Ohio.  E.  Jenny  was  employed  as  Presbyterial  missionary 
for  another  year  at  a  salary  of  five  hundred  dollars.  Jo- 
seph M.  Grout,  minister,  and  Samuel  Crawford,  elder,  were 
appointed  commissioners  to  the  next  Assembly.  The  fall  meet- 
ing was  held  at  Carlinville,  commencing  Sept.  20,  1855.  J* 
M.  Sturtevant  and  Charles  B.  Barton  were  dismissed  to  the 
Morgan  Association.  Cyrus  L.  Watson  was  received  from 
the  Presbytery  of  Schuyler.  "  The  Presbytery  Reporter" 
was  commended  to  the  patronage  of  the  churches.  Presby- 
tery recorded  its  gratification  at  the  recovery  of  the  Black- 
burn fund,  and  the  now  promising  prospect  of  building  up  a 
theological  school  at  Carlinville  in  accordance  with  the  orig- 
inal plan  of  Dr.  Blackburn. 


William  D.  Sanders  was  born  in  Huron  county,  Ohio, 
October  2,  1821.  After  receiving  his  primary  education  he 
studied  at  Huron  Institute  at  Milan,  Ohio,  and  in  1845  grad- 

28 


450  PRESBYTERIANISxM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

uated  at  Western  Reserve  College.  The  next  three  years  he 
was  principal  of  Richfield  Academy  in  Summit  county.  In 
1848  he  entered  Hudson  Theological  Seminary.  During  his 
connection  with  the  seminary  he  spent  over  a  year  in  raising 
money  to  rescue  the  institution  from  financial  difficulties.  In 
this  he  was  eminently  successful.  In  185 1  he  married  Miss 
Cornelia  R.  Smith,  of  Cleveland.  He  was  ordained  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Portage,  and  took  charge  of  the  church  of 
Ravenna,  Ohio.  Three  years  later  he  accepted  the  chair  of 
rhetoric,  elocution  and  English  literature  in  Illinois  College 
at  Jacksonville,  and  performed  its  duties  for  fifteen  years. 

In  i864lie  established  the  Young  Ladies  Athe- 
naeum, a  school  which  has  acquired  considerable  celebrity 
and  received  liberal  patronage.  He  also  organized  and  put 
into  successful  operation  the  Illinois  Conservatory  of  Music. 
Besides  these  educational  labors,  he  has  often  supplied  the 
pulpits  of  Jacksonville,  and  was  the  regular  supply  of  Pisgah 
church,  Morgan  county,  for  eight  years.  He  has  declined 
repeated  calls  to  the  pastorate  of  churches  in  Chicago  and 
Cincinnati.  He  has  been  honored  with  the  degree  of  D.  D. 
He  has  five  children,  two  of  whom  are  college  graduates. 

The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  with  Galum  church. 
Perry  county,  April  13,  1855.  J.  L.  Hawkins  was  dismissed 
to  the  Presbytery  of  Palestine.  The  church  of  Lively's 
Prairie  was  received.  Robert  M.  Roberts,  minister,  and 
Joseph  T.  Eccles,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to 
the  next  Assembly.  Daniel  Steele  was  ordained  pastor  of 
the  Galum  church,  April  16,  1855.  He  now  resides  in  Ran- 
toul,  III.  The  fall   meeting  was  held  at  Green- 

ville, Bond  county,  October  8.  Samuel  Pettigrevv  was  re- 
ceived from  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis.  Thomas  W.  Hynes 
was  installed  pastor  of  Greenville  church,  October  10. 

Lively's  Prairie  Church  was  organized  December  16, 
1854,  with  fifteen  members.  Elders  :  William  Lively,  the 
first;  John  Hood,  in  1858;  Robert  Cunningham.  The  post- 
office  was  Sparta.  It  was  dissolved  by  Presbytery,  October 
II,  1864,  and  its  members  attached  to  Jordan's  Grove. 

Samuel  Pettigrew  was  born  in  Pennsylvania ;  studied  at 
Princeton  and  Allegheny  Seminaries;  labored  at  Red  Mills, 


JOHN    B.  SAVE.  451 

1^.  Y.,  Carmel  and  Maline  Creek,  Mo. ;  at  Carlyle  and  San- 
doval, 111.;  practiced  medicine  at  Whitehall,  111. ;  supply  pas- 
tor at  Cave  Spring,  Shiloh  and  Rockwood,  111.  His  home  is 
in  St.  Louis,  Mo. 


The  Presbytery  of  Wabash  met  with   Pleasant  Prairie 

church,  April  27,   1855.     John    C.    Campbell,   minister,  and 

Andrew  McKinney,  elder,  were  appointed  to  the  Assembly. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  with  the  Long  Point 

church,  commencing  October  i. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  at  Palestine,  April  5, 
1855.  John  A.  Steele,  minister,  and  David  McCord,  elder, 
were  appointed  to  attend  the  Assembly.  The  fall 

meeting  was  held  at  Friendsville,  October  4,  1855.  John  B, 
Saye  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Indianapolis  ;  also 
John  L.  Hawkins  from  the  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia. 


John  B.  Saye.  Of  this  man  I  have  learned  nothing,  ex- 
cept through  Rev.  John  Crozier.  Saye  located  at  Law- 
renceville  and  Pisgah  in  1855.  He  had  charge  of  these 
churches  in  May,  1858,  when  he  and  Mr.  Crozier  organized 
Hopewell  church,  about  three  and  one-half  miles  north- 
west of  Bridgeport.  Having  come  nearly  to  the  close  of  his 
usefulness  in  Lawrenceville  and  Pisgah  churches,  he  seems 
to  have  favored  this  organization  as  a  field  for  himself  He 
gradually  became  entangled  in  a  series  of  acts  which  led  to 
a  judicial  process,  and  to  his  deposition  from  the  ministry. 
He  then  took  refuge  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  was  or- 
dained a  deacon  by  Bishop  Whitehouse.  He  finally  left 
them  and  died  a  few  years  ago  in  Springfield,  in  communion 
with  the  Methodists.  In  war  times  he  was  a  pronounced 
"  copperhead." 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  met  at  Springfield,  April 

6,    1855.     J.  V.    Dodge  was   dismissed   from  the  church   of 

Jacksonville.     James  Smith,  D.  D.,  minister,  and  J.  F.  Ber- 

:gen,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Springfield,  com- 


452  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

mencing  Sept.  14.     The  Free  Portuguese  church  of  Spring- 
field was  taken  under  the  care  of  the  Presbytery. 


Alton  Presbytery  held  an  adjourned  meeting  with  the 
Monticello  church,  Jan.  18,  1855.  "The  church  of  Christ  in 
Monticello  "  presented  a  request  to  come  fully  into  connec- 
tion with  the  Presbytery,  as  a  regular  Presbyterian  church. 
Their  request  was  granted.  Wellington  W.  Wells,  licentiate^, 
was  examined  and  ordained  as  pastor  of  Monticello  church.. 


Wellington  W.  Wells  was  born  at  Hanover,  Ohio,  July 
14,  1829.  Parents  moved  from  Connecticut  to  Ohio,  in  18 10. 
Presbyterians.  Educated  at  Marietta  College,  and  at  An^o- 
ver  and  Lane  Seminaries.  Licensed  by  Cincinnati  Presby- 
tery in  1852.  Ordained  as  above,  Jan.  18,  1855,  over  the 
Monticello  Presbyterian  church.  At  a  previous  hour  of  the 
same  day  that  church  had  come  into  full  connection  with 
Alton  Presbytery.  Mr.  Wells  was  released  from  that  charge, 
Sept.  29,  1855.  After  leaving  Alton  Presbytery,  in  1858,  he 
labored  a  large  part  of  the  time  for  several  years  with  Wal- 
tham  Presbyterian  church.  La  Salle  county,  residing  on  his- 
farm  which  was  in  the  parish.  He  was,  however,  at  We- 
nona,  111.,  in  1866-67,  and  at  Vandalia,  1867-68.  He  has 
been  since  at  Buchanan,  Mich.  His  labors  with 

the  Waltham  congregation  were  very  successful.  He  mar- 
ried Julia  W.  Skinner,  1854,  at  Marietta,  Ohio.  They  have 
two  children,  Wellington  S.,  born  March  30,  1854,  and  David 
C,  born  July  29,  1857. 


Monticello  Church,  Godfrey  post  office,  Madison^ 
county.  111,  For  several  reasons  peculiar  importance  at- 
taches to  the  history  of  this  church.  Hence  I  propose  to 
give  it  fully  enough  for  complete  comprehension.  In  doing 
this  I  shall  derive  my  materials  from  the  "  church  manual 
compiled  and  published  by  an  order  of  Session  in  i860," 
from  the  church  records,  from  the  records  of  the  Presbytery 
of  Alton,  and,  in  relation  to  the  church  edifice,  from  the- 
records  of  Monticello  Seminary.  It  was  organized  in  the 
chapel  of  Monticello  Female  Seminary,  Nov.  2,  1839,  Rev. 
Theron  Baldwin,  who  was  then  a  member  of  Alton  Presby- 


MONTICELLO    CHURCH.  453 

1:ery,  presiding.  I  undoubtedly  state  the  exact  truth,  when 
I  say  the  pecuHar  shaping  of  the  church's  constitution  was 
■due  alone  to  Mr.  Baldwin.  The  original  members  were 
these  :  Jabez  Turner,  from  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church, 
Kinderhook,  N.  Y.;  Timothy  Turner,  Jairus  Burt  Turner, 
Ann  W.  Turner,  Elizabeth  Turner,  from  the  Valatiaa,  Kind- 
erhook, Presbyterian  church,  N.  Y.;  James  Howell,  Ann 
D'Hart  Howell,  Sarah  Howell,  from  Reformed  Dutch 
church,  Beawenburg,  N.  Y.;  Rufus  G.  Turner,  Mary  Ann 
Turner,  from  the  First  Presbyterian  church,  Matteawan,  N. 
Y.,  Edwin  B.  Turner,  Congregational  church,  Jacksonville, 
111.;  Catharine  Ingham,  Rebecca  Ingham,  Elizabeth  Wil- 
kins,  Mary  E.  Oilman,  Calvin  Godfrey,  from  the  Presbyterian 
■church,  Alton  ;  John  Mason,  sr.,  from  Congregational  church, 
■Castleton,  Vt.;  Elizabeth  Howell,  from  Presbyterian  church, 
j^ew  Brunswick,  N.  J.  Eighteen  persons,  twelve  of  whom 
were  from  Presbyterian  churches,  four  from  the  Reformed 
Dutch,  which  is  Presbyterian  under  a  different  name,  and 
two  ConCTresfationalists.  With  a  Presbyterian  organizer, 
.sixteen  out  of  eighteen  Presbyterian  members,  one  would 
have  expected  a  Presbyterian  church.  Martin  Ash,  Maria 
Ash,  Susan  W.  Miles,  Caroline  W.  Baldwin,  Benj.  Ives  Gil- 
man,  Philena  Fobes,  Huldah  M.  Sturtevant  and  Mary  Marr, 
were  received  on  examination.  This  constitution 

was  adopted:  "Art.  (i)  This  church  shall  be  called  TJic 
•Church  of  Christ  in  Monticello.  (2)  The  business  of  the 
church  shall  be  transacted  by  a  Session,  consisting  of  the 
pastor  (who  shall  be  ex-officio,  Moderator)  and  a  certain  num- 
ber of  elders  chosen  by  nomination.  The  elders  shall  hold 
their  office  no  more  than  one  year,  at  any  one  time,  without 
.a  re-election.  Art.  (3)  The  nomination  of  elders  shall 
be  made  by  the  pastor,  with  the  consent  of  the  Session, 
not  less  than  two  weeks  previous  to  the  time  for  entering 
upon  the  duties  of  this  office,  and  unless  objections 
are  publically  made  by  at  least  two  members  of  the 
church  in  regular  standing,  they  are  to  be  considered 
as  elected.  (4)  In  the  reception  of  members,  and  all 
cases  of  discipline,  a  vote  of  the  church  shall  be  nec- 
essary to  ratify  the  decision  of  the  Session.  Art.  (5.)  No 
.alteration  shall  be  made  in  this  Constitution  or  in  the  Con- 
fession of  Faith,  except  by  a  vote  of  two-thirds  of  the  mem- 
bers present  at  a  regularly  notified  meeting  for  this  purpose." 
Ecclesiastical  history  can  scarcely  furnish  a  match   to  this ! 


454  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

According  to  Art.  i,  there  was  and  could  be  in  the  village,, 
or  precinct  called  Monticello,  no  church  but  this  one.  Ac- 
cording to  Art.  2,  when  the  church  had  no  pastor,  there 
could  be  no  Session,  for  he  was  an  essential  part  of  it.  The 
elders  were  not  to  be  chosen  by  vote  of  members,  but  by 
nomination  of  pastor — Art.  3.  Hence,  necessarily,  the  elders 
were  the  creatures  of  the  pastor.  And  when  the  church 
had  no  pastor,  no  elders  could  be  appointed.  By  Art.  4,. 
the  Session  was  deprived  of  all  real  authority. 

The  Confession  of  Faith  adopted  consisted  of  nine  Arti- 
cles, and  was  thoroughly  orthodox  and  Calvinistic.  The 
first  elders  put  in  office  under  this  unique  constitution  were 
Timothy  Turner  and  Benjamin  L  Gilman.  Others,  down  to 
1854.  are  as  follows:  Abijah  W.  Corey,  1841;  Benjamin 
Godfrey,  1842;  Nathan  Johnson,  1845;  John  Mason,  sr., 
1846;  George  Smith,  1847.  The  ministers  have  been  these  : 
(i)  Theron  Baldwin,  supply  pastor  from  November  2,  1838, 
till  November  22,  1840.  October  4,  1840,  the  church  invited. 
Mr.  Baldwin  to  become  their  pastor,  and  instructed  B.  I.  Gil- 
man  and  Timothy  Turner  to  apply  to  Presbytery  to  have 
him  installed.  This  was  done,  November  22,  1840.  A.  T. 
Norton,  of  Alton  Presbyterian  church,  preachd  the  sermon, 
T.  B.  Hurlbijt,  of  Upper  Alton,  gave  the  charge  to  the  pastor, 
and  T.  Lippincott  to  the  people.  It  was  a  56v;^/-installation — 
Presbyterial,  inasmuch  as  Presbytery  was  consulted  about  it, 
and  agreed  to  Mr.  Baldwin's  wishes  as  to  the  individuals  to 
officiate,  all  of  whom  were  co-Presbyters  with  himself — non- 
Presbyterial  in  that  the  constitutional  questions  were  omit- 
ted. Nothing  can  be  more  farcical  than  Mr.  B's. 
attempts  to  wear,  and  not  to  wear,  the  Presbyterian  harness. 

The  records  of  the  Session  during  the  whole  of 
Mr.  B.'s  administration  are  very  neatly  kept  in  due  Presbyte- 
rian form.  From  only  a  single  entry  would  one  suspect  the 
church  to  be  anything  else  than  Presbyterian.  "July  31, 
1 841,  Timothy  Turner  was  appointed  (by  the  Session)  a  del- 
egate to  the  Alton  Presbytery  on  the  ground  that  such  dele- 
gates were  received  on  certain  conditions,  by  said  Presbytery 
as  corresponding  members."  The  "  conditions  "  referred  to 
are  contained  in  a  plan  of  correspondence  drawn  up  by  Mr. 
Baldwin  and  foolishly  adopted  by  the  Presbytery  of  Alton 
at  its  fall  session  in  Upper  Alton,  1840.  That  "plan"  is  as 
follows:  (i)  "That  we  adopt  the  practice  of  receiving  dele- 
gates, as  corresponding  members,  from   such  Congregational 


MONTICELLO    CHURCH.  455 

and  other  churches  within  our  bounds  as  harmonize  with  us 
in  belief  of  the  essential  doctrines  of  Christianity,  provided 
they  are  wiUing  regularly  to  report  to  this  body.  (2)  That 
such  delegates  have  the  right  not  only  to  speak,  but  also  to 
vote  on  all  matters  which  come  before  this  body,  except  such 
as  are  strictly  Presbyterial.  (3)  That  we  consent  to  act  as  an 
advisory  council  in  all  cases  of  reference  which  those  asso- 
ciated churches  may  bring  before  us."  At  the  fall  meeting 
in  1867,  these  resolutions  were  repealed.  But  from  the  fall 
of  1840  to  the  fall  of  1867,  they  were  theoretically  in  force, 
though  practically  disregarded.  The  fact  is,  the  Presbyterian 
system  is  complete  in  itself.  All  foreign  elements  engrafted 
upon  it  are  so  many  excresences  which  have  in  the  end  to  be 
cut  off  or  out.  Mr.   Baldwin  left  in  April,  1844. 

He  was  succeeded  by  Elisha  Jenney  until  September,  of  the 
same  year.  George  Pyk-  followed  and  remained  to  his  death, 
Jan.  22,  1846;  Joseph  A.  Ranney  from  March,  1846,  to  Nov., 
1847;  William  Homes  frgm  June,  1848,  to  June,  1850;  Geo. 
M.  Tuthill  from  Oct.,  1850,  till  May,  1852;  Charles  Temple 
from  June,  1852,  till  June,  1854.  All  the  above  ministers 
were  connected  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  save  Charles 
Temple,  and  all  with  Alton  Presbytery  save  Messrs.  Temple 
and  Homes.  Monticello  church  was  received  by 

Presbytery,  according  to  the  terms  of  correspondence,  May 
3,  1842,  and  thereafter  represented  in  Presbytery  and  Synod 
with  as  much  regularity  as  any  other  church  down  to  1854. 

January  18,  1855,  the  Presbytery  of  Alton  met 
with  the  ]\Ionticello  church,  'fhat  church  presented  a  request 
to  come  fully  into  connection  with  Presbytery.  The  request 
was  granted.  Subsequently,  but  on  the  same  day,  Welling- 
ton W.  Wells  was  by  the  Presbytery  ordained  pastor  of 
that  church  according  to  Presbyterian  usage.  The  church 
remained  in  this  connection  until  Oct.  2,  i860,  when  the 
following  minute  appears  upon  the  Records  of  Presby- 
tery :  "  The  Alton  Presbytery  have  received  certain  pa- 
pers from  the  congregation  at  Monticello,  in  which  they 
express  their  opinion  that  the  relation  subsisting  between 
said  Presbytery  and  the  congregation  ought  to  be  dis- 
solved. The  Presbytery  express  their  regret  that  such 
a  feeling  should  exist  among  those  brethren  with  whom 
we  have  lived  for  years  on  terms  of  the  greatest  friend- 
ship. But  as  the  papers  inform  the  Presbytery,  the  church 
/las   withdrawn    from    our    body,   we    erase    the    name    of 


456  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS, 

the  Monticello  church  from  our  roll."  The  manual  of  the 
Monticello  church  refers  to  this  matter  thus  :  "In  1855,  the 
church  united  with  the  Presbytery  of  Alton,  and  remained  in 
that  connection  till  June,  i860,  when  the  Presbytery  having 
ceased  t€)  co-operate  with  the  A.  H.  M.  Society,  (with  which 
this  church  had  co-operated  since  its  first  organization  and 
still  preferred  to  co-operate )  it  withdrew  from  Presbytery, 
and  resumed  its  original  independent  condition."  While 
under  the  care  of  Presbytery,  the  church  was  prosperous  and 
united.  For  the  first  year  W.  W.  Wells  was  their  pastor.  He 
was  duly  released  frpm  that  charge  by  Presbytery,  Sept.  29, 
1855.  In  October,  Rev.  Albert  Smith  became  supply  pastor. 
He  was  called  to  the  pastorate  and  installed  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  Alton,  Nov.  22,  1856,  and  remained  in  that  relation 
until  his  death,  April  24,  1863.  Mr.  Smith  did  not  withdraw 
from  the  Presbytery  with  his  church.  Very  singularly  the  rec- 
ords of  the  church  during  the  period  of  its  connection  with 
Presbytery  cannot  be  foiuui.  That  they  were  duly  kept  there 
is  no  doubt.  Such  pastors  as  Messrs.  Wells  and  Smith  would 
not  have  neglected  so  vital  a  matter.  Besides,  they  were 
before  Presbytery,  in  the  spring  of  1856,  duly  examined  and 
approved.  In  1855,  the  church  reported  eighty  members. 
In  1856,  ninety-one;  1857,  ninety-five;  1858,  ninety-three; 
1859,  ninety-eight;  i860,  one  hundred  and  eight.  In  1857, 
Benj.  Webster  was  added  to  the  Session.  Those  six  years 
nearly,  of  connection  with  the  Presbytery,  were  years  of 
union,  peace  and  unmixed  prosperity.  In  those  years  the 
church  edifice  was  erected  by  the  trustees  of  the  seminary, 
"  for  the  joint  use  of  the  Monticello  Presbyterian  congrega- 
tion "  and  the  seminary,  according  to  a  plan,  dated  August 
10,  1857,  and  signed  by  B.  Godfrey  and  P.  Fobes,  on  the 
part  of  the  seminary,  and  B.  I.  Gilman  and  A.  W.  Corey, 
on  the  part  of  the  congregation.  The  title  to  this  property 
is  with  the  trustees  of  the  seminary.  To  trace  the  history  of 
this  church  since  its  witlidrawal  from  Presbytery  does  not 
comport  with  the  design  of  this  book.  While  Mr.  Smith  lived 
it  prospered.  His  wise  and  steady  course  kept  the  elements 
in  repose.  December  16,  1867,  the  first  constitution  of  the 
church  was  essentially  changed.  Since  that  time,  or  rather 
since  its  withdrawal  from  the  Presbytery,  it  has  not  been 
Presbyterian,  whatever  else  it  may  have  been  or  is.  Upon 
the  whole,  the  history  of  this  church,  since  the  death  of  Dr. 
Smith,  has  demonstrated  the  utter  absurdity  of  attempting 


SAMUEL    WARD.  45/ 

to  build  up  an  orthodox  church  which  shall  be  z^;^-denomi- 
national.  Drs.  Baldwin  and  Smith  were  able  men.  Tlicy 
could  hold  a  church  to  orthodox  moorings  by  their  indi- 
vidual power  and  Presbyterian  connections.  Lesser  men, 
with  no  such  connections,  will  surely  fail.  No  church  can 
live  and  grow  and  be  useful  without  some  distinctive  and 
acknowledged  system  of  doctrine  and  polity. 


Alton  Presbytery  met  at  Greenville,  April  19,  1855. 
Sigmund  Uhlfelder  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Franklin,  Mo.  James  R.  Dunn  was  dismissed  to  the  Presby- 
tery of  Peoria  and  Knox.  A.  T.  Norton,  minister,  and  Geo. 
T.  Allen,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assem- 
bly. The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Bunker  Hill, 
•commencing  Sept.  28.  Samuel  Ward,  licentiate,  was 
received  from  the  Pataskala  Presbytery,  examined  and 
ordained  on  Sabbath,  September  30.  W.  W.  Wells  was 
released  from  the  charge  of  Monticello  church  and  W.  H. 
Bird  from  that  of  the  church  of  Ducoign.  John  Ingersoll 
was  dismissed  with  a  general  letter. 


Sigmund  Uhlfelder  was  born  in  Markt  Lenkersheim, 
'Bavaria,  Sept.  28,  181 8.  He  was  educated  at  Oakland  Col- 
lege, Miss.,  and  at  Union  Seminary.  Ordained  about  1853, 
by  Third  Presbytery  of  New  York.  Joined  Alton  Presby- 
tery as  above,  and  served  Marine  church,  Madison  county. 
Was  dismissed  from  Alton  Presbytery,  April  4,  1857.  Then 
labored  in  Loganville,  Sauk  county.  Wis.,  two  years,  and  at 
Sherrill's  Mount,  near  Dubuque,  Iowa,  three  years.  Since 
then  he  has  resided  in  New  York  City,  and  been  engaged 
in  the  book  business.  He  is  now,  1879,  in  Germany.  About 
1855  he  married  Elizabeth  Winter.  His  ecclesiastical  con- 
nection is  still  with  the  Fourth  Presbytery  of  New  York. 


Samuel  Ward  was  born  in  Reading,  Berkshire  county, 
England,  May  3,  1825.  He  was  educated  at  Marietta  Col- 
lege and  Lane  Seminary.  Ordained  by  Alton  Presbytery, 
-September  30,  1855.  Was  laboring  at  that  time  with  the 
Pinckneyville  and  Vergennes  churches.  Dismissed  to  Wabash 
Presbytery,  September  26,  1857,  and  supplied  their  churches 


458  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

of  Neoga,  Pleasant  Prairie  and  Unity.  In  1866  he  went  to 
Vandalia,  Owen  county,  Ind.,  and  labored  there  about  two 
years.  September  26,  1868,  he  began  with  Claiborn  church, 
Vincennes  Presbytery,  Sullivan  county,  Ind.,  and  was  in- 
stalled pastor  within  a  year.  Here,  in  sixteen  months,  he  re- 
ceived fifty-six  members,  two-thirds  of  them  by  examination. 
By  order  of  Vincennes  Presbytery,  a  new  church  was  formed 
from  the  members  of  Claiborn  church  in  Clay  county, 
called  Howesville.  With  this  new  church  Mr.  Ward  is  still 
laboring.  His  wife  is  a  daughter  of  Isham  Purdy,  formerly 
of  Vergennes,  Jacks9n  county,  111.,  now  of  Ducoign.  Mr. 
W.  has  said  to  me — "  My  wife  was  partly  induced  to  accept 
my  offer  of  marriage  by  the  interesting  account  of  my  ordin- 
ation in  the  Presbytery  Reporter.  Thank  you  for  that !" 
Rev.  Josiah  Wood  officiated  at  his  wedding,  April  10,  1856. 
He  has  four  children  in  this,  and  one  in  the  other  world.  His 
postoffice  address  is  Coffee,  Clay  county,  Ind. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Vandalia,  October 
4,  1855.  The  principal  measures  of  the  meeting  related  to 
the  completion  of  the  effort  to  raise  the  Church  Erection 
Fund,  and  the  amount  necessary  to  purchase  the  Presbyte- 
rian House  in  Philadelphia.  Assessments  for  both  those  ob- 
jects were  laid  upon  the  several  Presbyteries.  The  Church 
Extension  enterprise,  designed  as  supplemental  to  the  oper- 
ations of  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society,  was 
heartily  endorsed,  and  a  Synodical  Committee  appointed  to 
promote  its  interests.  The    Synod  of  Illinois, 

o.  s.,  met  at  Bloomington,  October  ii,  1855.  Dr.  Bergen 
reported  that  he  had  prepared  a  history  of  the  Synod  down 
to  1838.  The  Assembly  was  requested  to  erect  a  new  Synod 
in  this  State,  to  consist  of  the  Presbyteries  of  Chicago,  Rock 
River  and  Schuyler,  under  the  name  of  The  Synod  of  Chi- 
cago. A  charter  for  a  Synodical  College,  to  be  located  at 
Peoria,  was  presented  to  Synod,  accepted  and  measures, 
taken  to  forward  the  enterprise. 

year  1856. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  Manchester,  April 
17,  1856.  The  Presbyterial  ^lissionary.  Rev.  Elisha  Jenney, 
resigned  on  account  of  difficulties  with  the  A.  H.  M.  Society.. 


LITCHFIELD    CHURCH.  459 

In  view  of  this  resignation  and  its  cause,  the  Presbytery 
put  on  record  :  "  We  cannot  but  be  alarmed  that  the  imme- 
diate occasion  of  his  withdrawal  is  the  unwillingness  of  the 
A.  H.  M.  Society  still  to  co-operate  with  ecciesiastical  bod- 
ies in  the  missionary  work  as  it  has  done  for  many  years 
past.  It  now  conies  to  this,  that  we  must  discontinue  our 
itinerant  missionary  work  or  carry  it  forward  in  entire  inde- 
pendence of  that  Society.''  The  Missionary  Committee  were 
instructed  to  correspond  with  the  Society,  and  in  case  they 
continued  to  refuse  co-operation,  to  secure  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble the  services  of  an  able  and  efficient  man  to  enter  on  this 
work,  to  be  supported  by  this  Presbytery,  and  to  be  entirely  tinder 
its  control.  Thomas  Lippincott,  minister,  and  Samuel  M. 
Rannels,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  meeting  of  the 
Assembly.  The  fall    meeting   was   held    with 

Pisgah  church,  commencing  September  19.  Alvin  M.  Dixon 
was  dismissed  to  the  Presbyterian  and  Congregational  Con- 
vention of  Wisconsin. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Nashville,  Wash- 
ington county,  April  ii,  1856.  C.  D.  Martin  was  dismissed 
to  the  Presbytery  of  Upper  Missouri.  A.  D.  Wallace,  min- 
ister, and  Joseph  T.  Eccles,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend 
the  Assembly.  Litchfield  church  was  received.  The  Stated 
Clerk,  T.  W.  Hynes,  was  requested  to  write  a  history  of  the 
churches  in  the  Presbytery.  The  Presbyterial  Academy  at 
Nashville  was  reported  to  be  in  a  flourishing  condition,  under 
the  charge  of  Alfred  N.  Denny,  though  in  debt  to  the  amount 
of  fourteen  hundred  dollars. 


Litchfield  Church,  Montgomery  county,  was  organized 
in  the  Methodist  house,  February  9,  1856,  by  Rev.  R.  M. 
Roberts  and  Elders  Robert  Paisley  and  J.  T.  Eccles,  with 
these  members :  John  M.  Paden,  Samuel  A.  Paden,  James  M. 
McElvain,  Angelina  A.  INIcElvain,  R.  N.  Paden,  Illinois  E. 
Paden,  Polly  M.  Paden,  Daniel  P.  Brokaw,  Caroline  Bro- 
kaw,  Lydia  Jane  Crawford,  Martha  B.  Crawford,  Mrs. 
Isaac  Skillman  and  Mrs.  E.  M.  Bryan.  *  Elders  :  James 
]\I.  McElvain,  Samuel  A.  Paden.  Elders  since  appointed: 
E.  R.  WiUard,  A.  E.  Scott,  Edward  Skelton,  Dr.  J.  D. 
Smith,  William  Grubbs,  G.  M.  Loughmiller,  William  M.  Skel- 


400  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

ton,  Daniel  W.  Taylor,   C.   M.  Gilfillen.  Minis- 

ters in  the  order  of  their  service:  P.  S.  Hassinger;  B.  H. 
Charles;  S.  B.  Smith;  D.  R.  Todd;  R.  M.  Roberts,  1860- 
68;  A.  S.  Foster,  pastor,  1869-71;  S.  Irvin  McKee ;  A.  J. 
Clark;  D.  W.  Evans,  commenced  April  7,  installed  May  12, 
1878,   and   still  remains.  Before  the  erection  of 

the  present  house,  services  were  held  in  what  was  then  known 
as  "  Cumming's  Hall."  The  present  house  was  erected 
about  1858,  and  cost  about  four  thousand  dollars.  There 
have  been  received  to  the  church  about  two  hundred 
and  forty  members.  ^.  When  the  Session  appointed 

a  chorister,  on  a  certain  occasion,  they  expressed  the  hope 
that  he  "  would  sing  a  reasonable  number  of  old  tunes ! '' 

A  member,  who  was  neglecting  public  worship, 
gave  as  the  reason  for  so  doing,  that  the  present  supply  voted 
for  Abe  Lmcoln  for  President.  For  other  misconduct  that 
member  was  afterwards  excommunicated. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Hillsboro,  Octo- 
bery  4,  1856.  Blackburn  Leffler  was  dismissed  to  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Indianapolis.  A.  A.  Morrison  was  received  from 
the  Presbytery  of  Hocking.  James  Stafford  was  dismissed 
from  the  pastorate  of  the  Sugar  Creek  church.  The  TJis- 
sionary  Committee  were  directed  to  continue  efforts  to  se- 
cure the  services  of  a  Presbyterial  Missionary.  Samuel  Pet- 
tigrew  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis. 


Wabash  Presbytery  met  with  New  Providence  church, 
Edgar  county,  April  25,  1856.  Hillery  Patrick  was  dismissed 
to  the  Presbytery  of  Alton.  J.  C.  Campbell  was  elected 
Commissioner  to  the  next  Assembly.  The  fall  meeting  was 
held  at  Danville,  commencing  September  26. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  at  York,  111.,  April  3, 
1856.  John  Crozier,  minister,  and  A.  M.  Vance,  elder,  were 
appointed  to  attend  the  Assembly.  The  fall  ses- 

sion was  held  at  West  Urbana,  commencing  October  9.  N.  S. 
Palmer  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Madison.  Diffi- 
culti^es  in  the  church  at  West  Urbana  led  to  an  adjourned 
meeting  at  Paris  during   the   Session  of  Indiana   Synod  at 


NATHAN    S.    PALMER.  46 1 

that  place,  and  also  to  another  adjourned  meeting  at  West 
Urbana,  November  1 1.  At  this  meeting  the  difficulties  were 
finally  adjusted. 

Nathan  S.  Palmer. 

By  his  daughter,  jNliss  Alice  R.  Pahner. 

My  father  began  his  life,  ?^Iay  15,  1 821,  in  Highland  county^ 
Ohio.  He  was  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Ruth  Palmer,  both- 
eminent  for  their  Christian  characters,  and  one  of  a  large 
household  of  brothers  and  sisters.  His  mother  died  in  1844  ; 
his  father  in  1 861,  aged  eighty-two.  He  made  the  Christian 
profession  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  in  the  Indian  Creek 
church,  near  Logansport — the  church  of  which  his  father, 
and  for  many  years  after  his  brother,  Jonathan,  were  elders. 
The  moral  influences  of  his  Christian  home  gradually  turned 
his  thoughts  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  Accustomed  to 
meet  difficulties,  innured  to  toil,  the  embarrassments  in  the 
way  of  his  education  did  not  deter  him  from  the  purpose 
formed.  At  the  age  of  twenty-three  my  father  entered  Han- 
over College  and  completed  the  usual  course  of  study  in 
1848.  His  theological  studies  were  pursued  for  a  time  at 
the  New  Albany  Seminary,  and  completed  under  Dr.  N.  L. 
Rice  in  Cincinnati.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Madison,  185 1.  He  was  ordained  at  New  Albany,  1852.  His 
first  field  of  labor  was  at  North  Salem,  in  the  Crawfordsville 
Presbytery.  He  then  removed  to  Carpentersville  and  la- 
bored for  a  year.  From  Carpentersville  he  was  called  to 
New  Washington,  Clark  county,  where  he  spent  three  years,, 
until  invited  to  take  charge  of  the  church  of  Grandview,  111., 
near  Paris.  Says  a  brother  minister :  "  Here  for  two  years 
he  did  the  work  of  a  pastor  with  great  acceptance  to  the  peo- 
ple and  with  successful  results  in  the  church.  The  enlargement 
of  the  congregation,  the  membership  and  all  the  moral  forces  of 
the  church  witnessed  the  approval  of  the  Master.  Forty  mem- 
bers were  received  into  this  church  at  one  time."  More  than 
one  hundred  additions  to  the  church  were  made  during  his- 
pastorate  here.  In  1858,  he  was  invited  to  take 

charge  of  the  church  at  Brazil,  Ind.  He  accepted  the  invi- 
tation and  with  his  accustomed  faithfulness  and  love  for  his 
work  toiled  on  as  long  as  health  permitted.  During  his  pas- 
torate here  he  labored  almost  incessantly  for  the  building  of 
a  church  edifice.     Besides  subscribing-  all  that  he  was  able 


462  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

to  this  house,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  when  hands  could 
not  be  obtained,  he  hauled  brick,  and  assisted  the  carpen- 
ters in  their  work.  It  became  apparent  that  this  double 
labor  and  anxiety  were  more  than  he  could  long  carry. 
Hence  with  a. view  to  resting  and  restoring  his  health,  if 
possible,  he  removed  to  Franklin  in  1863.  For  about  seven 
years  he  engaged  in  the  service  of  the  American  Tract 
Society.  During  the  first  five  years  of  his  labor  for  this 
cause,  he  preached  as  supply  for  several  neighboring  con- 
gregations, and  by  his  labors  aided  to  his  fullest  ability  vari- 
ous young  and  struggling  churches.  He  was 
married  in  185 1,  to-'Miss  S.  C.  Young,  daughter  of  Thomas 
D.  Young,  of  Hanover,  Ind.  This  lady  is  a  niece  of  Rev. 
W.  W.  Martin,  himself  one  of  Indiania's  pioneer  ministers, 
and  the  father  of  seven  sons  and  sons-in-law,  who  were 
preachers  and  missionaries  in  the  Presbyterian  Church, 

The  children  of  N.  S.  and  Susan  C.  Palmer,  are 
William  Martin,  born  Aug.  8,  1853;  Alice  Ruthela,  born 
April  4,  1856;  Charles  Newell,  born  Oct.  i,  1857;  Kittie 
Emma,  born  Feb.  9,  i860;  Martha  Margaret,  born  Oct.  29, 
1 86 1,  and  Kattie  Clare,  born  Aug.  10,  1866.  Both  of  the 
sons  died  in  infancy,  but  the  daughters  are  all  spared,  we  trust 
to  become  a  comfort  and  support  to  their  mother  in  her 
declining  years.  My  father  gently  departed  from 

his  earthly  home  in  Franklin,  Ind.,  Tuesday  morning,  Nov. 
25,  1873.  From  his  funeral  sermon  preached  by  the  Rev. 
S.  E.  Wishard,  I  make  the  following  quotation  : 

"  His  work  of  preaching  was  about  done  before  I  came  to 
this  church,  hence  I  have  known  him  more  as  a  hearer.  He' 
was  one  of  those  brethren  to  whom  it  is  a  privilege  to  bring 
the  message  of  the  gospel.  He  came  to  this  house  of  wor- 
ship to  feed  on  the  word  of  God,  not  as  a  critic,  but  as 
one  hungry  and  thirsty.  His  prayers,  his  words,  his  life, 
were  helpful  to  this  church  and  pastor.  These  he  gave  us 
as  long  as  life  remaimed.  Knowing  how  he  lived,  you  would 
scarcely  ask  how  he  died.  Every  one  who  has  seen  his  life 
could  anticipate  the  manner  of  his  departure.  A  few  hours 
before  his  death  he  said  to  me  while  at  his  bedside:  *  It  is  only 
to  trust  all,  to  resig)i  all,  nothing  more  is  needed.'  His  de- 
parture was  almost  like  a  translation,  so  painless,  apparently, 
and  so  instantly  accomplished.  He  has  gone  a  little  before 
us.  A  faithful  minister,  a  loving  brother  has  '  fought  the  good 
fight ;  kept  the  faith  ' — has  entered  into  rest  to  go  no  more 


NATHAN    S.  PALMER.  4G3 

out  forever."  Says  Rev.  S.  E.  Barr,  who  was  in- 

timately associated  with  my  father  in  college  and  often  in 
their  ministerial  works :  "  As  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel, 
Brother  Palmer  was  earnest,  faithful  and  instructive.  Lov- 
ing Christ,  he  loved  to  preach  Christ,  and  many  who  heard 
the  truth  from  his  lips  will  bear  testimony  to  his  edifying 
and  comforting  expositions  of  the  word  of  God." 

Every  one  who  has  ever  spoken  to  me  of  my  father, 
has  noted  several  characteristics,  which  were  so  prominent 
as  to  have  been  remarked  by  his  children,  though  they  were 
all  very  young   at   the  time   of  his   death.  His 

mildness  and  gentleness  of  disposition  were  noticeable. 
My  mother  says  that  upon  only  two  occasions,  during 
her  twenty-three  years  of  married  life,  did  she  see  her 
husband  "out  of  temper."  His  white  heat  of  anger  lost  its 
■earthly  dross  at  the  throne  of  grace,  and  became  only  a 
righteous  hatred  of  wrong  and  a  stronger  determination  to 
uphold  and  protect  the  right.  From  the  time  of 

liis  conversion  my  father  always  laid  aside  as  God  had  pros- 
pered him,  a  certain  per  cent,  of  his  income  for  charitable 
purpose.  He  remembered  every  one  of  the  Presbyterian 
Boards  as  they  seemed  to  him  of  relative  importance. 
Though  he  never  omitted  an  opportunity  to  give  religious 
instruction  to  the  poor  and  needy,  he  deemed  it  his  first  duty 
to,  as   far  as   possible,  relieve  their  physical  wants. 

A  third  trait  I  would  mention,  namely,  his  effort  and 
success  in  obeying  Christ's  command  to  keep  "  unspotted 
from  the  world."  From  every  place  or  act  of  doubtful 
amusement,  from  every  word  of  ridicule  that  might  hurt  the 
feelings,  or  injure  in  the  slightest  degree  his  neighbor's  repu- 
tation, from  every  word  or  jest  written  or  spoken,  that  tended 
€ven  faintly  to  lower  the  tone  of  his  own  mind  or  that  of 
another,  from  every  transaction  that  was  not  perfectly  hon- 
est and  liberal  toward  others  he  carefully  refrained.  His 
whole  life  as  witnessed  day  by  day  in  my  childhood  has  led 
me  to  believe  that  such  a  plane  of  beauty  and  purity  of 
character  as  was  reached  by  my  father,  can  only  be  attained 
by  those  who  are  in  constant  communion  with  the  Creator 
of  all  beauty  and  purity. 


At  a  called   meeting  of  Sangamon  Presbytery,  held  at 
Springfield,  February  19,  1856,  Antonio  De  Mattos  was  re- 


464  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

ceived  from  the  Free  Presbytery  of  Glasgow,  Scotland.  The 
regular  spring  meeting  was  held  at  Springfield,  commencing 
May  4.  J.  V.  Dodge,  minister,  and  J.  L.  Lamb,  elder,  were 
appointed  to  attend  the  Assembly.  The  Portuguese  churches 
of  Jacksonville  and  Springfield,  under  the  care  of  the  Free 
Church  Presbytery  of  Glasgow  Scotland,  were,  on  applica- 
tion, received.  The  latter  is  to  be  known  as  the  "  Second 
Portuguese    church    of    Springfield."  The    fall 

meeting  was  held  with  Irish  Grove  church,  September  9. 
John  H.  Brown,  D.  D.,  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
West  Lexington.  Also  Noah  Bishop,  from  the  Presbytery 
of  Miami.  James  -Smith,  D.  D.,  was  released  from  the  pas- 
toral charge  of  the  First  church  of  Springfield,  December 
17,  1856,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  called  for  the  pur- 
pose. 


John  H.  Brown,  D.  D.,  was  born  at  Greensburg,  Ky., 
March  26,  1806.  He  was  religiously  trained  and  educated. 
He  studied  theology  under  Rev.  Dr.  Clelland,  and  entered 
the  ministry  when  about  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  first 
served  the  church  of  Richmond,  Ky.,  where  he  was  minister 
for  twelve  years.  He  was  then  called  to  the  McCord  church 
of  Lexington,  where  he  also  remained  twelve  years.  He 
afterward  supplied  the  Central  church  of  Jacksonville,  111., 
for  a  year  and  an  half.  While  there  he  received  calls  at  the 
same  time  from  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and  from  the  First  church 
of  Springfield.  He  accepted  the  latter,  and  remained  in  that 
field  until  June,  1864.  He  afterward  supplied  the  FuUerton 
Avenue  church  of  St.  Louis.  He  was  then  called  to  the 
Thirty-first  street  church  of  Chicago,  where  he  labored  with 
great  usefulness  till  his  death,  which  took  place  February 
23,  1872,  in  the  sixty -sixth  year  of  his  age.  He 

was  a  man  of  great  pulpit-power.  He  had  a  clear,  logical 
mind,  and  in  deliberative  assemblies  few  equals.  He  sus- 
tained himself  in  a  discussion  before  Presbytery  with  that 
celebrated  controversialist.  Dr.  Robert  J.  Breckenridge,  and 
carried  the  decision  of  the  question  in  his  favor.  He  con- 
ducted the  correspondence  in  the  celebrated  debate  between 
Dr.  Rice  and  Alexander  Campbell  with  acknowledged  abil- 
ity. Dr.  Rice  pronounced  him  one  of  the  finest  sermon- 
izers  of  his  time. 


MISSIONARY    REPORT.  465 

Noah  Bishop  Avas  born  in  Litchfield,  Milton  parish,  in 
about  1809.  He  fitted  for  college  at  Goshen  Academy,  Ct., 
and  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1833.  He  preached  sev- 
eral years  for  Union  and  West  Union  churches  in  Morgan 
county,  111.  Went  to  Missouri  in  1868  or  1869,  and  settled  in 
Ironton,  but  had  no  ministerial  charge.  He  died  there,  Sep- 
tember 22,  1869.  He  left  one  son — J.  N,  Bishop — who  re- 
sides in  Ironton,  Mo.,  and  two  daughters.  The  name  and 
address  of  the  eldest  daughter  I  cannot  give.  The  youngest 
is  Mrs.  Belle  Moser,  of  Ironton,  Mo. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Mt.  Vernon,  April  3, 
1856.  A.  S.  Avery  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Indianapohs,  and  Albert  Smith  from  Tolland  Association, 
Connecticut.  The  Missionary  report  was  presented  and 
adopted,  and  from  it   I  here  present  the  following  extract : 

"  Up  to  this  time,  or  until  Mr.  Stewart's  labors  closed,  the 
middle  of  January  last,  the  Missionaries  of  this  Presbytery- 
have  acted  under  a  commission  from  the  A.  H.  M.  S.  Until 
two  years  past,  their  commissions  have  been  co-extensive 
with  our  bounds.  That  Society  has  not  only  permitted  them 
to  labor  under  the  direction  of  this  body,  but  has  repeatedly 
expressed  their  approbation  of  the  arrangement,  their  full 
conviction  of  its  utility,  and  their  high  satisfaction  with 
its  results.  Now,  however,  for  reasons  best  known  to  them- 
selves, they  refuse  to  do  this,  and  insist  that  every  mission- 
ary should  have  certain  specified  places  in  his  commission, 
where  he  is  expected  to  confine  his  labors.  At  one  of  these 
he  must  reside — i.  e.,  the  Society  has  virtually  aimed  a  death- 
bloiv  at  our  Presbyterial  Missions,  At  the  same  they  are  un- 
derstood to  be  extremely  anxious  to  put  into  our  field  an 
agent  of  their  own,  to  do  lord,  salary  the  work  which  your  com- 
mittee have  been  doing  for  sixteen  years  gratuitously ;  and 
to  supersede,  or  transfer  to  their  own  hands,  that  pioneer  work 
of  exploration,  of  supplying  destitutions,  of  organizing  new 
churches  and  of  nursing  feeble  ones,  which  has  hitherto  been 
the  business  of  our  missionaries.  If  we  submit 

to  this  we  come  under  the  complete  control  of  a  Society  out- 
side of  our  Church — we  deprive  ourselves  entirely  of  the 
power  of  extension  as  a  denomination — we  may  not  even 
nurse  our  feeble  churches  without  that  Society's  permission ; 
and  we  must  be  content  to  let  the  duty  and  the  privilege  of 

29 


466  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

extending  Jesus  Christ's  kingdom  over  our  wide  borders,  pass 
into  the  hands  of  a  body  over  which  we  not  only  have  no  con- 
trol, but  in  the  management  of  which  we  have  no  voice. 

Shall  we  submit  to  this  ?  Your  committee  say — No  !  most 
emphatically.  Our  duty  to  our  God — our  own  ministerial  vows 
— our  duty  to  the  perishing  around  us,  and  our  regard  for  our 
own  beloved  Zion,  forbid  it.  Your  committee  therefore  pro- 
pose to  employ  two  missionaries  under  tJic  sole  and  only  direc- 
ttion  of  his  Presbytery,  with  no  commission  from  any  other 
source  save  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  i.  The  Rev.  E.  Jenney, 
for  one  year  from  the  first  of  January  last,  for  five  hundred 
dollars,  and  his  necessary  traveling  expenses,  to  labor  espe- 
cially as  an  evangelist,  in  strengthening  our  feeble  churches. 
2.  Rev.  J.  Gordon,  from  the  24th  of  this  month,  on  the  same 
terms,  to  labor  as  a  pioneer,  and  more  especially  on  our  lines 
of  railroad.  It  is  expected  that,  as  opportunity  serves,  these 
two  missionaries  will  co-operate,  and  render  to  each  other 
mutual  assistance.  They  will  also  furnish  a  full  report  of 
their  labors,  at  least  once  a  quarter,  to  be  spread  out  before 
our  churches  in  the  columns  of  the  Reporter.  Presbytery 
will  perceive  that  this  involves  an  expenditure  of  from  eleven 
to  twelve  hundred  dollars.  Of  this  amount  two  individuals 
now  stand  pledged  for  five  hundred  dollars.  Mr.  Jenney  is 
employed  on  that  foundation.  The  remainder  must  come 
from  our  own  congregations.  We  have  seven  churches  which 
are  self-sustaining.  The  principal  burden — if  burden  it  can 
be  called — will  come  on  these  seven  churches.  The  Mis- 
sionary churches  are  bound  by  the  commissions  which  their 
ministers  hold,  to  take  up  a  collection,  annually,  for  the  So- 
ciety which  aids  them.  This  we  should  expect  them  to  do, 
and  not  to  pay  the  collections,  as  heretofore,  into  the  treas- 
ury of  the  Presbytery.  We  hope,  however,  and  expect,  that 
divers  of  their  members  will  take  such  an  interest  in  this 
Presbyterial  Home  Mission  operation  as  to  afford  it  a  liberal 
support,  and  that  without  prejudice  to  the  A.  H.  M.  S.  The 
plan  now  proposed  by  your  committee  involves  no  departure 
from  our  policy  for  sixteen  years.  But  this  re-affirmation  of 
that  policy  is  rendered  necessary,  by  the  altered  course  of 
the  Society  Our  Presbyterial  Missionaries  will,  as  before,  be 
under  our  sole  and  exclusive  direction.  Our  operations  will 
be  twice  as  extensive  as  previously — two  men  being  em- 
ployed instead  of  07ie — and  our  collections  and  expenditures 
will  be  increased  in  a  still  larger  ratio.     We  hesitate  not  to 


ALBERT    SMITH,  D.  D.  467 

rsay  that  the  adoption  of  this  scheme  will  secure  for  Home 
Missions  from  our  field  fully  three  times  as  much  as  has  been 
raised  in  any  previous  year.  To  the  two  individuals — A.  M. 
Blackburn  and  S.  L.  McGill — who  have  promised  the  five 
hundred  dollars,  our  special  thanks  are  due.  It  is  their  be- 
nevolence which  makes  the  enlargement  proposed  practica- 
ble. At  the  same  time  not  only  is  no  harm  done  to  the 
Home  M:  S.,  but  a  positive  benefit.  For  if  something  be 
subtracted  from  what  has  hitherto  been  counted  to  their 
treasury,  we  virtually  more  than  replace  it  by  relieving  them 
of  the  support  of  two  missionaries ;  and  at  the  same  time  throw 
directly  into  their  treasury  the  collections  from  all  our  Mission- 
ary churches."  A  called  meeting  was  held  at  Car- 
bondale,  June  17,  1856,  and  measures  taken  to  establish  Car- 
bondale  College. 


Abraham  S.  Avery  was  born  in  East  Lyme,  Ct.,  1792. 
He  was  not  a  graduate.  Studied  theology  with  a  private 
minister.  He  joined  Alton  Presbytery,  April  4,  1856.  He  la- 
bored some  months  with  Metropolis  church  in  Massac  county, 
111.  He  was  dismissed  from  Alton  Presbytery  to  that  of 
Pataskala,  Ohio,  April  7,  1859.  He  died,  very  poor,  at  Law- 
renceburg,  Ind.,  September  3,  1868,  aged  seventy-six.  In 
1870  the  widow  and  two  daughters  were  residing  at  the  place 
of  his  death.  He  was  thoroughly  consecrated  to  the  work  of 
the  ministry. 


Albert  Smith,  D.  D.,  son  of  Henry  and  Phoebe  (Hender- 
son) Smith,  was  born  in  Milton,  Vt,  February  17,  1804. 
After  leaving  school,  till  he  was  twenty-one,  he  wa§  engaged 
in  a  store  in  Vergennes.  He  then  went  to  New  York,  with  a 
view  of  engaging  in  the  mercantile  business  as  a  pursuit  for 
life.  But  finding  no  satisfactory  opening,  he  went  to  Hart- 
ford, Ct.,  where  he  commenced  a  course  of  study  prepara- 
tory to  entering  upon  the  profession  of  the  law.  During 
that  winter — 1826-27 — ^^  experienced  a  change  of  heart, 
which  also  brought  a  change  in  his  views  of  life,  and  led 
him  to  turn  his  attention  to  the  ministry.  From  that  time, 
with  a  view  of  qualifying  himself  for  college,  he  spent  sev- 
eral years  in  teaching,  till  he  entered  Middlebury  College,  Vt., 
in  1829,  at  which  institution  he  graduated  in  183 1.     In   1835 


468  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

he  graduated  also  at  Andover  Theological  Seminary,  and  in 
1836,  having  been  licensed  by  Andover  Congregational  As- 
sociation, he  was  ordained  by  a  Congregational  council, 
and  settled  as  pastor  over  the  Congregational  church  at 
Williamstown,  i\Iass.  Here  he  remained  some  three  years, 
when,  in  1839,  he  was  called  to  the  professorship  of  lan- 
guages in  Marshall  College  at  Mercersburg,  Pa.  Thence,  in 
1841,  he  was  called  to  the  chair  of  rhetoric  and  oratory  in  his 
Alma  Mater  at  Middlebury,  Vt.  In  1845  he  re- 

turned to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  was  settled  as  pas- 
tor of  the  church  in-Vernon,  Ct.,  where  he  remained,  till  com- 
pelled by  his  declining  health,  to  remove  to  the  West  in 
1854.  He  spent  the  winter  of  1854-5  ^^  Peru,  Ind.,  in  sup- 
plying the  church  there.  The  ensuing  summer  he  spent  in 
Ducoign,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  In  the 
fall  of  that  year  he  was  settled  at  Monticello,  111.,  where  he 
died,  April  24,  1863,  of  ossification  of  the  heart. 

Dr.  Smith  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Stoddard,  of  North- 
ampton, Mass.,  a  sister  of  the  well-known  missionary.  Rev.  D. 
T.  Stoddard.  She,  with  two  sons,  survive.  ]Mr,  Smith  was 
brother  to  Henry  Smith,  D.  D.,  and  step-son  to  Joel  H.  Lins- 
ley,  D.  D.,  each  of  whom  had  been  a  President  of  Marietta 
College.  The  degree  of  D.  D.  was  conferred  upon  him  by 
the  Baptist  College  of  Upper  Alton,  while  he  was  residing  at 
]\Ionticello.  His  son,  Arthur,  graduated  at  Union  College 
and  is  a  minister.  His  other  son,  C.  Stoddard  Smith,  in  1870 
was  residing  in  Springfield,  111. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  with  Spring  Cove  church, 
at  the  village  of  Summerville,  INIacoupin  county,  Sept.  25, 
1856.  Joseph  S.  Edwards  was  received  from  the  Presbytery 
of  Hamilton.  The  churches  of  Shipman,  Centralia.  Pana 
and  New  Ducoign  were  received.  The  name  of  "Union" 
church  was  changed  .  to  that  of  the  "  First  Presbyterian 
church  of  Plainview."  Hillery  Patrick  was  received  from 
the  Presbytery  of  Wabash.  N.  A.  Hunt  was  dismissed  to 
Morcran  Conference. 


Joseph  S.  Edwards  was  born  at  Manlius,  Onondaga 
county,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  6,  18 18.  He  was  the  only  son  of  Rev. 
Joseph  Edwards,  who  was  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church 


JOSEPH  S.  EDWARDS.  469 

in  Manlius,  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y.,  and  who  could  trace 
back  his  ancestry  to  a  brother  of  President  Jonathan  Ed- 
wards. He  was  educated  at  Oberhn  College  and  Lane 
Seminary.  He  was  licensed  Oct.  5,  1842,  and  ordained 
May  19,  1845,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Athens,  Ohio.  He 
joined  Alton  Presbytery  as  above.  He  was  dismissed  to 
Cleveland  Presbytery,  April  19,  1867.  While  in  Alton 
Presbytery  he  labored  at  Jerseyville,  as  supply  pastor,  but 
was  absent  several  years  before  taking  his  letter.  He  has 
labored  in  quite  a  number  of  places  in  the  last  fifteen  years 
and  largely  as  an  evangelist.  Among  these  places  are 
Plymouth,  Wakeman,  East  Cleveland,  Elyria,  Norwalk  and 
Milan.  He  was  a  very  able  preacher,  and  very  successful  in 
winning  souls.  Though  mild  in  temper,  and  pleasant  in  man- 
ner, he  was  a  most  uncompromising  opponent  of  slavery,  and 
sometimes  stirred  up  fierce  opposition  among  those  who  had 
a  warm  side  toward  that  institution.  But  the  Lord  greatly 
owned   his    labors.  He  was   a  very  large  man. 

In  a  letter  dated  August  16,  1870,  he  says:  "  I  have  been 
constantly  increasing  in  weight  since  I  was  twenty-eight- 
years  of  age,  and  now  weigh  three  hundred  and  eighty 
eight  pounds,  and  yet  I  labor  almost  constantly  in  the  pul- 
pit." His  height  was  fully  six  feet.  He  died  in 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  Oct.  17,  1876,  aged  fifty-eight  years,  eleven 
months  and  eleven  days.  He  has  left  a  widow  and  several 
daughters. 


Shipman  Church,  Macoupin  county,  was  organized  Sab- 
bath, August  3,  1856,  by  A.  T.  Norton,  one  of  the  Commit- 
tee of  Presbytery,  with  these  ten  members :  John  Jay  Green, 
Mrs.  Virginia  T.  Green,  Joseph  S.  Rogers,  Dorothea  Meri- 
wether, Mrs.  Jenny  Law,  Miss  Elizabeth  Law,  Mrs.  Mildred 
Floyd,  Miss  Frances  Pollard,  A,  F.  Pope,  Mrs.  Margaret 
Jane  Pope.  Elders  :  John  Jay  Green  and  A.  F.  Pope,  the 
first.  Since  appointed :  Haliburton  Parks,  L.  A.  Williams, 
Martin  Olmsted,  C.  B.  Preston,  Morris  H.  Lee,  Aaron  Mey- 
ers, 1874.  Ministers:  In  the  first  four  years  several  differ- 
ent ones  served  for  very  brief  periods.  About  1861,  Thomas 
Reynolds  began  his  labors  and  continued  till  1865  ;  Eli  W. 
Taylor,  1866;  Wm.  R.  Adams,  1870-74,  was  pastor;  Gideon 
C.  Clark,  1875  ;  Eli  W.  Taylor  supplied  at  intervals  after  his 
/first  coming  to  Shipman,  in  1866,  and  died  at  his  residence 


4/0  PRESBYTERIAXISM  IN  ILLINOIS, 

in  that  village  Feb.  13,  1S79.  W.  R.  Adams  is  now,  1879^ 
supplying  this  church  so  far  as  one  sermon  in  two  weeks  can 
do  it.  The  church  was  organized  in  the  upper  story  of  a 
ware-house.  The  present  edifice  was  built  in  1862,  and  cost 
$2,000.  Of  this  amount  three  hundred  dollars  was  a  dona- 
tion from  the  Board  of  Church  Erection. 


The  First  Presbyterian  church,  Pana,  111.,  was  organized 
under  authority  of  Alton  Presbytery,  n.  s.,  by  Rev.  Joseph 
Gordon,  Sept.  21,^-1856,  with  these  eight  members,  viz.: 
Franklin  L.  Saunders,  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Saunders,  Mrs.  Caroline 
Tunison,  Robert  Alexander,  Mrs.  Martha  J.  Patton,  Miss 
Martha  Patton  and  ]\Irs.  Mary  J.  Price.  At  the  time  of  the 
dedication,  Sept.  3,  1876,  all  these  eight  still  survived.  Five 
of  them  remained  as  members  of  the  church,  and  were  pres- 
ent at  the  dedication ;  one  had  taken  a  letter  to  Iowa,  one 
to  Missouri,  and  one  had  united  with  a  Baptist  church  near 
her  home  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Shelby  county. 

The  labors  and   struggles  of  the   few  in  the   day  of 
small  things  were  many   and   severe.  In   1855, 

Rev.  Joseph  Gordon,  a  Missionary,  in  the  employ  of  the 
Alton  Presbytery,  was  called  by  his  duties  through  the  laid 
out,  but  as  yet  unbuilt,  town  of  Pana.  There  being  no  pub- 
lic house  he  found  entertainment  at  the  residence  of  Mrs. 
Martha  J.  Patton.  The  supposition  of  the  family  that  they 
were  entertaining  a  minister  proved  true,  and  Mrs.  Patton 
was  rejoiced  to  find  in  him  a  minister  of  her  own  beloved 
Presbyterian  -church.  Soon  after,  it  was   found 

that  Mr.  F.  L.  Saunders,  another  of  the  few  citizens  of  Pana, 
was  a  Presbyterian.  A  few  others  were  discovered.  Mr. 
Gordon  was  invited  to  come  and  preach.  This  he  did,  deliv- 
ering his  first  discourse  April  23,  1856.  The  preaching  place 
was  in  a  little  house  about  sixteen  by  sixteen,  owned  by 
M.  S.  Beckwith,  and  used  as  a  ware-room.  It  stood  on  the 
alley  west  of  the  first  church  house.  Arrangements  were 
made  for  Mr.  Gordon  to  preach  occasionally,  and  then 
steadily.  At  his  first  visit  the  project  of  building  was 
mooted  and  a  subscription  started.  As  there  was  then  no 
church  organization,  a  religious  society  Avas  organized  and 
trustees  appointed  to  serve  until  a  church  could  be  form- 
ed and  reported  to  Presbytery.  They  were  John  M.  Patton, 
Franklin  L.  Saunders,  I\I.  B.  V.  Stryker,  C.  H.  Tunison  and 


PAX A    CHURCH.  47 I 

Mason  French.  A  building  committee  was  also  elected,  con- 
sisting of  John  M.  Patton,  Milan  S.  Beckwith  and  F.  L. 
Saunders.  Mr.  Saunders  was  the  only  one  of  the  trustees 
and  building  committee  who  was  then  or  ever  became  a 
church  communicant.  This  made  Mr.  Saunders'  duties  par- 
ticularly onerous  and  difficult;  for  while  with  him  church  in- 
terests were  paramount,  with  his  associates  they  were  sub- 
sidiary. David  A,  Neal,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  one  of 
the  proprietors  of  the  town,  donated  the  lot  on  which  the 
church  was  built.  It  is  eighty  by  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet 
on  Locust  between  north  Second  and  north  Third  streets. 
The  church  erection  committee  loaned  five  hundred  dollars. 
The  subscription  amounted  to  about  $l,200.  With  this  pro- 
vision the  building  committee  undertook  to  erect  a  house 
thirty-four  by  fifty  feet,  sixteen  foot  story  with  bell  tower. 
They  made  a  contract  with  Thomas  B.  Hickman  for  $2,IOO 
to  erect  and  complete  the  structure  by  Jan.  i,  1857.  The 
building,  however,  was  not  completed  until  the  fall  of  1857. 
Meantime,  on  June  13  of  that  year,  a  terrible  tornado  swept 
over  Pana,  destroying  many  buildings  and  partly  unroofing 
and  otherwise  greatly  damaging  the  yet  unfinished  church. 
The  contractor  contended  he  was  not  in  fault,  and  could  not 
be  held  responsible.  The  majority  of  the  trustees  sided  with 
him;  so  that  repairing  the  damages  caused  by  the  storm  was 
a  new  tax  upon  the  congregation.  At  length,  however,  the 
structure,  though  never  strong  and  substantial,  was  so  far 
completed  as  to  be  used.  It  was  dedicated  by  Rev.  Joseph 
Gordon,  Sept.  19,  1857.  In  all  the  long  and  severe  struggle 
to  secure  this  first  house  of  worship,  F;  L.  Saunders  was  the 
only  active  male  member.  The  drafts  it  made  upon  his 
time  and  purse  were  constant  and  great.  On  the 
Sabbath  next  succeeding  the  dedication,  Alton  Presbytery 
met  in  it.  The  first  recorded  meeting  of  Session  was  held 
Oct.  16,  1857,  when  two  members  were  received  by  letter 
and  three  by  examination.  The  storm  of  the 
17th  of  June,  1857,  checked  the  hitherto  rapid  growth  of  the 
town,  and  the  financial  crisis  of  the  fall  of  the  same  year, 
brought  it  to  a  complete  stand-still.  In  1858  another  storm 
so  racked  the  house  that  the  entire  plastering  had  to  be  re- 
newed. This  w^as  done  mainly  at  the  expense  of  F.  L.  Saun- 
ders. In  March,  1868,  a  third  tornado  passed 
over  Pana,  damaging  many  buildings.  The  cupola  of  the 
church  was  blown  off  and  the  side  stove  in  by  the  blow- 


4/2  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

ing  against  it  of  another  house  roof.  Up    to 

September,  1861,  the  total  membership  had  been  forty-four. 
Of  these  nineteen  had  died,  or  removed,  and  those  re- 
maining were  mostly  females.  The  elders  left  were  C,  W. 
Sibley  and  F.  L.  Saunders.  The  former  had  volunteered  in 
the  army,  and  the  latter  was  much  of  his  time  absent.  The 
little  flock  seemed  weaker  than  ever.  The  prayer-meeting 
had  been  removed  to  a  private  house,  and  the  sexton's 
duties  were  performed  for  a  time  by  Mrs.  C.  W.  Sibley.  She 
actually  kindling  the  fires  and  ringing  the  bell. 
From  Sept.,  1861,  tg^  Jan.,  1864,  there  were  but  seven  addi- 
tions, most  of  whom  remained  but  a  very  brief  period,  and 
one  only,  Mrs.   H,  B.  Bach,  until  this  time.  In 

1864  there  were  ten  additions,  five  of  whom  still  remain. 

In    1865   there   were  nine   additions,   of    whom 
seven    remain.  In    1865   the  house  was    again 

repaired,  painted  within  and  without,  and  the  church  acquired 
new  vigor  and   hopefulness.  July   i,  1866,  Wil- 

lard  P.  Gibson  began  his  labors  here,  and  was  ordained  pas- 
tor of  the  church    on  the   third    of  October  following. 

Up  to  the  coming  of  Mr.  Gibson,  the  church  had 
never  been  favored  with  regular  preaching  oftener  than  on 
each  alternate  Sabbath.  For  a  considerable  period  the  Bap- 
tists had  occupied  the  house.  With  Mr.  Gibson  a  new 
era  commenced.  Preaching  was  had  every  Sabbath  by  a 
pastor  residing  among  his  people,  and  the  church  began  to 
develop  in  usefulness,  intelligence  and  independence. 
Though  still  receiving  aid  from  Home  Miss'ons,  their  con- 
tributions to  that  cause  amounted  to  more  than  one-half 
their  receipts  therefrom.  Mr.  Gibson  remained  until  the  fall 
of  1870.  Since  Jan.  i,  1870,  the  church  has  been  self- 
sustaining.  January  i,  1870,  Rev.  John  Kidd, 
commenced  preaching  to  the  church  as  supply  pastor,  and 
soon  after  removed  to  Pana  with  his  family.  He  continued 
in  the  same  relation  until  January  i,  1874,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  R.  M.  Roberts.  In  February,  1875,  Mr. 
Roberts  called  the  officers  of  the  church  together  and  urged 
upon  them  the  absolute  necessity  of  erecting  a  new  house 
of  worship.  After  a  long  and  anxious  consulta- 
tion, a  resolution  was  passed  that  if  the  church  would  clothe 
the  Session  and  Trustees  with  power  to  sell  the  present  site 
and  buy  another,  leaving  them  unhampered  as  to  location, 
or  cost  of  building  or  plan,  they  would  undertake  the  enter- 


PANA    CHURCH.  473 

prise.  At  a  meeting  of  the  church  held  Feb.  17,  1875,  the 
authority  was  given,  the  site  to  be  approved  of  by  the  church. 
The  committee  at  once  went  to  work.  After  much  negotia- 
tion a  site  was  selected,  seventy  by  one  hundred  feet,  cor- 
ner of  North  Third  and  Maple  streets.  The  church  con- 
firmed the  selection  by  a  vote  of  thirty-five  to  four. 

As  a  compromise  between  the  one-story  and  the  two- 
story  church,  the  committee  decided  on  a  plan  submitted  by 
Elder  T.  W.  Lippincott,  for  a  building  forty  by  eighty  feet, 
with  side  entrances  and  a  sliding  partition  cutting  off  thirty- 
two  feet  for  Sabbath  school  room,  with  sociable  room  above. 
A  sub-committee  on  finance,  consisting  of  R.  C.  Coyner, 
J.  S.  Veeder  and  S.  W.  Bird,  were  appointed,  and  a  con- 
struction committee  composed  of  T.  W.  Lippincott,  S. 
P.  Johns  and  D.  C.  McLeod.  The  financial  labor  was 
divided,  giving  the  ladies  the  responsibility  of  raising 
money  for  the  interior  and  through  the  Sabbath  school 
for  a  bell  of  five  hundred  pounds.  All  engaged  with  a  will, 
and  notwithstanding  stress  of  times,  poor  crops  and  bad 
weather,  the  new  church  was  dedicated,  practically  free  from 
debt,  September  3,  1876,  The  cost  was  for  lot  fifteen  hun- 
dred dollars,  for  the  structure  ^10,500.  The  bell, 
which  hung  in  the  first  church  edifice,  is  now  doing  duty  for 
the  Lutheran  church  in  Pana.  The  succession  of 
ministers  is  as  follows;  Joseph  Gordon,  who  was  supply  pas- 
tor from  its  foundation  till  June,  1858  ;  then  James  S.  Wal- 
ton till  June,  1859;  J.  Gordon  served  again  until  May,  1863 ; 
he  was  followed  by  E.  W.  Taylor  to  September,  1864,  when 
J.  Gordon  returned  for  the  third  time  and  served  until  March, 
1866.  As  mentioned  already,  W.  P.  Gibson  was  installed, 
October  14,  1866,  and  continued  until  December,  4,  1870. 
John  Kidd  followed  as  supply  from  January,  1871,  till  Octo- 
ber, 1873.  January  i,  1874,  R.  M.  Roberts  was  called  as  pas- 
tor, and  is  still  acceptably  occupying  that  post. 

The  succession  of  elders  is  as  follows :  F.  A.  Saunders,  S. 
A.  Call,  E.  B.  Hartshorn,  Eh  F.  Chittenden,  Charles  W.  Sib- 
ley (rotary  plan  adopted  April  24,  1867),  Alfred  McCline, 
Andrew  W.  Grailey,  Thomas  W.  Lippincott,  Samuel  P. 
Johns,  Robert  C.  Coyner,  Douglas  A.  Gilbert,  J.  S.  Veeder, 
Samuel  W.  Bird. 

The  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Centralia  was  or- 
ganized by  Josiah    Wood,    September  21,   1856,  with  these 


474  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

members  :  Thomas  S.  Allen,  Mrs.  IMargaret  Allen,  Phineas 
Pease,  Mrs.  E.  M.  Pease,  Dr.  D.  W.  McCord,  Mrs.  J.  E.  Mc- 
Cord,  J.  G.  Buggraf,  Mrs.  Eliza  Buggraf,  H.  C.  Pease,  John 
Templeton,  Mrs.  Margaret  Benson,  Mrs.  Susan  B.  Storer, 
Mrs.  Harriet  Bailey.  Elder:  Phineas  Pease.  Elders  since 
elected:  A,  P.  Merriman,  September  i6,  i860;  W.  S.  Rob- 
ertson, October,  18,  1863;  Anthony  Styles,  1864;  S.  N. 
Blythe,  August  6,  1866;  R.  R.  Woodward,  January  26,, 
1868;  Alonzo  Tufts,  January  26,  1868;  Seth  S.  Andrews, 
November  17,  1872;  David  Van  Benthuysen,  November  17,^ 
1872;  Edwin  S.  Cpndit,  January  4,  1874;  William  Bailey, 
January  4,  1874;  Charles  P.  Tyson,  January  4,  1874;  Sam- 
uel M.  Walker,  March  7,  1875  ;  James  K.  Bahm,  June  25, 
1876;  C,  H,  Tatman,  January  29,  1877;  James  Y.  Toppings 
January  29,  1877;  John  A.  Malone,  January  29,  1877. 

Ministers  :  Josiah  Wood  held  the  first  religious  services 
at  the  Centralia  House,  December  24,  1854.  He  held  the 
second  service  at  the  same  place,  March  i,  1855,  and  from 
that  time  preached  every  alternate  Sabbath  at  the  Centralia 
House  until  the  spring  of  1856,  when  the  meetings  were  held 
in  a  school  house  on  Locust  street.  Joseph  Gordon,  1856;. 
Rufus  Patch,  licentiate,  1858;  J.  S.  Edwards,  1859;  Thomas 
Sherrard,  i860;  Charles  F.  Beech,  1864,  pastor;  J.  W. 
Stark,  1866;  Edward  Scofield,  1870;  J.  G.  Rankin,  1872;  P. 
S.  Van  Nest,  1873,  W.  L.  Boyd,  1876;  J.  M.  Green,  April,. 
1878,  pastor,  and  still  continues. 

The  church  edifice  was  erected  on  corner  of  Hickory  and 
First  North  street,  and  dedicated  April  ii,  1858.  Rev.  A. 
T,  Norton,  D.  D.,  preached  the  sermon.  The  house  cost 
^2,228,  of  which  five  hundred  was  from  Church  Erection. 
The  parsonage  was  erected  about  1865,  and 
cost  thirty-five  hundred  dollars.  The  church  became  self- 
supporting  about  1864. 


The  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  New  Ducoign  was 
organized  by  Joseph  Gordon,  September  14,  1856,  with  these 
members:  Alvah  I.  Sprague,  Mary  Sprague,  Harriet  E.  Keyes, 
Edwin  N.  Smith,  Sarah  Smith,  Lucius  B.  Skinner,  George  S. 
Smith,  Juliana  Smith,  Jane  Smith,  Jane  Hunt.  Elder  first  Geo. 
S.  Smith.  Elders  since:  Lewis  Dyer,  M.  D.,Aug.  14,  1858; 
Moses  H.  Ross,  August  14,  1858;  Russell  Tuthill,  George  M. 
Hinckley,   Reuben    Berry,    January   6,    1867;    William    H. 


NEW    DUCOIGX    CHURCH  475 

Holmes,  October  i,  1876.  Present  session — 1879 — Holmes, 
Hinckley,  Smith.  Ministers:  W.  S.  Post,  November  i, 
1856,  to  November  i,  1861  ;  Thomas  Lippincott,  November 
I,  1S61,  to  May  I,  1862;  Yates  Hickey,  June  i,  1862,  to- 
August  I,  1862;  James  Stafford,  August  i,  1862.  to  April  i, 
1864;  J,  Jerome  Ward,  April,  1864,  to  April,  1S66;  Joseph  D. 
Barstow,  November  26,  1865,  to  November  26,  1867;  Josiah 
Wood,  November,  1867,  to  May  i,  1868;  Peter  S.  Van 
Nest,  May  i,  1868,  to  July  23,  1871  ;  Edward  F.  Fish,  No- 
vember 30,  1 87 1,  to  March  i,  1878,  pastor;  Charles  T.  Phil- 
lips, November  20,  1878,  and  still  continues. 
The  parsonage  was  a  legacy  to  the  church  from  Mrs.  Sarah 
Root,  who  died  June  29,  1867.  Its  value  then  was  about  fif- 
teen hundred  dollars.  With  the  recent  improvements,  it  is 
about  the  same  now.  There  is  a  comfortable  house  of  wor- 
ship, built  in  1858  at  a  cost  of  twenty-five  hundred  dollars. 
Before  its  erection  meetings  were  held  in  a  school  house. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Quincy,  October  2, 
1856.  The  Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s.,  consisting, 

since  the  last  Assembly,  of  only  the  three  Presbyteries  of 
Kaskaskia,  Sangamon  and  Peoria,  met  at  Springfield,  Octo- 
ber 9,  1856.  Dr.  J.  G.  Bergen  resigned  his  post  as  Stated 
Clerk,  and  Rev.  Robert  Johnston  was  appointed  his  succes- 
sor. This  Synod  concurred  with  the  other  Northwestern 
Synods  in  establishing  the  Northwestern  Theological  Sem- 
inary. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

-MEETINGS  OF  PRESBYTERIES  AND  SYNODS  FROM  1 85/  TO 
1859,  INCLUDING  SKETCHES  OF  THE  CHURCHES  ORGANIZED 
AND  THE  MINISTERS  COMMENCING  THEIR  LABORS  HERE 
WITHIN  THE  PERIOD. 

Authorities  :   Original  Records ;  Auto-biographies ;  Presbytery  Reporter. 
YEAR   1857. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  Shelby ville,  May  i, 
1857.  Joseph  E.  McMurray,  of  the  Presbytery  of  Alton, 
Edward  McMillan,  of  the  Presbytery  of  Shiloh,  Tenn.,  and 
John  C.  Downer,  of  the  Presbytery  of  Belvidere,  were 
received.  W.  D.  Sanders,  minister,  and  Joseph  Thayer, 
«lder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  Assembly. 
The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Springfield,  Sept.  29.  Caleb  J. 
Pitkin  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Hudson,  Ohio. 
Thomas  Lippincott  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Alton. 


Edward  McMillan  was  born  Sept.  2,  1804,  in  Cumber- 
land county.  North  Carolina,  about   seven   miles   from   the 
town  of  Fayetteville.     His  father's  name  was  Malcolm  Mc- 
Millan ;    his  mother  Joanna  Jacobs,  the  daughter  of  an  Eng 
lish  gentleman. 

His  paternal  grand  parents  were  zealous  Covenanters  and 
were  more  or  less  persecuted  for  their  devotion  to  civil  and 
religious  liberty.  They  came  from  Scotland  just  before  the 
commencement  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  ardently 
espoused  the  cause  of  the  colonies  against  the  oppression  of 
the  British  crown. 

His  father  was  a  poor,  plain,  judicious,  pious  and  liberal 
man,  an  elder  in  the  church,  and  much  respected  for  his 
practical  religious  character.  His  mother  was  a  gay,  light- 
hearted  woman;  and,  possessing  a  superior  voice,  she  would, 
in  the  absence  of  her  husband,  sing  frivolous  songs  for  the 
.amusement  of  her  children,  and  occasionally  dance  to   add 


EDWARD    M  MILLAN.  477 

to  their  delight.  When  Edward  was  four  years  of  age,  his 
mother  was  made  a  new  creature  in  Christ,  and  laid  aside 
her  frivolty ;  so  that  when  he  would  ask  her  to  sing  a  song 
such  as  she  once  did,  she  would  burst  into  tears  and  tell 
him  those  were  wicked  songs  and  then  she  would  sing  to 
him  one  of  the  songs  of  Zion.  His  father  was  a  staunch 
friend  of  civil  and  religious  liberty.  In  i8i2  he  shouldered 
his  rifle,  served  during  the  war  under  General  Jackson,  was 
with  him  at  New  Orleans  and  saw  the  British  thoroughly 
defeated.  Before  Edward  was  a   year   old   his 

parents  left  N.  C,  moved  to  Smith  county,  Tenn.,  and  settled 
on  a  farm.  He  worked  on  the  farm  with  his  father  in  sum- 
mer and  in  winter  attended  to  the  distillery,  which  in  those 
days  was  the  farmer's  market  for  their  corn.  During  the 
leisure  moments  he  had  while  minding  the  still  he  engaged 
in  studying  arithmetic,  in  which  his  father  aided  him.  Con- 
vinced of  its  wrongfulness  his  father  soon  abandoned  the 
business  of  distilling.  When  Edward  had  entered 

his  seventeenth  year,  the  few  families  of  "like  precious 
faith,"  built  a  house  of  worship,  organized  a  church,  and 
engaged  the  labors  of  Rev.  Hugh  Shaw.  With  this  church 
the  young  man   united.  In  his  eighteenth  year 

he  commenced  studying  for  the  ministry.  He  first  attended 
a  school  in  Wilson  county,  taught  by  Rev.  Samuel  DonnelL 
Then  another  in  Sumner  county,  taught  by  Rev.  J.  R.  Bain. 
He  was  taken  under  care  of  Shiloh  Presbytery  about  1825 
studied  theology  with  Rev.  Geo.  Newton  and  was  licensed 
Sept.,  1827.  He  began  his  ministerial  labors  with  the 
churches  of  McMinnville  and  Pond  Spring,  in  Warren 
county.  In  1828,  he  married  Miss  Eliza  C.  Donnell,  a 
daughter  of  his  old  preceptor.  From  1829  to  1835,  he 
labored  in  Alabama,  where  he  succeeded  in  building  up  two 
large  churches.  About  that  time  his  wife  and  an  infant 
son  were  taken  from  him  by  death,  leaving  him  with  three 
daughters.  That  they  might  be  placed  under  their  grand- 
mother's care,  he  returned  to  Tennessee,  and  accepted  a  call 
to  Bethany  church,  in  Giles  county.  Here  he  spent  three 
years.  In  1837-38,  the  majority  of  the  Session  of  his  church 
determined  to  go  with  the  O.  S.,  and  required  their  minister 
to  do  the  same.  This  he  refused,  and  demanded  to  have 
the  question  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  church.  This  was 
done,  and  the  majority  agreed  with  their  pastor,  and  re- 
quested him  to  remain.     This  he  did  for  another  year,  so  far 


4/8  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

as  to  give  them  one-fourth  of  his  time.  About 

this  time  he  married  Miss  Mary  Ann  Brown,  who  still 
survives.  He  soon  removed  about  twelve  miles  north 
of  Bethany,  into  a  neighborhood  where  there  was  no 
church  organization,  and  but  two  persons  who  had  been 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  soon  gathered 
a  congregation,  which  embraced  the  majorty  of  the  citi- 
zens in  that  section.  He  was  agent  for  sev- 
eral years  of  Jackson  College,  located  in  Columbia,  Tenn. 
In  July,  1850,  he  .was  installed  pastor  of 
the  N.  S.  church,  Gallatin,  Sumner  county.  In  connection 
with  this  pastorate  lie  had  charge  of  the  Female  Academy  of 
the  place.  In  1855  the  political  horizon  began  to 
grow  murky,  and  Mr.  McM.  concluded  it  was  his  duty  to 
leave  a  country  cursed  with  slavery.  In  1856  he  came  to 
Illinois,  and  took  charge  of  the  church  in  Carlinville.  Here 
he  labored  until  July,  1862,  when  he  accepted  of  the  chap- 
laincy of  the  32d  Regiment  Illinois  Infantry.  In  this  new 
field  of  labor  he  exhibited  the  true  elements  of  a  minister  of 
Christ,  and  of  a  Christian  patriot.  He  was  with  his  regiment 
in  its  marches  through  Mississippi,  Tennessee  and  Georgia. 
He  acted  as  a  father  to  many  a  sick  and  wounded  soldier. 
While  his  regiment  was  at  Marietta,  Ga.,  he  was  attacked 
with  bilious  fever,  and  died  on  the  27th  of  August,  1864,  in 
the  sixtieth  year  of  his  age.  Mr.  McMillan  was 
the  father  of  fourteen  children,  seven  of  whom  survive  him, 
two  daughters  and  five  sons.  He  was  devotedly  attached  to 
his  family ;  when  on  a  furlough  from  his  regiment,  he  would 
often  express  his  gratitude  to  God  for  permitting  him  to  be  at 
home  once  more.  But  dearly  as  he  loved  his  family,  he 
loved  his  Master's  work  more.  He  was  a  doc- 
trinal preacher.  His  habit  was,  during  the  first  twenty  years 
of  his  ministry,  to  clearly  and  fearlessly  discuss  the  funda- 
mental doctrines  of  Christianity.  He  was  a  decided  Calvin- 
ist  in  doctrine,  a  Presbyterian  in  polity,  yet  large-hearted  and 
catholic,  ready  at  all  times  to  give  the  right  hand  of  fellow- 
ship to  all  followers  of  Christ.  When  the  Exscinding  Acts 
of  1837  and  1838  were  passed,  his  soul  rose  up  against  their 
tyranny,  and  he  unhesitatingly  threw  himself  on  the  side  of 
the  Constitution  and  of  right.  He  never  saw  the  day  in 
which  he  repented  of  the  bold  stand  he  then  took. 


CALEB    J.  PITKIN.  479 

John  Camden  Downer  was  born  at  Bozrah,  Ct.,  April  2, 
1811.  Graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1841.  Ordained,  si?ie  tit- 
zilo,  by  the  New  London  Consociation,  March  26,  1845.  Home 
Missionary  at  Elizabeth,  111.,  1845-47.  Supply  pastor  First 
Presbyterian  church,  Freeport,  111.,  1847-49.  Pastor  of  the 
same  from  July  10,  1849,  to  April  10,  1853.  Missionary  agent 
of  Peoria  Synod,  1853-54.  Preached  in  Connecticut  in  1854-55. 
Principal  of  the  Literary  Department  of  Blackburn  University 
at  Carlinville,  111.,  at  the  outset  of  that  institution  in  1855. 
Secretary  and  agent  of  same  from  1856  to  1866.  Supply 
pastor  of  De  Soto  Presbyterian  church,  Mo.,  1867-70.  Home 
Missionary  in  Jefferson  county.  Mo.,  with  residence  at  De 
Soto,  1 87 1,  and  still  continues.  Mr.  D.  has  one  daughter, 
Lucy,  who  is  married,  and  three  sons. 


Caleb  J.  Pitkin — Auto-biographical — was  born  In  Milford, 
Conn,,  December  4,  1812.  His  ancestors  were 

of  the  Puritan  stock,  their  settlement  in  this  country  being 
at  Amherst,  in  Mass.,  previous  to  the  year  1666.  The  religi- 
ious  character  and  principles  of  the  fathers  have  come  down 
in  unbroken  succession  from  generation  to  generation. 

His  education  was  obtained  at  Western  Reserve 
College,  where  he  graduated  in  1836,  and  from  the  theologi- 
cal department  of  the  same  institution  in   1839. 

His  call  to  the  ministry  was  that,  in  that  department  of 
labor  he  could  most  successfully  meet  the  convictions  of 
duty.  He  was  educated  for  and  set  apart  by  the  prayers  of 
his  father  to  that  work.  He  was  licensed  in  Sept., 

1839,  t>y  the  Presbytery  of  Portage,  and  ordained  over  the 
church  in  N.  Bloomfield,  Ohio,  in  Feb.,  1843,  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  Trumbull.  He  had  charge  of  that  church  in  all 
about  fourteen  years.  In  the  meantime  he  had  charge  of 
the  Presbyterian  and  Congregational  churches  of  Sandusky 
City,  during  the  years  of  1850  to  1S53.  In  Sept., 

1856,  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Winchester,  Scott  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  had  charge  of  the  Presbyterian  church  for 
two  years.  In  Feb.,  1859,  he  took  charge  of  the 

churches  of  Troy  and  Marine,  in  Madison  county,  and  con- 
tinued with  them  three  years.  In  1863  he  took 
charge  of  the  church  in  Vandalia,  where  he  continued  as 
supply  pastor  for  two  years.  In  July,  1866,  he 
took  charge  of  the  church  in  Cerro  Gordo,  Piatt  county,  and 


480  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS, 

for  two  years  spent  one-half  of  the  time  with  the  churches 
of  Bement  and  Tolono.  Continued  supply  pastor  of  the 
church  in   Cerro  Gordo   seven  years.  In    1874 

was  elected  Superintendent  of  Schools  for  Piatt  county,  and 
served  in  that  office  for  the  term  of  four  years. 
In  1878  removed  to  Akron,  Ohio,  where  he  is  now  residing, 
having  no  ministerial  charge.  While  in  Illinois,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyteries  of  Illinois,  Alton,  Wabash  and 
Bloomington.  From  the  latter  he  received  a  letter  of  dis- 
mission to  the  Presbytery  of  Cleveland,  of  which  he  is  now 
a  member.  His  second  and  present  wife  is  sister 

of  Rev.  Gideon  C.Clark,  lately  of  Greenfield,  Green  county, 
Illinois. 


Kaskaskia  Presbytery  met  at  Carmi,  White  county, 
April  10,  1857.  William  R,  Sim  was  licensed.  John 
S  Howell,  minister,  and  J.  A.  Ramsey,  elder,  were  ap- 
pointed to  attend  the  Assembly.  A  called 
meeting  was  held  with  Sugar  Creek  church,  June  18.  P.  D. 
Young  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Sangamon. 
Salem  church  was  received.  The  fall  meeting 
was  held  at  Salem,  Marion  county,  Oct.  2.  John  Mack, 
licentiate,  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Schuyler. 


Salem  Church,  Marion  county,  was  organized  on  the 
i6th  and  17th  of  May,  1857,  by  Rev.  T.  W.  Hynes  and  Eld- 
ers Arba  Andrews,  with  these  members:  John  Gibbons,  Mrs. 
Sarah  Gibbons,  R.  W.  Pratt,  M.  D.,  Mrs.  Hannah  M.  Pratt, 
John  Mack,  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Mack,  Leonard  D.  Skilling, 
Thomas  Hughes,  Mrs.  Jane  A.  Hughes,  Miss  Deborah  A. 
Sweney,  Jacob  W.  Mack,  Mrs.  Mary  L.  Mack,  Dr.  Isaac  N. 
Sweney.  Elders :  Leonard  D.  Skilling  and  Dr.  Isaac  N. 
Sweney.  Elders  since  elected  :  Arba  Andrews,  R.  W.  Pratt, 
]\I.  D.,  S.  S.  Andrews,  B.  F.  Bumgardner,  John  Gibbon,  Wil- 
liam McKibbon.  Ministers  :  John  Mack,  L.  B. 
W.  Shryock,  Wm.  G.  Thomas,  Solomon  Cook,  Joseph  War- 
ren, D.  D.,  was  pastor  from  May  9,  1867,  for  three  and  a 
half  years  ;  R.  C.  Galbraith,  Adam  Johnston,  J.  E.  Spilman, 
D.  D.,  supply  pastor,  Nov.  10,  1876.  The  church 
was  organized  in  the  old  Cumberland  house.  Meetings  were 
held    there,   in   the    new    Cumberland    house,   and     in  the 


JAMES    M.  ALEXANDER.  48I 

court-house  until  the  erection  of  the  present  brick  church, 
in  1869,  at  a  cost  of  $3,500.  Of  this  five  hundred  dollars 
was  from  the  Board  of  Church  Erection. 


The  Presbytery  of  Wabash  met  with  Long  Point  church, 
April  24,  1857.  Joseph  Wilson,  minister,  and  Patrick  Nich- 
olson, elder,  were  appointed  to  the  Assembly.  Trinity- 
church  asked  and  received  a  dismission  from  the  Presbytery. 
It  became  Congregational.  The  fall  meeting  was 

held  at  Cerro  Gordo,  Piatt  county.  Samuel  Ward  was  re- 
ceived from  the  Presbytery  of  Alton.  The  name  of  "  Lib- 
erty Prairie  "  church  was  changred  to  "  Cerro  Gordo." 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  at  Lawrenceville,  Law- 
rence county,  April  9,  1857.  E.  R.  Lynn  was  dismissed  to 
the  Presbytery  of  Schuyler.  Henry  L  Venable,  minister, 
and  Findley  Paull,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to 
the  Assembly.     James  W.  Allison  was  licensed. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Newton,  Jasper  county,  com- 
mencing September  24.  James  M.  Alexander  was  received 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Chickasaw.  The  church  of  Friends- 
ville  was  received.  Robinson  church  was  dissolved,  and  its 
members  attached  to  Palestine  church.  The  installation  of 
James  M.  Alexander  over  the  church  of  Palestine  was  ap- 
pointed for  the  second  Sabbath  in  November,  but  did  not 
take  place. 


James  M.  Alexander.  Of  his  early  history  I  can  learn, 
nothing.  He  commenced  labor  in  Palestine  in  April,  1857. 
He  was  with  that  church  till  May  22,  1858.  Elder  Findley 
Paull,  of  Palestine,  says :  "  Mr.  Alexander  opened  an  acad- 
emy here  in  1858,  and  was  the  means  of  bringing  Stephen 
J.  Bovell  to  us  as  a  teacher — the  only  good  he  evjr  did  here, 
that  I  am  aware  of.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  volunteered 
as  a  soldier,  but  was  afterwards  appointed  a  chaplain  and 
went  South.  He  became  Colonel  of  a  colored  regiment, 
and  was  dismissed  in  disgrace.  He  deserted  his  most  excel- 
lent Christian  wife  and  five  children,  became  a  spiritualist, 
licentious,  and  everything  that  was  bad.  The  last  I  heard  of 
him  he  was  living  in  New  Orleans.     His  name  was  stricken 

30 


482  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

from  the  roll  of  Palestine  Presbytery ;  Jiow,  I  can't  say. 
They  made  quick  work  of  it.  Bro.  Roberts,  of  Pana,  could 
perhaps,  explain.  Alexander's  eldest  son  is  dead.  His 
second  is  married,  and  engaged  in  farming.  Two  other  sons 
have  places  in  Paris,  Edgar  county,  where  Mrs.  Alexander 
resides.     Her  daughter,  of  about  sixteen,  lives  with  her." 


Friendsville  Church,  Wabash  county,  was  organized 
by.  Revs.  S.  C.  Baldridge  and  John  Crozier,  August  29,  1857, 
in  the  Presbyteriari"  Church  at  Friendsville,  with  these  mem- 
bers :  J.  P.  McNair,  M.  A.  McNair,  Susan  McNair,  J.  F. 
Younken,  Mary  A.  Barney,  Harriet  C.  Younken,  J.  C.  K. 
Younken,  Mary  C.  Younken,  Augustus  A.  Gould,  Eliza  Gould, 
C.  B.  Gould,  Geo.  Danforth,  Emily  Danforth,  Mary  Danforth, 
Emma  A,  Danforth,  A.  M.  Maxwell,  Barton  P.  Baker,  Lu- 
cretia  Baker,  James  Williams,  Lucinda  Williams,  Ellen 
Andrus,  Sarah  E.  Williams,  Elijah  Harris,  James  McDowell, 
E.  P.  McDowell,  Sarah  Wilkinson,  Alice  Ann  Wilkinson  and 
Mrs.  Margaret  McLain.  Elders  :  James  P.  McNair  and  Dr. 
A.  M.  Maxwell.  Elders  since  appointed :  J.  F.  Youn- 
ken, William  McLain,  Franklin  Danforth,  J.  C.  K.  Younken. 
Rotary  eldership  adopted  March  i,  1873,  when  J.  C.  K. 
Younken,  J.  P,  McNair  and  Augustus  A.  Gould  were  elected 
for  three  years.  A  brick  house  of  worship  was 

erected  about  1848  by  the  families  in  and  near  Friendsville, 
who  were  then  a  part  of  the  Wabash  congregation.  This 
house  was  renovated  in   1875,  and  is  still  in   use, 

Friendsville  Seminary  was  established  under  the  auspi- 
ces of  Friendsville  church  and  its  efficient  pastor.  Rev.  C. 
S.  Baldridge,  the  only  regular  minister  this  church  has  had 
since  its  organization.  This  institution  was  opened  in  Sep- 
tember, i860.  In  1 867  the  present  building  was  finished  and 
occupied.  In  1870  a  partial  endowment  was  secured, 
which  has  since  been  increased  by  gifts  and  legacies.  This 
school  is  still  in  successful  operation,  under  the  wise  manage- 
ment of  Rev.  C.  S.  Baldridee. 


Sangamon  Presbytery  met  at  Decatur,  April  3,  1857. 
Dawson  church  was  received.  James  Smith,  D.  D.,  was  dis- 
missed to  the  Presbytery  of  Chicago.  Dr.  John  H.  Brown, 
minister,  and  John  Todd,  elder,  were   appointed  to   attend 


DAWSON    AND    TAYLORVILLE    CHURCHES.  483 

the  Assembly.  Arrangements  were  made  for  the  installa- 
tion of  Antonio  De  Mattos,  pastor  of  the  Portuguese  church 
of  Springfield  on  the  third  Sabbath  of  April  inst. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Virginia,  commencing  Sep- 
tember 10.  Taylorville  and  Jerseyville  churches  were  re- 
cieved.  Robert  W.  Allen  was  received  from  the  Presbytery 
■of  West  Lexington. 


Dawson  Church  was  organized,  January  23,  1857,  with 
these  members :  James  Wilson,  Jane  Wilson,  Thomas  Wil- 
son, John  Wilson,  Mary  Wilson,  Ann  Wright,  Lillias  Con- 
stant, Jane  Constant,  Mary  Johnston,  William  Kirkpatrick 
and  Elizabeth  Wr^ht.  Elders  :  James  Wilson,  Archibald 
Maxwell,  John  B.  Wright  and  John  Wilson.  Ministers  : 
John  G.  Bergen,  D.  D.,  D.  R.  Todd,  E.  W.  Thayer,  A.  Bar- 
tholomew, W.  G.  Keady,  B.  E.  Mayo.  A  church  edifice  was 
erected  in  1857  ^^^  cost  fourteen  hundred  dollars.  The 
church  has  had  in  all  eighty-three  members.  Dawson  is 
about  twelve  miles  northeast  of  Springfield,  on  the  Toledo 
railroad. 


Taylorville  Church  was  organized  by  Rev.  J.  G.  Bergen, 
D.D.,  July  26,  1857,  with  these  nineteen  members:  Natha- 
niel Harris,  Mrs.  Sophronia  Harris,  Calvin  Goudy,  Mrs.  Mar- 
tha A.  Goudy,  H.  D.  Brigham,  Mrs.  Mary  L.  Brigham,  A. 
B.  Harris,  Mrs.  Sarah  Harris,  Noyes  Ladd,  Mrs.  Phcebe 
Ladd,  Jacob  Overholt,  Mrs.  Abigail  Torrey,  Geo.  W.  Lash, 
Mrs.  Susan  C.  Sattley,  Mrs.  J.  E.  Chapman,  Mrs.  Mary  Ryan, 
Mrs.  Harriet  Ladd,  Mrs.  Jane  Miller,  Miss  Sophronia  Harris. 
Elders:  Calvin  Goudy,  H.  D.  Brigham,  and  Nathaniel  Har- 
ris. Elders  since  appointed  :  Joseph  C.  Smith,  Samuel  W. 
Morrison,  J.  E.  Montgomery,  E.  H.  Johns,  Alfred  B.  Harris, 
Wm.  W.  Hall.  Ministers  :  H.  R.  Lewis,  John  H.  Harris, 
Robert  Rudd,  L.  F.  Walker,  Harlan  P.  Carson.  Mr.  Walker 
was  pastor.  The  church  was  organized  in  the  old  Cumber- 
land building,  where  it  continued  to  worship  for  several 
years,  and  then  in  the  Northwest  school  house  until  the 
erection  of  the  present  edifice,  east  of  the  square.  It  was 
dedicated  Feb.  6,  1870,  and  cost,  with  the  lots,  ^6,000. 


484  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

The  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  Jersey ville,  was  organ- 
ized Aug.  16,  1857,  at  the  residence  of  William  J.  Herd- 
man,  by  Rev.  J.  G.  Bergen,  D.  D.,  with  these  members  :  Wil- 
Ham  J.  Herdman,  John  L.  Terrill,  Mrs.  Jane  Terrill,  Mrs, 
EHzabeth  Jane  Clendenning,  Mrs.  Jane  J.  Dunn,  David  R. 
Herdman,  Thomas  M.  Herdman,  Adam  Haynes,  Mary  J. 
Haynes,  Mrs.  Ann  Colean,  Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Powel,  Joseph 
McReynolds,  Mrs.  Margaret  McReynolds,  Thomas  J.  Mc- 
Reynolds,  Mrs.  Rose  Ann  McReynolds,  Alex.  A.  McRey- 
nolds, Mrs.  Helen  M.  McReynolds,  William  Hackney,  Mrs. 
Margaret  Hackney, ..Miss  Amanda  E.  Lanier,  Mrs.  Margaret 
Potts,  Miss  Elizabeth  Potts.  The  first  Elders  elected  were 
William  J.  Herdman,  William  Hackney,  Joseph  McReynolds. 
Jan.  4,  1858,  Geo,  W.  Potts;  April  3,  1859,  David  E.  Beaty; 
March  2,  1861,  A.  A.  McReynolds  and  Jeremiah  Beaty; 
June  3,  1876,  R.  A.  King;  April  5,  1879,  Thomas  J.  McRey- 
nolds. Ministers  :  Samuel  Lynn,  pastor  ;  John  F.  Baker,  W. 
H.  Jeffries,  J.  M.  Scott,  pastor.  The  house  of  worship  was 
erected  in  the  summer  of  1858,  and  dedicated  in  the  same  year. 
It  cost  between  ^4,000  and  $5,000  dollars.  The 

whole  number  of  members  that  have  been  in  connection  is 
one  hundred  and  ninety-five.  This  church,  orig- 

inally Old  School,  has  for  some  years  been  connected  with 
the  Southern  Assembly — the  only  one  in  this  State  having 
such  a  connection. 


Robert  Welch  -^llen — Auto-biographical.  He  was 
born  of  pious  parents,  in  Shelby  Co.,  Ky.,  march  25th,  1817. 
His  parents,  James  and  Elizabeth  Logan  Allen,  were  origi- 
nally from  Augusta  and  Rockbridge  county,  Va.,  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent.  Robert  was  the  youngest  of  eleven  children, 
there  being  six  sons  and  five  daughters.  He  had  three 
brothers  who  were  ministers  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  viz.: 
John  Newton,  William  Graham  and  Archibald  Cameron. 

Robert,  when  thirteen  years  of  age,  removed  with 
his  parents  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  to  a  farm,  now 
a  part  of  the  town  of  Waveland.  He  joined  the  Presbyte- 
rian church  of  Waveland,  Sept.  2,  183 1.  He  entered  Wa- 
bash College  the  day  it  first  opened,  in  Dec,  1833.  Gradu- 
ated July,  1839.  In  July,  1842,  received  the  degree  of  A. 
^I.  He  was  matriculated  in  the  Theological  Seminary  at 
Princeton,  N.  J.,  Nov.,  1839.     Failing  in  health,  he  left  the 


ROBERT  W.  ALLEN.  485 

seminary  at  the  close  of  his  second  year.  He  was  Hcensed 
to  preach  by  the  Presbytery  of  Crawfordsville,  Aug.  15th, 
1 841,  at  Thorntown,  Ind.  Ordained  at  Frankfort,  Ind.,  by 
the  same  Presbytery,  Sept.  30,  1843.  After  hcensure  he 
spent  about  a  month  as  agent  for  Home  Missions.  By  invi- 
tation he  suppHed  the  churches  of  New  Castle  and  Pleasure- 
ville,  Ky.,  from  the  ist  of  Nov^ember,  1841,  to  the  ist  of 
April,  1842,  when  he  returned  to  Indiana,  and  supplied  the 
churches  of  Waveland  and  Bethany.  These  churches  de- 
sired to  make  out  a  call  for  a  pastoral  relation ;  but  he 
thought  it  not  advisable  to  settle  where  so  many  of  his  kin- 
dred lived,  and  accepted  a  call  to  the  churches  of  Jefferson 
and  Frankfort,  Ind.,  in  the  spring  of  1844,  and  was  installed 
in  June  of  the  same  year.  His  pastoral  relation  to  these 
•churches  was  dissolved  Sept.  28,  1853,  with  the  expressed 
regret  of  all  the  members.  But  preaching  steadily  three 
times  on  Sabbath  and  twice  in  the  week,  was  too  great  a 
labor  for  his  health.  Receiving  an  invitation  from  the  Pisgah 
church,  Ky.,  in  the  Presbytery  of  Lexington,  he  entered  this 
field,  Oct.,  1853.  This  pastorate  continued  until  April, 
1857,  when  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  church  of  Jackson- 
ville, 111.,  April  24,  1857.  This  charge  he  resigned  in 
the  summer  of  1867.  Late  in  the  fall  he  removed  to 
Decatur,  and  missionated  in  the  vicinity  of  Harristown, 
until  in  Sept.,  1868,  he  undertook  to  supply  the  church  of 
•St.  Charles,  Mo.  He  continued  there  until  Dec,  1869.  In 
Jan.,  1870,  he  returned  to  his  residence  in  Jacksonville,  and 
supplied  the  churches  of  Union  and  Murrayville.  In  this 
work  he  continued  until  the  30th  of  Dec,  1871,  \yhen  the 
Union  church  and  a  part  of  the  Pisgah  church  were  re- 
organized and  called  Unity.  This  church  desiring  all  his 
time,  he  gave  up  that  of  Murrayville.  The  pastoral  relation 
was  formed  by  Presbytery  on  Sabbath,  Nov.  2,  1873.  This 
relation  abides  up  to  the  present  time,  May,  1879. 

Mr.  Allen  was  united  in  marriage  by  his  brother-in-law, 
Rev.  Samuel  Taylor,  to  Miss  Margaret  A.  Maxwell,  daugh- 
ter of  Col.  Samuel  D.  Maxwell,  of  Frankfort,  Ind.  They 
have  been  blessed  with  six  children,  four  daughters  and  two 
sons.  The  eldest,  a  daughter,  died  in  Frankfort,  Ind.,  in  her 
seventh  year.     A  son  died  in  early  infancy.  The 

Lord  has  enabled  him  to  preach  almost  every  Sabbath  for 
nearly  thirty-eight  years,  has  permitted  him  to  witness  sev- 
■eral  precious  revivals,  and  to  rejoice  in  the  salvation  of 
xnany  souls. 


486  PRESBYTEKIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Alton  Presbytery  met  at  Cairo,  April  2,  1S57.  Charles 
Kenmore  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Geneva,  New 
York.  William  S.  Post,  licentiate,  was  received  from  the 
Third  Presbytery  of  New  York,  examined  and  ordained, 
sine  titnlo,  on  the  evening  of  April  3.  Sigmund  Uhlfelder 
was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Columbus,  Wis.  Joseph 
Gordon,  minister,  and  J.  N.  Adams,  elder,  were  appointed 
to  attend  the  Assembly.  The  church  of  Gillespie  was 
received.  George  C.  Wood  was  appointed  on  the  Missionary 
Committee  in  place  of  H.  D.  Piatt,  resigned. 


Charles  Kenmore  was  born  Oct.  9,  18 14,  at  Newton 
Ards,  Ireland.  His  father  was  Scotch-Irish,  his  mother 
Scotch.  Graduated  at  Oneida  Institute,  1837,  and  at  Union 
Seminary  in  1839.  His  first  field  of  labor  was  Sodus,  Wayne 
county,  N.  Y.  While  there  was  ordained  by  the  Genesee 
Consociation.  Labored  at  several  places  in  Western  N,  Y., 
until  1856;  at  Dyersville,  Iowa,  in  1857;  at  Mt.  Vernon  and 
Cairo,  111,  1857-58.  On  account  of  bronchial  troubles  he 
went  South  and  taught  in  Mississippi,  Louisiana,  Georgia  and 
Florida,  1858-71.  Died  at  Hornellsville,  N.  Y.,  June  15, 
1 87 1,  where  his  widow,  Mrs.  S.  E.  C.  Kenmore,  still  resides. 


William  S.  Post  was  born  at  Madison,  Conn.,  Nov.  17,, 
1823.  Educated,  in  his  own  v/ords,  "All  along  shore." 
Ordained  by  Alton  Presbytery,  April  3,  1857.  While  a 
member  of  that  Presbytery  he  labored  at  Jonesboro,  and 
Carbondale,  and  was  dismissed  from  it  April  13,  1856.  He 
was  two  years  chaplain  in  the  army.  Then  he  labored  at 
various  places  on  the  Iron  Mountain  Railroad,  until  Aug.  6,. 
1869,  when  he  renounced  his  baptism  and  ordination  and 
submitted  to  be  re-baptized  and  re-ordained  by  the  Baptist 
Church.  He  has  since  labored  mostly  with  a  congregation 
of   that  order   in   Belleville,    111.  He   has  been 

twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Catharine  Elizabeth  Howd, 
born  at  Durham,  Conn,,  in  1827.  She  was  married  to  Mr. 
Post  July  26,  1848,  and  died  at  Carbondale,  March  12,  i860. 
His  second  wife  was  Miss  H.  A.  Ross,  a  daughter  of  Elder 
Moses  Ross,  late  of  Ducoign,  111.  She  retains  her  connec- 
tion with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  has  her  childrea 
dedicated  to  God  in  baptism. 


GILLESPIE    CHURCH.  487 

The  First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Gillespie,  Macou- 
pin county,  was  organized  in  1856,  by  Joseph  Gordon  with 
eight  members.  For  about  one  year  it  enjoyed  something 
hke  the  stated  ministrations  of  the  word.  Then  it  remained 
almost  wholly  destitute  until  the  summer  of  1865.  During 
those  years  of  destitution  the  church  fell  away  by  deaths  and 
removals  until  only  three  resident  members  were  left.  July 
II,  1865,  Rev.  Wm.  P.  Teitsworth  commenced  laboring  there 
each  alternate  Sabbath.  On  Oct.  14,  1865,  he  fixed  his 
residence  at  that  place,  and  divided  his  Sabbaths  between 
Gillespie  and  Staunton.  As  the  old  church  was  so  nearly 
gone,  it  was  thought  best  to  re-organize.  This  was  done  on 
Saturday  and  Sabbath,  Jan.  20  and  21,  1866,  by  Revs.  W. 
P.  Teitsworth  and  A.  T.  Norton.  The  re-organized  church 
retained  the  old  name,  and  started  with  thirteen  members 
and  three  elders,  viz.:  John  D.  Martin,  Robert  E.  McNeeley 
and  David  O.  Settlemire.  For  a  time  the  enterprise  was 
successful.  But  difficulties  arose.  Mr.  Teitsworth  left,  and 
his  place  was  not  supplied.  The  church  had  no  house  of 
worship.  The  upshot  thus  far  is  that  the  name  has  been 
dropped  from  our  roll,  although  two  or  three  members  are 
still  left. 


Alton  Presbytery  met  at  Pana,  Sept.  25,  1857.  Samuel 
Ward  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Wabash,  and 
Lemuel  Grosvenor  to  the  Windham  County  Association, 
Conn.  George  C.  Wood  was  released  from  the  care  of  the 
Greenville  church.  The  church  of  Shoal  Creek  was  dis- 
solved, and  its  members  attached  to  Bethel.  A  Form  of 
Admission  to  the  Church  was  adopted.  The  churches  of 
Richview,  Cumberland  Precinct  and  Tamaroa  were  received. 
An  adjourned  meeting  was  held  at  Alton,  Oct. 
2,  at  which  Edward  Hollister  was  received  from  the  Presby- 
tery of  Schuyler. 


Richview  Church,  n.  s.,  was  organized  by  J.  W.  McCord, 
August  23,  1857,  with  sixteen  members.  Dr.  H.  B.  Lucas 
and  James  L  Logan,  elders.  This  church  had  a  brief  season 
of  prosperity.  It  undertook  the  erection  of  a  house  of  wor- 
ship, but  the  enterprise  dragged  heavily.  The  walls  were 
partly  put  up — it  was  brick — and  then  stood  unfinished  so  long 


488  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

that  the  winds  and  weather  threw  them  down.  IMr.  McCord 
left,  and  the  enterprise  failed.  Dr.  Lucas,  one  of  the  elders, 
is  still  in  the  place,  but  in  another  church  connection. 

The  Old  School  organized  here — per  Rev.  James 
Stafford — February  10,  1865,  with  these  members:  William 
Cunningham,  Margaret  E.  Cunningham,  Rebecca  Fesler. 
Lizzie  LefEler,  Anna  F.  Williams.  C.  J.  Bethel,  Jennie  K. 
Bethel,  Matilda  Willis.  Elders:  William  Cunningham  and 
C.  J.  Bethel.  Elders  since  elected :  Joseph  Houston, 
Geogre  L.  Lyon,  Henry  Newton  Pettit,  J.  F.  Walker,  E.  B. 
Wright,    George  W.    Cone.  Ministers:   R.  G. 

Williams,  licentiate,"£ommenced  with  the  beginning  and  sup- 
plied the  church  some  months.  He  was  called  to  the  pas- 
toral charge  in  1866,  but  was  not  installed.  William  Bridg- 
man  supplied  from  the  spring  of  1867,  but  was  notified  by 
the  Session  to  leave  before  his  year  expired.  Elijah  Buck  sup- 
plied in  1868.  Isaac  N.  Candee,  D.  D.,  began  here  in  the  spring 
of  1869,  was  installed  and  labored  until  his  death,  June  19, 
1874.  Wilham  H.  Rogers  supplied  in  1876,  E.  W.  Clark 
now  serves  the  church  a  portion  of  his  time.  A  good  brick 
edifice  was  erected  in  1865.  The  same  year  six  persons 
were  received  from  a  little  Congregational  church  which  had 
been  established  in  the  place,  and  which  is  now  in  articido 
mortis.  This  church  was  in  its  most  flourishing 

condition  under  Dr.  Candee.  In  1871  its  membership  was 
eighty-five.  All  the  benevolent  Boards  were  aided,  Dr.  C, 
himself,  contributing  more  than  all  the  congregation.  Fruit- 
growing, from  which  much  was  expected  in  this  region,  has 
proved  a  failure  as  a  source  of  profit.  People  have  moved 
away  and  property  depreciated  very  greatly.  The  church 
has  partaken  of  the  general  depression,  and  has  now  little 
more  than  a  name.  A  private  school  was  estab- 

lished here  by  R.  G.  Williams,  who  put  up  a  large  building, 
and  became  greatly  involved.  This  property  was  sold  to  S. 
J.  P.  Anderson,  D.  D.,  who  succeeded  but  poorly.  The 
building  and  grounds  have  passed  into  the  hands  of  Rev,  E. 
W.  Clark,  who  still  continues  the  school. 


The  Presbyterian  Church  of  Cumberland  Pre- 
cinct was  organized  by  William  H.  Bird,  February  8,  1857, 
with  these  members:  Samuel  Van  Horn,  Maria  Van  Horn, 
Joseph  Stevenson,  Henry  Gruver,  Ann  Eliza  Gruver,  WilUam 


TAMAROA    CHURCH.  4^9 

Stanford,  Martha  E.  Stanford,  Mrs.  Abigail  Griffith  and  Mrs. 
Emily  Stanford.  Elders:  Samuel  Van  Horn,  Joseph  Ste- 
venson. Elders  since  chosen  :  James  Gates,  John  G.  IN'Ic- 
Cormick,  R.  J.  Pilcher,  Abner  Griffith,  James  E.  Foster,  Al- 
fred Erving,  Samuel  L.  Ketchum.  Ministers  :  William  H. 
Bird;  J.  L.  Riggs ;  Joseph  Gordon;  Charles  F.  Halsey ; 
Joseph  Gordon,  second  time,  from  1872  for  about  two  years; 
William  EUers,  a  short  time ;  A.  H.  Parks,  still  in  charge. 
The  name  was  changed  from  "Cumberland  Precinct"  to 
"  Brownstown "  in  1871.  The  church  building,  erected  at 
Brownstown,  was  dedicated  January  21,  1872,  by  Joseph 
Gordon,  and  cost  two  thousand  dollars.  The  church  was 
organized  in  the  small  building  close  by  widow  Abigail  Grif- 
fith's. This  building  belongs  to  the  Griffith  property,  and 
was  used  as  a  store  when  the  National  Road  was  building,  z. 
e.,  from  about  1834  to  1837.  It  was  afterwards  used  as  a 
school  house,  but  was  always  private  property.  Meetings 
were  held  there  for  ten  years,  or  until  the  school  house  on  S. 
E.  quarter  of  S.  E.  quarter  of  Sec.  4,  T.  6,  R.  2  E.  was  built  in 
1856.  Then  that  school  house  was  used  until  the  church  ed- 
ifice in  Brownstown  was  finished. 


Tamaroa  Church  was  organized  by  EHsha  Jenney,  May  24, 
1857,  with  these  members:  Wm.  Yates,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Ann 
Yates,  Miss  Lydia  Hudson,  J.  M.  Simpson,  i\Irs.  Ann  E.  Simp- 
son, Mrs.  Rosemond  O.  Blanchard,  Miss  Mary  Aim  Yates, 
Miss  Adelaide  Simpson.  Elders  :  Wm.  Yates,  J.  W.  Simpson. 
Elders  since  chosen  :  Oliver  Alden  Holt,  Jedediah  Lathrop, 
Dr.  C.  M.  Hughey,  Townsend  Blanchard,  Hillery  S.  Patrick, 
Joseph  W.  Haines,  Providence  White.  Ministers:  Thomas 
Lippincott,  1858-62;  Josiah  Wood,  October,  1863,  to  May, 
1S67;  Charles  F.  Halsey,  October,  1867,  one  year;  M.  V. 
B.  Van  Arsdale,  December,  1870,  to  July,  1871  ;  John  Hus- 
ton, 1872,  one  year ;  Robert  Rudd,  September  6,  1874,  to 
thi-?  time.  Places  of  meeting:  (i)  Under  Masonic  Hail. 
(2)  School  house.  (3)  Methodist  church.  (4)  Present  edifice 
which  was  built  in  1868.  and  cost  twenty-six  hundred  dol- 
lars.    Present  number  of  members  forty-nine. 


Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Alton,  October  i,  1857. 
The  Stated  Clerk,  Henry  C.  Abernethy,  resigned  and  Edward 


490  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

B.  Olmsted  was  appointed  in  his  place.  A  Synodical 
Church  Extension  Committee  was  appointed,  consisting  of 
Georq'e  I.  Kinsr,  William  G.  Gallaher,  A.  T.  Norton  and 
Joseph  Wilson,  ministers,  and  Frederick  Collins,  David  A. 
Smith  and  J.  G.  Lamb,  elders.  This  Committee  was  author- 
ized to  appoint  a  Secretary  to  take  charge  of  the  Church 
Extension  operations  of  this  Synod  and  to  direct  his  labors. 
The  Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s.,  met  at  Hillsboro,  October 
8,  1857.  The  appeal  of  James  Stafford  from  the  action  of 
Kasksakia  Presbytery,  in  refusing  to  place  Trenton  church  on 
its  roll,  was  sustained,  and  the  Presbytery  was  ordered  to  en- 
roll that  church.  From  this  decision  an  appeal  was  taken  to 
the  Assembly  by  R.  M.  Roberts  and  others. 

YEAR  1858. 

Illinois  Presbytery  met  at  Virden,  April  8,  1858.  G.  C. 
Clark  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Alton.  W.  G. 
Gallaher,  minister,  and  Thomas  Moffett,  elder,  were  chosen 
Commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  The  fall  meet- 

ing was  held  at  Jacksonville,  September  9.  C.  G.  Selleck 
was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Louisiana.  George  C. 
Wood  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Alton,  and  ap- 
pointed Presbyterial  Missionary. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  with  Jordan's  Grove 
church,  April  9,  1858.  Zion  church  was  received.  Rev. 
P.  R.  Vanatta  was  employed  to  labor  as  an  itinerant  in  the 
bounds  of  the  Presbytery.  Presbytery  earnestly  advised 
their  churches  to  make  liberal  collections  for  Domestic  Mis- 
sions, and  "  instead  of  remitting  the  funds  to  the  Board,  de- 
vote them  to  this  home  work."  P.  R.  Vanatta  was  received 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Rock  River.  An  adjourned  meeting 
was  held  v/ith  Galum  church,  August  5,  at  which  Daniel 
Steele  was  dismissed  from  the  pastoral  care   of  that  church. 


Peter  Rulison  Vanatta  was  born  in  New  Jersey.  Edu- 
cated at  Princeton  College  and  Seminary.  From  1859  ^^ 
1862  he  was  W.  C.  at  Indianapolis,  Ind.  At^Lafayette  in  1866, 
agent  of  Bib!e  Society,  in  which  service  he  seems  to  have 
remained  until  this  time,  and  with  his  residence  at  Lafay- 
ette.    I  get  no  response  from  him. 


ZION    CHURCH.  491 

ZiON  (German)  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  at 
Fosterburg,  Madison  county,  October  12,  1857,  by  Revs.  J. 
G.  Schaible  and  H.  Blanke,  with  twenty  members.  Up  to  the 
fall  of  1877  the  church  was  served  by  three  ministers — H. 
Blanke,  J.  H.  Reints  and  August  Busch,  who  entered  upon 
their  work  in  1857,    1869   and    1873,  respectively. 

The  first  Elders  were  Fred  Wortman  and  C.  Breuken, 
Afterwards  P.  A.  Scheldt,  Earnest  Wortman  and  C.  F  Lob- 
big.  In  August,  1878,  the  church  adopted  the  time  service 
method,  at  the  same  time  reducing  the  Board  to  two,  C, 
Breuken  and  P.  H.  Scheldt.  This  church  has 

had  a  membership  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine  in  all  from 
the  beginning.     Its  present  membership  is  eighty-nine. 

A  house  of  worship  was  built  soon  after  the  organi- 
zation, which  cost  about  five  hundred  dollars.  A  parsonage 
was  erected  at  the  same  time  at  a  cost  of  about  four  hun- 
dred dollars.  Additions  have  been  made  to  the  parsonage 
since,  so  that  the  present  value  of  the  church  property,  in- 
cluding house  of  worship,  parsonage  and  grounds,  is  about 
;gi,500.  Since    the    fall  of    1877,   this    church 

was  without  a  pastor.  During  the  spring  and  summer  of 
1878  it  was  served  by  a  licentiate,  Albert  F.  Beyer,  then  a 
student  of  Danville  Seminary,  whom  the  church  elected 
their  pastor,  and  who  was  ordained  over  them  May  14,  1879, 
by  a  committee  of  Alton  Presbytery.  The  church 

building  is  situated  in  T.  6  N.,  R.  9  W.,  Sec.  14,  N.  E.  quarter 
of  S.  W.  quarter  of  the  section. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Litchfield,  Oct.  8, 
1858.  The  church  of  Trenton  was  enrolled  according  to  the 
decision  of  Synod,  the  Assembly  having  failed  to  take  up 
the  appeal  from  the  Synod's  decision.  Samuel  B.  Smith 
was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Schuyler.  Thomas  W. 
Hynes  declining  to  serve  longer  as  Stated  Clerk,  R.  M.  Rob- 
erts was  appointed  to  that  post.  The  churches  of  Xenia 
and  Mason  were  received.  The  name  of  Bethany  church  was 
changed  to  Staunton.  An  adjourned  meeting  was  held  with 
Jordan's  Grove  church,  Nov.  19,  at  which,  on  the  20th,  Wm. 
R.  Sim  was  ordained  over  the  churches  of  Jordan's  Grove 
and  Lively's  Prairie.  B.  H.  Charles  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  af  Transylvania. 


492  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Samuel  B.  Smith  was  born  in  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  in  March, 
1806.  Educated  at  Dickinson  College,  Pa.  Spent  two  years 
in  Princeton  Seminary,  1824-25.  Was  a  Home  Missionary  in 
Ohio,  Missouri  and  Illinois.  Resided  several  years  in  Alton, 
111.,  preaching  so  far  as  infirm  health  would  permit.  He  re- 
turned to  his  native  place  in  1865,  where  he  continued  to  re- 
side until  his  death,  May  23,  1879  His  remains  were  buried 
in  the  family  burying  lot  in  Evergreen  Cemetery. 
In  May,  1868,  the  writer  dined  with  him  at  his  home  in  Get- 
tysburg, that  place  now  so  famous  for  the  great  battles  of 
July  1,  2  and  3,  186^. 


B.  H.  Charles'  name  first  appears  in  the  minutes  of  the 
Assembly  in  1856.  The  next  year  he  was  pastor  of  the 
church  at  Springfield,  Ky.  From  thence  he  came  to  Illinois 
and  ministered  for  several  years  to  the  church  of  Chester. 
His  name  appears  for  the  last  time  in  the  minutes  in  1868, 
when  he  was  at  Boonville,  Mo.  He  is  still  living  in  Missouri, 
and  probably  connected  with  the  Southern  Presbyterian 
Church, 


William  R.  Sim  was  born  in  Golconda,  Pope  count}^  III., 
Nov.  25,  I  S3 1.  He  was  the  third  son  of  Wm.  Sim,  M.  D., 
who  was  a  native  of  Aberdeen,  Scotland,  and  a  graduate  of 
the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  in  London  ;  a  man  of  great 
mental  culture,  warm  heart  and  generous  nature,  zealous  in 
the  discharge  of  duty,  and. characterized  by  that  determina- 
tion of  purpose,  indomitable  will  and  energy,  so  peculiarly 
Scotch,  He,  Wm.  Sim,  settled  in  this  country,  January, 
1818,  just  before  Illinois  was  admitted  to  the  sisterhood  of 
States,  was  for  a  period  of  nearly  forty-six  years  a  Ruling 
Elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  during  a  long,  labor- 
ious and  eminently  useful  professional  career,  never  failed  to 
recognize  the  hand  of  God  in  all  his  undertakings.  His  life 
was  one  of  piety,  and  his  house  the  home  of  ministers  of 
the  Gospel  of  all    denominations.  Frances  E. 

Jack,  mother  of  Wm,  R.  Sim,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa., 
April  4,  1803;  was  united  to  Wm.  Sim,  M.  D.,  in  the 
holy  bonds  of  matrimony,  March  2,  1822.  She,  how- 
•ever,  died  March  29,  1836,  leaving  five  children;  Chris- 
tiana,   John    A,,    James  J.,   F.   L,,   and    the    Wm.    R.    Sim, 


WILLIAM    K.  SIM.  493' 

to  whom  this  memorial  is  dedicated,  who  was  then  only- 
five  years  old,  thus  being  deprived  of  the  tender  care 
of  a  Christian  mother  early  in  life.  In  the  fall  of  1847 
he  entered  Hanover  College,  at  South  Hanover,  Indiana, 
The  following  year  he  was  accompanied  by  his  younger 
brother,  F.  L.  Sim,  now,  and  for  the  last  eighteen  years  a 
practicing  physician  of  j\Iemphis,  Tenn.  The  latter  was 
inclined  to  be  frolicsome  and  mischievous,  which  contrast 
soon  created  the  impression  that  William  was  the  best  young 
man  in  the  school,  and  Frank  the  wildest.  Aug. 

9,  1854,  Wm.  R.  graduated  at  Hanover,  and  the  following 
fall  entered  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Danville,  Ky.,  from 
which    he    graduated    May,   7,    1857.  He    pro- 

fessed religion  and  connected  himself  with  the  Presbyterian 
Church  during  the  early  part  of  February,  1849;  he  had, 
however,  previous  to  this  time,  lived  the  life  of  a  Christian. 
During  childhood,  and  as  he  grew  up,  he  was  always  consid- 
ered by  his  parents,  playmates,  and  the  citizens  generally,  as 
scrupulously    truthful    and    exemplary  in  conduct. 

After  completing  his  seminary  course,  he  was  licensed 
by  the  Kaskaskia  Presbytery,  and  in  the  fall  of  1858  was 
installed  pastor  of  the  churches  of  Jordan's  Grove  and  Lively's. 
Prairie,  Randolph  County,  111.  He  continued  to  serve  as 
pastor  of  these  churches  with  great  satisfaction  to  the  mem- 
bers, from  the  fall  of  1858,  until  October,  i860,  when  he 
took  charge  of  the  church  at  his  native  place,  Golconda, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death.  September 

20,  1861,  he  was  married  to  the  accomplished  Miss  Maria 
Pinney,  of  Princeton,  Ind.  Edgar  Allen  was  the  name  of 
their  only  offspring,  born  July  14,  1862,  who,,  however,  did 
not  long  survive  the  father,  as  he  died  Nov.  2,  1868.  In 
the  fall  of  1862  Mr,  Sim's  health  began  to  be  undermined 
by  consumption,  and  from  this  time  until  his  death,  his  labor 
was  very  much  interrupted.  He  died  July  7,  1864,  in  his 
native  town,  surrounded  by  his  immediate  family,  and  all  of 
his  relatives,  he  died  as  he  had  lived,  faithful  to  his  God. 
He  was  characterized  by  a  very  remarkable  de- 
gree of  refinement  in  thought,  expression  and  deportment,  and 
an  amiability  which  won  for  him  the  admiration  and  love  of  all 
who  were  intimate   with  him.  He    was    a    pure 

minded  man  and  a  cheerful  Christian  ;  and  yet,  his  earnest  love 
for  souls  often  seemed  to  fill  him  with  the  most  agonizing  dis- 
tress. In  a  letter  written  by  deceased  to  his  father 


494  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

from  Hanover,  Feb.  lo,  1849,  we  find  the  following,  "  I  have 
good  news  to  tell  you  ;  I  joined  the  church  last  Sabbath.  My 
prayer  to  God  is  to  keep  me  from  temptation,  and  enable  me 
to  follow  him  in  all  things.  I  hope  you  will  remember  me 
in  your  prayers,  that  I  may  not  turn  to  the  world  again,  but 
may  be  zealous  in  the  cause  which  I  have  espoused." 

Rev.  B.  C.  Swan  of  Shawneetown,  111.,  says,  "  I  have 
no  recollection  of  any  manifestations  of  sinfulness,  in  word, 
or  act,  during  my  whole  acquaintance  with  him.  One  of  his 
youthful  associates  said  to  me,  '  he  was  the  best  boy  that 
ever  lived  in  Golconda,'  all  of  the  people  of  his  native  place 
loved  him,  and  he  loved  them  with  an  ardor  altogether  inex- 
pressible." B.  H.  Charles,  of  Chester,  111.,  writes, 
"  He  was  a  very  earnest  man  of  God.  His  whole  heart 
seemed  to  be  taken  up  with  his  work.  He  seemed  to  be 
ambitious  of  but  one  thing,  and  that  was  to  please  his  Mas- 
ter. He  seemed  remarkable  for  his  humility,  and  his  man- 
ner was  always  very  quiet  and  unassuming." 
Thos.  F.  Cortelyou,  says,  "From  the  students'  prayer-meet- 
ing, and  the  Sabbath  morning  prayers,  Sim  was  seldom  ab- 
sent. At  times  but  few  came  together  in  the  social  prayer- 
meetings,  but  among  those  few  I  well  remember  his  face. 
He  was  a  diligent  student,  and  punctual  in  attendance  upon 
the  instructions  of  the  different  professors,  whose  full  confi- 
dence he  possessed."  Mr.  Sim's  widow  has  mar- 
ried Dr.  J.  A.  Koch,  a  practising  physician  in  Golconda,  and 
an  active  member  of  the  Golconda  Presbyterian  church. 


Butler  Church,  Montgomery  county,  was  organized, 
August  29,  1858,  at  the  school  house,  by  Rev.  R.  M.  Roberts 
and  Elders  T.  W.  Washburn  and  J.  T,  Eccles,  with  these 
members  :  Mrs.  H.  K.  Harper,  Catharine  Cowdy,  Israel  Sew- 
ard, Martha  M.  Burnap,  Mrs.  Sarah  Ware,  William  Seward, 
Mrs.  Mary  Cunningham,  Robert  Bryce,  S.  M.  Hedges,  Mar- 
garet Seward,  Lawrence  Hugg,  Susanna  Cunningham,  Mrs. 
Mary  McReynolds,  Mrs.  Minerva  Steere.  Elders  :  S.  M. 
Hedges  and  Robert  Bryce.  Elders  since  these  two  first : 
Matthew  McMurtry,  Thomas  Colvin,  Joseph  Burnap,  A.  J. 
Diddle,  J.  T.  Ross,  Samuel  Berrie,  William  Seward.  Minis- 
ters :  R.  M.  Roberts :  W.  L.  Mitchel ;  R.  M.  Roberts,  the 
second  time  ;  Cornelius  V.  Monfort,  licentiate  ;  S.  D.  Lough- 
head  ;  T.  E.  Spilman  began  in  April,  1868,  as  licentiate,  was 


FLORA    CHURCH.  495 

ordained  the  next  November,  and  has  continued,  with  some 
interruptions  on  account  of  ill  health,  until  this  time.  The 
church  building  was  dedicated  July  3,  1864,  and  cost  twenty- 
two  hundred  dollars.  This  is  a  working,  united  church,  with 
a  leader  whose  physical  strength  is  far  overmatched  by  his 
■energetic,  devoted  spirit. 


The  Church  of  Xenia  III.,  was  organized  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Kaskaskia,  April  21,  1858,  per  Revs.  R.  M.  Roberts 
and  P.  R.  Vanatta  and  Elder  T.  W.  Sweeny.  It  commenced 
with  eleven  members  and  William  Townsley,  elder.  Names : 
William  Townsley,  J.  M.  Haines,  Eliza  Talifer  o,  Nancy  J. 
Henderson,  Margaret  Walker,  Amelia  Townsley,  Henry  S. 
Watson,  E.  Jane  Mannagh,  Jane  Bilding,  S.  J.  Holman  and 
Belinda  Haines.  The  church  was  ministered  to  occasionally 
by  Revs.  P.  R.  Vanatta,  F.  H.  L.  Laird  and  D.  R.  Todd. 
The  majority  of  the  members  and  the  only  elder  having  re- 
moved to  the  neighborhood  of  Flora,  a  town  on  the  Ohio  & 
Mississippi  Railroad  in  the  same  county,  on  the  28th  May, 
1864,  Rev.  John  Crozier  and  Elder  Thomas  Buchanan, 
Committee  of  Presbytery  of  Saline  met  at  Flora  for  the  pur- 
pose of  re-organizing  the  church.  And  on  April  15,  1867,  ten 
persons  having  in  the  mean  time  been  received,  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Saline,  then  in  session  in  Flora,  changed  the  name 
of  the  church  of  Xenia  to  that  of  Flora  and  received  it  under 
their  care  by  that  name.  The  church  was  ministered  unto 
by  Rev.  John  Crozier  and  others  for  a  season ;  then  regularly 
by  Rev.  R.  C.  Galbraith,  pastor  of  Odin  church,  in  Marion 
county.  It  had  received  thirty-six  members,  elected  A.  K. 
Tate,  George  W.  Norris  and  H.  M.  Todd,  elders,  when  on  the 
October  10,  1870,  it  called  Rev.  R.  C.  Galbraith,  pastor  for 
half  the  time.  He  was  installed  December  4,  1870.  Two 
lots,  on  one  of  which  was  a  building  suitable  for  a  manse, 
and  the  other  for  the  erection  of  a  church  building,  were  pur- 
chased. The  house  was  erected,  and  on  the  third  Sabbath 
of  May,  1 87 1,  dedicated.  Sermon  by  the  pastor  from  Gen. 
28:17.  Ten  persons  were  received  on  examination,  seven- 
teen on  certificate,  fifteen  dismissed  to  other  churches  and 
two  persons  suspended  between  the  dedication  and  the  17th 
August,  1873.  The  term  service  of  the  eldership  had  been 
adopted,  and  William  Townsley,  H.  M.  Todd,  William  W. 
Stewart  and  Dr.  E.  C.  Park  were  elected  to  serve  for  a  term 


496  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

of  three  years.  August  17,  Mr.  Galbraith  requested  the  church 
to  unite  with  him  in  requesting  the  Presbytery  to  dissolve 
the  pastoral  relation,  on  the  ground  that  the  experience  of 
last  winter  in  mission  work  in  the  country  forbade  him  to 
undertake  the  work  which  the  pastor  of  this  charge  ought 
to  perform.  The  church  assented  and  appointed  Elder  H. 
M.  Todd  to  attend  the  approaching  meeting  of  the  Presby- 
tery at  Cairo  and  present  the  action  of  the  church.  Presby- 
tery granted  the  request.  Rev.  William  M.  Reed 
acted  as  supply  pastor  from  January,  1S74,  to  October,  1875. 
Afterwards  Rev.  M.  V.  B.  Van  Arsdale  from  April,  1867,  to 
February,  1876.  Flora  church  has  received,  on  certificate 
sixty-three,  on  examination  sixteen,  dismissed  forty-one,  sus- 
pended two,  died  four,  now  on  roll  thirty-seven.  Has  given 
to  Domestic  Missions,  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine  dollars ; 
for  Foreign  ninety-four  dollars ;  Church  Erection,  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-four  dollars  ;  Ministerial  Relief,  forty-four  dol- 
lars ;  Freedmen,  twenty-nme  dollars;  Education,  twenty- 
three  dollars ;  Publication,  eleven  dollars;  Sunday  schools, 
fifty-four  dollars;  total,  four  hundred  and  fifty-nine  dollars. 
Subsequent  to  the  week  of  prayer,  in  1877,  Rev.  H.  B.  Thayer 
held  a  series  of  gospel  meetings  wHich  resulted  in  an  addi- 
tion of  thirty-four  on  examination.  Rev,  A.  McFarland  is 
now  pastor,  with  good  prospect  of  growth  and  usefulness. 


Trenton  Church,  Clinton  county,  was  organized,  May 
26,  1857,  with  fourteen  members,  by  the  Presb3-^tery  of  Kas- 
kaskia  through  its  Committee,  Rev.  D.  A.  Wallace  and  Eld- 
ers John  Denny  and  Hugh  Adams.  Eleven  of  the  fourteen 
were  from  Sugar  Creek  church.  John  Douglas, 

Charles  Teibout  and  Robert  Douglas  were  made  elders. 

Of  the  original  members  three,  Charles  Teibout  and 
wife  and  Thomas  McGlaughlin,  are  in  California.  Two, 
Robert  Douglas  and  wife,  are  in  Colorado.  Mrs.  M.  E.  Staf- 
ford is  in  Portland,  Me.  John  Douglas,  Mrs.  Anne  Douglas 
and  Mrs.  Alia  Gelly  have  deceased.  Elisha  Bedell  and  wife, 
Thomas  Craig  and  wife  and  George  Craig  are  still  in  Tren- 
ton. Ministers:  James  Stafford  served  the 
church  from  its  beginning  until  the  fall  of  i860.  He  was 
succeeded  by  H.  M.  Corbett,  who  continued  until  October, 
1865.  William  Bridgman  came  next  after  Mr.  Corbett,  but 
remained  only  until  April,  1866.     For  eighteen  months,  end- 


TRENTON    CHURCH.  497 

ing  October,  1S67,  James  Brownlee  divided  his  time  equally 
between  this  church  and  that  at  Lebanon.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Henry  Mattice,  who  came  to  Trenton  in  the 
fall  of  1867,  and  remained  until  October,  1868.  George 
W.  Fisher  came  in  June,  1869,  was  installed  pastor 
of  the  church  March,  1872,  and  still  remains.  His 
ministery  has  been  one  of  great  success  both  in  Trenton 
and  at  Sugar  Creek.  The  two  churches  constitute  his  par- 
ish, giving  him  a  comfortable  support,  sharing  equally  his 
labors  and  defraying  each  one  half  his  salary.  Elders  :  John 
Douglas,  elected  1857,  died  July,  1858;  Charles  Tiebout, 
elected  in  1857,  removed  to  California  in  1873;  Robert 
Douglas,  elected  in  1857,  removed  to  Colorado  in  1868. 
These  were  the  original  elders.  Augustus  Alvord,  elected 
Sept.,  1859,  died  Sept.,  1872;  Anderson  T.  Ely,  elected 
April,  1867,  died  Sept.,  1871  ;  George  T.  Baldwin,  elected 
March,  1863,  still  in  office;  Wm.  D.  Lewis,  elected  April, 
1867;  Joseph  Garrigus,  elected  August,  1871,  resigned  May, 
1874.  In  Dec,  1875,  the  church  adopted  the  "  Rotary  Sys- 
tem," and  now  elect  their  elders  and  deacons  for  three  years. 
The  present  elders  are  George  T.  Baldwin,  S.  B.  Wyle  and 
Linn  Bedell.  The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met 

with  this  church  in  1859,  ^^^4  ^^^  1868.  The  Presbytery  of 
Alton,  after  the  re-union  in  Nov.,  1869,  held  its  second  stated 
meeting  with  this  church,  and  in  March,  1872,  an  adjourned 
meeting  to  install  Rev.  G.  W.  Fisher.  The  pres- 

ent and  only  church  edifice  was  erected  in  1859,  and  dedi- 
cated in  December  of  the  same  year.  Its  cost  was  about 
;^i,500.  The  church  owns  a  parsonage  which  cost  seven, 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  a  memorial  of  the  re-union. 

In  the  history  of  this  church  there  have  been  four 
seasons  of  special  religious  revivals,  viz.:  in  1865,  1868,  1872 
and   1875.  This  church  received  aid  from  the 

Board  of  Home  Missions  until  1872.  For  one  year  there- 
after it  was  aided  by  the  Board  of  Sustentation.  In  1873  it 
became  self-sustaining,  with  the  aid  of  Sugar  Creek.  The 
two  churches  together  constitute  one  very  interesting  and 
important  parish.  The  growth  of  the  church  has 

been  pretty  steady.  Fifty-three  were  added  under  Mr.  Cor- 
bett,  eight  under  Mr,  Brownlee,  thirty-one  under  Mr.  Mat- 
tice, and  ninety-six,  counting  to  April,  1877,  under  Mr. 
Fisher.  About  two  hundred  and  two  have  been  received  to 
the  church  in  all.     Of  these  not  far  from   one  hundred   re- 

31 


49^  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

main.  A  Sabbath  school  is  sustained  by  the  church  with 
commendable  vigor,  and  the  cause  of  benevolence  is  not 
neglected. 


Mason  Church,  o.  s,,  Effingham  county,  was  organized 
April  22,  1858,  with  nineteen  members  and  three  elders. 
One  of  them  was  J.  S.  Covert.  This  organization  did  not 
long  exist. 


The  Presbytery  of  Wabash  met  at  Danville,  April  27, 
1858.  The  reception  of  Tolono  church,  n.  s.,  should  be 
here  recorded.  William  R.  Palmer  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Crawfordsville.  Charles  H.  Palmer,  minister, 
and  W.  M.  Allison,  elder  were  appointed  to  attend  the  As- 
sembly, The  fall  meeting  was  held  with  Pleas- 
ant Prairie  church,  commencing  Oct.  4.  F,  A.  Deming  was 
received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Huron.  Mattoon  church 
was  received. 


ToLONO  Church,  n.  s.,  was  organized  Feb.  16,  1858.  It 
was  organized  and  supplied  for  some  months  by  Rev.  Isaac 
P.  Stryker,  of  Urbana.  Through  his  efforts  a  house  of  wor- 
ship was  erected.  The  first  records  are  lost,  but  some  of 
the  original  members  were  these :  R.  A.  Bower,  Mr.  Ennis 
and  wife,  Mrs.  Penington,  Mrs.  Archer,  Mr.  Stephenson  and 
wife,  Mrs.  White,  Mrs.  Louisa  Pierce.  The  first  elder  was 
probably  R.  A.  Bower.  Then  William  Keeble,  and  then 
S.  S.  Salisbury. 

The  Old  School  organized  here  Sept.  i,  i860,  per  Rev. 
R.  H.  Lilly.  Their  first  members  were  these  :  Mrs.  Jane  C. 
Barker,  Miss  Malvina  A.  Barker,  Miss  Eliza  J.  Barker,  Mrs. 
Theda  W.  Tewksbury,  Mrs.  Mary  C.  Ferris,  Wm.  Culbert- 
son,  Mary  Culbertson,  Miss  Hester  Ann  Culbertson,  Miss 
Mary  Ann  Culbertson,  Miss  Margaret  Culbertson,  Mrs. 
Agnes  Smith,  Mrs.  Louisa  Pierce,  Wm.  Keeble,  Elizabeth 
Keeble.     Wm.  Keeble  appears  to  have  been  the  only  elder. 

The  Ministers  who  supplied  the  n.  s.  church,  were  Isaac 
P.  Stryker,  George  D.  Miller,  of  Tuscola,  C.  J.  Pitkin.  O.  S. 
Ministers  :  Thomas  J.  Taylor,  who  died  here  June,  1865,  and 
D.  F.  McFarland,  who  resided  at  Mattoon. 


WILLIAM  R.  pal:mer.  499 

Since  the  re- union,  the  elders  have  been  Stephen  Norton, 
1871  ;  James  C.  Evans  and  John  Bond,  1872;  Alex.  Taylor, 
John  Cromie,  Henry  C.  Barnet  and  David  Maxwell,  1875  ; 
R.  C.  McMurdy,  1878.  The  Ministers  since  the  re-union 
have  been,  J.  L.  IN'IcNair,  the  first  resident  minister;  D.  R. 
JLove,  D.  S.  White  and  J.  P.  Mills.  The  last  is  still  in  charge. 
Whole  number  of  members,  two  hundred  and  twelve.  Pres- 
-ent  membership  about  one  hundred.  There   is 

a  parsonage. 

William  Randall  Palmer  was  born  at  Griswold,  Ct., 
January  15,  1822.  His  parents  were  both  of  English  nation- 
ality, -and  members  'of  the  Congregational  Church.  His 
father  was  born  on  the  beautiful  farm  in  Preston,  Ct.,  still  in 
the  possession  of  a  relative,  which  their  Puritan  ancestry 
bought  from  the  Indians  in  the  early  days  of  the  New  Eng- 
land Colonies,  and  where  seven  generations  of  the  family 
are  buried.  From  his  father  he  inherited  a  fine  physical  de- 
velopment, habits  of  industry,  love  of  order,  and  entire 
thoroughness  and  integrity  in  everything ;  from  his  mother, 
a  remarkable  love  of  beauty,  an  exquisite  taste,  and  a  heroic 
faith  m  the  providence  and  the  promises  of  God.  Those 
Avho  have  known  him,  will  remember  how  lovingly  he  used  to 
.speak  of  her,  as  "  That  mother  of  a  mighty  faith."  He  was 
the  first  born,  and  even  before  his  birth  was  consecrated  by  his 
parents  to  the  ministry.  While  he  was  quite  young  his  father 
removed  to  the  city  of  Norwich,  where  his  boyhood  was 
spent.  Here  he  became  personally  interested  in  religion 
when  about  ten  years  old,  during  a  very  precious  and  gener- 
al revival  which  reached  all  the  churches  in  the  city,  and 
brought  many  into  Christ's   fold.  He  attended 

the  best  schools  in  the  city,  and  commenced  a  classical  course 
with  a  view  to  entering  college.  The  financial  reverses  of 
1837  seriously  affecting  his  father's  circumstances,  he  left  the 
city  and  removed  to  a  farm  in  Lisbon,  and  the  plan  of  an 
education  was  given  up.  With  this  change  in  his  circum- 
stances, came  loss  of  interest  in  religious  things  and  a  neglect 
of  Christian  duty.  It  was  not  the  custom  in  New  England, 
forty  years  ago,  to  encourage  children  to  make  confession  of 
their  faith  in  Christ,  and  he  always  felt  that  he  suffered  great 
loss  in  his  own  experience  on  account  of  this  neglect.  In 
after  years,  when  he  became  a  pastor,  it  was  always  a  joy  to 
iiim  to  welcome  the  little  ones   to  the  church. 


500  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Soon  after  his  twenty-first  birth-day,  his  mother  entered 
the  heavenly  home,  with  these  last  words  as  a  legacy  to  her 
children:   "Ready — all    ready."  The  following 

winter,  while  teaching  in  a  neighboring  town,  he  was  thrown 
mto  the  midst  of  a  precious  work  of  grace,  which  led  to  the 
renewal  of  his  Christian  life,  and  his  re-consecration  to  the 
Saviour.  With    this  came  a  longing  for  useful- 

ness and  an  earnest  desire  to  save  souls.  He  commenced  at 
once  personal  work  for  the  Master,  doing  readily  and  cheer- 
fully everything  which  offered  as  Christian  duty.  Friends 
who  saw  his  earn^estness  and  consecration,  urged  him  to 
study  for  the  ministry.  He  longed  to  enter  upon  the  work, 
but  a  hesitation  in  his  speech,  which  -he  feared  would  pre- 
vent him  from  becoming  an  acceptable  public  speaker,  kept 
him  from  a  prompt  decision.  But  when  assured  by  his  pas- 
tor. Rev.  Levi  Nelson,  in  whose  kindness  and  wisdom  he 
placed  implicit  confidence,  that  practice  would  improve  his 
utterance,  he  decided  at  once  to  commence  his  studies.  It 
is  proper  to  say  in  passing,  that  this  stammering  never 
affected  him  in  prayer,  never  interfered  with  his  usefulness 
as  a  preacher,  and  after  a  few  years  was  entirely  overcome. 
He  fitted  for  college  at  Leicester  Academy, 
Mass.,  and  entered  Amherst  College  in  1845,  graduated  in 
1849.  Among  his  classmates  were  Rev.  Charles  Hartwell, 
now  veteran  missionary  in  China,  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  Lobdell, 
who  sleeps  near  the  banks  of  the  Tigris,  and  the  present  Presi- 
dent of  Amherst  College,  Rev.  Dr.  Julius  H.  Seelye.  The 
same  year,  1849,  he  entered  the  East  Windsor  Theological 
Seminary,  now  located  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  graduated  in 
1852.  His  seminary  vacations  were  spent  so  successfully  in 
colporteur  work,  among  the  "  hill-country "  of  his  native 
State,  that  the  American  Tract  Society  gave  him  at  once  an 
appointment  as  General  Agent  of  the  State  of  Indiana. 

He  had  been  licensed  by  the  Hartford  Association 
of  Congregational  ministers  in  the  spring  of  185 1,  and  he 
was  ordained  by  a  council  of  Congregational  ministers  in 
Chicopee,  Mass.,  Sept.  16,  1852.  Rev.  Dr.  Nahum  Gale, 
preaching  the  sermon. 

He  accepted  the  appointment  of  the  Am.  Tr,  Society,  and 
spent  the  next  year  in  Indiana,  with  headquarters  at  Indian- 
apolis. In  the  summer  of  1853  he  accepted  a  call  to  the 
Centre  church,  Crawfordsville,  Ind.,  and  was  installed  their 
pastor.     Here  he  remained  four  years,  and  then  accepted  a 


FRIEND    A.  DEMING.  5^^ 

call  to  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Danville,  111.,  where  he 
also  remained  four  years.  From  thence  he  removed  to  the 
Second  Presbyterian  church  of  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  which  he 
supplied  two  years,  and  then  came  to  the  Presbyterian  church 
in  Attica,  Ind,  At  the  close  of  the  second  year  in  Attica, 
he  was  takenalarmingly  ill  of  jaundice,  followed  by  malarial 
fever.  As  he  partially  recovered,  change  of  climate  was 
recommended  by  his  physician,  and  in  1866  he  returned  to 
New  England.  For  a  few  months  he  supplied  different 
churches,  but  he  was  prostrated  again  in  the  autumn  of  the 
same  year  by  a  violent  attack  of  congestion  of  the  brain. 
Repeated  attacks  have  followed  and  he  has  been  ever  since 
a  confined  invalid,  unable  to  preach  or  to  perform  any  con- 
tinuous mental  labor.  This  prostration  of  body  and  mind 
was  probably  occasioned  by  over  work  in  the  malarial  climate 
of  the  Wabash  Valley.  Since  that  time  he  has  resided  in 
Chicopee,  Miss.  In  addition  to  his  regular  pas- 

toral labors,  he  performed  a  great  deal  of  missionary  work, 
preaching  to  destitute  churches  in  the  country  and  assisting 
other  pastors  in  times  of  revival.  His  ministry  has  been 
fruitful  and  happy.  "  Permitted  to  preach  the  gospel  fourteen 
years."  is  his  own   record    of  his    life.  He  was 

married  at  the  time  of  his  ordination,  Sep.  16,  1852,  to  Clara 
E,  Skeele,  of  Chicopee,  Mass.,  a  descendant  of  Gov,  John 
Carver  and  John  Hovvland,  two  of  the  heroes  "  Who  in  the 
INIayflower's  cabin  signed  the  first  New  England  charter." 
Their  children  are  four;  William  Kimberly,  born  in  Craw- 
fordsville,  Ind.,  March  19,  1856;  Charles  Skeele,  born  in  Dan- 
ville, 111.,  Aug.  4,  1858;  Clara  Francis,  born  in  Danville,  111., 
Feb.  24,  1861;  Francis  Leseure,  born  in  Fort  Wayne,  Ind,, 
Aug.  28,  1863. 


Friend  Absalom  Deming. — Auto-biographical. — I  was 
born  in  Washington,  Berkshire  county,  Mass.,  on  the 
4th  of  May,  1813.  I  am  a  Puritan  of  the  Puritans.  On  my 
father's  side  I  can  trace  my  ancestry  back  to  the  traditional 
"three  brothers,"  who  came,  not  exactly  in  the  "May- 
flower," but  at  a  very  early  day,  to  the  colony  of  Massachu- 
setts. But,  liistorically,  I  can  go  no  further  back  than  a  Mr. 
Jonathan,  or  John  Deming,  who  seems  to  have  been  a  right- 
hand  man  of  Dr.  Hooker  in  the  settlement  of  Hartford  and 
Wethersfield,  Ct,  about  the  year  1635.  On  the 


502  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN     ILLINOIS. 

female  side  of  the  Deming  line,   I  can  trace  my   lineage   tO' 
George  William  Bradford,  who  came  in  the  "  Mayflower." 

On  the  maternal  side  I  can  trace  my  ancestry 
back,  in  a  direct  line,  to  one  Anthony  Eames,  of  whom  his- 
tory speaks  as  engaged  in  a  fierce  contest,  at  Hingham,  Mass., 
about  1640,  in  regard  to  some  disputed  military  title. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  "religious  belief"  of  my 
ancestry  must  have  been  of  the  Puritan  type,  as  no  other  was 
tolerated  in  Massachusetts  at  that  early  day.  I  think  I  may 
fairly  claim  to  be  of  pure  English  extraction,  both  on  my 
father's  and  mother's  side.  But  from  the  statement  made  in 
Savage's  Biographical  Dictionary,  that  "Eames"  (my  moth- 
er's paternal  name),  was  originally  from  Exmes,  in  Orme, 
Normandy,  France,  and  was  pronounced  "Ames,"  it  is  sup- 
posed that,  on  my  mother's  side,  I  am  of  French  extraction, 
and  that  the  family  name  was  deriv^ed  from  the  place  from 
which  they  emigrated,  first  to  England,  and  then  to  Neiv 
England.  To    resume    my    personal  history,    I 

graduated  at  Union  College  in  1837,  at  New  Haven  Theolog- 
ical Seminary  in  1840.  In  the  spring  of  1840  I 
spent  a  few  months  with  a  little  church  in  Atkinson,  N.  H. 
But  after  graduating  in  August,  1840,  I  came  directly  to 
Ohio,  and  commenced  laboring,  as  opportunity  presented, 
among  the  missionary  churches  on  the  "  Western  Reserve." 
In  June,  185 1,  I  was  ordained  by  the  Grand  River  Presby- 
tery over  a  little  church  in  Rome,  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio. 
With  this  church  I  labored  till  August,  1844,  when  I  com- 
menced labor  with  the  Congregational-Presbyterian  church 
in  Freedom,  Portage  county,  Ohio.  Here  I  remained  till 
1852,  when  I  removed  to  Berlin  Heights,  Erie  county,  Ohio, 
and  spent  several  years  in  connection  with  the  church  at  that 
place.  In  1858  I  removed  to  Edgar  county.  Ills.;  and  here 
first  came  on  to  the  field  of  your  historical  enquiry,  in  con- 
nection with  the  church  at  New  Providence.  In  1862  I  re- 
moved to  Mattoon,  Coles  county,  and  commenced  laboring 
with  a  recently  formed  church  in  that,  then,  new  railroad 
town.  This  formed  my  last  pastoral  charge.  Since  my  la- 
bors closed  there,  they  have  not  been  confined  to  any  one 
church,  but  I  have  endeavored  to  embrace  opportunities  as 
they  have  presented  themselves  in  laboring  for  the  Master. 
As  to  my  notions  in  entering  the  ministry,  I  may 
say  that  I  truly  hoped  to  be  able  to  accomplish  more  for  God: 
and  humanity  than  I  could  in  any  other  sphere  of  labor. 


J.IATTOON  CHURCHES.  5O3 

Whether  such  has  been  the  result  is  known  only  to  Him 
who  seeth  the  end  from  the  beginning.  And  though,  in 
answer  to  your  last  question,  I  cannot  say  that  anything  start- 
ling, or  of  very  special  interest,  has  broken  in  upon  the  even 
tenor  of  my  day,  I  may,  yet,  say  that  my  labors  have  not 
been  wholly  barren  of  good  results.  In  every  field  I  have  occu- 
pied, I  have  been  able  to  gather  some  sheaves  into  the  garner 
of  the  Lord.  My  labors  have  all  been  bestowed  on  mission- 
ary fields.  In  two  of  them  I  have  aided  in  building  pleasant 
and  comfortable  parsonages ;  and  in  two  others,  in  replacing 
old  and  dilapidated  houses  with  new,  beautiful  and  commo- 
dious places  of  worship.  February,  1843,  ^  was 
married  to  Mary  I.,  the  youngest  daughter  of  Deacon  E. 
Chester,  of  Rome,  Ohio.  We  have  had  four  children,  all  of 
whom  are  still  living,  members  of  the  church,  and,  in  some 
good  degree,  acting  well  their  part  in  their  several  stations 
and  relations  in  life.  The  eldest,  Sarah  E.,  was  born  June, 
1844;  married  to  D.  T.  Mclntyre,  an  attorney  at  law  in  Mat- 
toon,  111.,  where  she  is  still  living.  Halbert  H.,  born  in 
August,  1845,  is  a  practising  physician  in  Pana,  111.  Cor- 
delia P.,  born  in  March,  1847;  married  a  D.  D.,  and  is  hap- 
pily settled  in  Northfield,  Minn.  Mary  M.,  born  December, 
1848;  married  an  M.  D.,  and  is  settled  in  Shelby ville,  111. 

The  above  comprises,  I  think  a  brief  answer  to  the 
queries  propounded  in  your  circular.  To  this,  I  don't  know 
that  I  could  add  anything  that  would  be  of  any  particular 
interest  to  the  public,  or  worthy  of  a  place  in  your  book,  and 
will  therefore  not  trespass  upon  your  space. 


The  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Mattoon,  Coles 
county,  was  organized  by  Revs.  A.  T.  Norton  and  Enoch 
Kingsbury,  in  the  Baptist  church  edifice,  June  27,  1858,  with 
the  following  ten  members  :  Matthew  Wilson,  Mrs.  Alargaret 
Wilson,  James  Bickley,  Mrs.  Maria  Bickley,  Mrs.  Mary  Wil- 
liams, Wm.  C.  Cunningham,  Mrs.  Fanny  Cunningham,  Park 
P.  Francis,  Mrs.  Jennie  Moore,  Francis  and  Mrs.  Cordelia  E. 
Gill.  Mrs.  Cunningham,  who  had  been  a  Catholic,  united 
by  profession  and  was  baptized.  Elders  :  William  C.  Cun- 
ningham. Elders  since  appointed:  G.  W.  Horn,  J.  Sawyer, 
Ichabod  Jennings,  A.  C.  Ewing,  H.  I.  Treat,  John  O.  Mc- 
Clelland. Ministers:  Enoch  Kingsbury,  J.  P.  Stryker,  J. 
S.  Edwards,  1860-62;  Friend  A.  Deming,  1862,  the  first  resi- 


504  PRESBYTERIAXISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

dent  minister;  J.  Lewis  Jones,  1867,  one  year;  John  Kidd, 
1868-70,  X.  S.  Dickey,  Jan.  i,  1871.  The  church 

edifice  was  dedicated  Aug.  7,  1864.  Previous  to  this,  they 
had  no  settled  place  of  worship,  to  the  great  detriment  of 
the   congregation.  The  whole   number  ever  in 

connection  with  this  First  church  of  INIattoon  was  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-nine,  at  the  time  of  the  union  of  the 
churches,  Dec.  26,  1871,  'Sir.  Dickey  would  not  allow  his 
name  to  be  used  as  a  candidate  for  the  pulpit. 


The  Second,  or-G.  S.  Church  of  Mattoon,  was  organ- 
ized by  a  committee  of  Palestine  Presbytery,  I\Iay  27,  i860, 
with  these  members :  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Bridges,  Mrs.  Martha 
M.  Bishop,  Mrs.  Betty  Johnson,  W.  E.  Smith,  John  A.  For- 
line,  David  Forline,  Mrs.  Betty  Dora,  Roe  M.  Bridges,  Mrs. 
Rebecca  Boyd,  Miss  Frances  A.  Boyd,  Miss  Orpha  E.  Boyd, 
James  Boyd,  D.  T.  Mclntyre,  Miss  Cynthia  Van  Zandt,  Rob- 
ert Campbell,  Mrs.  Robert  Campbell,  IMrs.  Margaret  Keely, 
^Irs.  :\Iartha  A.  Smith,  :Mrs.  :\Iartha  J.  Van  Zandt  and  Mrs. 
Mary  E.  Boyd.  Elder  :  W.  E.  Smith.  Elders  since  :  Edie 
Stewart,  Wm.  Millar,  Alpheus  Hasbrouck,  Edwin  W.  Vause, 
Sanford  Williams.  Ministers  :  J.  W.  Allison,  Alfred  Hamil- 
tton,  D.  D.,  1863-66;  J.  E.  Lapsley,  Oct.  6,  1866,  April  3, 
1870;  W.  B.  Noble,  June,  1871.  The  house  of  worship  was 
erected  about  1864,  and  cost  $3,000.  The  whole  number  of 
members  connected  with  this  church,  previous  to  the  union, 
was  two  hundred  and  eighty-nine.  At  the  time  of  the  union 
there  were  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  resident  and  thirty- 
five  non-resident  members.  The  union  of  the  two 
churches  was  effected  by  the  Mattoon  Presbytery,  Dec.  25, 
1871.  Theirfirst  Sabbath  service  was  on  Dec.  31,  1871.  Ses- 
sion at  that  time,  Rev.  W.  B.  Noble,  and  Elders  Wm.  Millar, 
W.  C.  Cunningham,  Alex.  E.  Ewing,  Edwin  W.  Vause  and 
Daniel  C.  Wykoff.  During  January,  1S72,  services  were  held 
alternately  in  the  two  houses,  the  one  east,  and  the  other 
west  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  The  parsonage  was 
erected  in  1872,  and  cost  $,2500. 

Ministers  of  the  united  church  :  W.  B.  Noble,  till  April, 
1872;  D.  W.  Moore,  Oct.,  to  Nov.,  1872;  H.  W.  W^oods, 
supply  pastor,  Dec,  1872,  May,  1873,  instahed  May  6,  1873; 
dismissed  in  April  of  1875.  J.  L.  McNair  commenced  June 
13,  1875,  was  installed  pastor  and  still  remains.     The  church 


JOHN    HUSTON.  505 

<on  the  east  side  was  sold  for  $2,500  to  the  Congregational- 
ists,  and  the  money  used  to  pay  the  debts  on  the  parsonage, 
and  for  improvements  on  the  west-side  church.  In  1S74, 
there  was  an  interesting  revival.  Xinety-three  were  received 
to  the  church,  forty-nine  of  them  by  profession,  the  others 
by  letters.  This  accession  includes  the  whole  year  from 
April,  1873,  to  April,  1S74.  Number  now  in  communion, 
two  hundred  and  seventy-seven. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  at  Charleston,  April  i, 
1858.  John  Huston,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Sidney,  and  Ellis 
D.  Howell,  from  the  Presbyter}'  of  Oxford,  were  received. 
Xeoga  and  Olney  churches  were  received  R.  A.  Mitchell, 
minister,  and  James  M.  Miller,  elder,  were  appointed  to 
attend  the  next  Assembly.  R.  A.  Mitchell  was  installed 
pastor  of  the  Charleston  church,  April  3.  Charles  P.  Spin- 
ning: was  licensed. 


John  Huston  was  born  Nov.  16,  18 16,  in  Ohio.  He  was 
licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Chillicothe,  in  the  fall  of  1845, 
and  in  1847  ^^'^^  ordained  pastor  of  Indian  Creek  church, 
Logansport  Presbytery.  His  early  training  was  not  religous, 
neither  of  his  parents  being  pious,  though  their  influence 
was  in  favor  of  morality  and  Christianity  In  after  years  his 
mother  became  a  Christian.  His  academical  education  was 
acquired  mainly  by  private  study.  For  a  time  he  attended 
school  at  Circleville,  Ohio.  His  theological  training  was 
mainly  under  the  direction  of  Rev.  Samuel  Carothers,  D.  D., 
of  Greenfield.  Ohio,  and  Rev.  Hugh  S.  Fullerton,  of  South 
Salem,  same  State.  But  he  was  truly  self-educated.  His 
thirst  for  knowledge  was  such  that  after  making  respectable 
attainments  in  Latin,  Greek  and  Hebrew,  he  attempted  the 
master}'  of  the  S\-riac  and  Chaldee  languages.  He 

labored  in  Carmi,  White  count}*,  111.,  two  and  an  half  years, 
commencing  in  1865.  Subsequent!}-  he  was  at  ]\IcLeans- 
boro,  Tamaroa,  Moro  and  Upper  Alton,  111.,  and  is  now  in 
Albany,  Mo. 


Ellis  D.  Howell  was  born  near  Bala.  North  Wales,  Sept. 
j6,    1S07.      His    ancestors   were    Welsh  Congregationalists. 


506  PRESBYTERIANISM  Ix\  ILLINOIS. 

He  was  educated  principally  in  Wales  ;  came  to  England  ;  ^ 
his  youth  and  engaged  in  business  in  Sheffield.  The  dai- 
and  place  of  his  license  are  not  known  to  the  writer.  He- 
labored  some  years  in  the  ministry  in  the  vicinity  of  Sheffield^ 
England,  and  came  to  America  in  the  summer  of  1844.  He 
supplied  the  Welch  Congregational  church  of  Paddy's  Run,. 
Butler  county,  O.,  for  one  year.  Then  took  charge  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  of  Reily,  O.  Here  he  remained  until 
the  spring  of  1857  when  he  came  to  Marshall,  Clark  county, 
III.,  and  took  charge  of  Marshall,  Walnut  Prairie  and  York 
churches.  Here  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1867,  when 
he  removed  to  Milton  Station,  Coles  county.  111.,  and  had 
charge  of  Milton,  Pleasant  Prairie,  o.  s.,  Kaskaskia  and  Hick- 
ory Grove  churches.  He  remained  in  Milton — now  Hum- 
boldt— until  the  spring  of  1 876,  when  he  was  invited  to  go 
back  to  his  former  charge  at  Reily,  Butler  county,  O.,  where 
he  now  is  (1879).  He  was  ordained  at  Reily,  O., 

1846.  He   was  married    June    i,    1833,  to   Miss 

Mary  Ann  Lindley,  of  Sheffield,  Eng.  She  died  Nov.  18, 
1874.  He  was  married  the  second  time  May,  1877,  to  Mrs. 
Mary  Ann  Wehr,  of  Franklin  county,  Ind.  There 

are  three  children,  viz.:  George  David,  born  April  7,  1834; 
Mary  H. — now  wife  of  Rev.  J.  W.  Allison — born  July  19, 
1836,  and  Ellis  L.,  born  Jan.  i,  1852. 


Neoga  Church,  old  school,  was  organized  by  Rev.  John 
McDonald  and  Elders  I.  J.  Monfort  and  David  Dryden, 
Committee  of  Palestine  Presbytery,  November,  1857,  with 
these  thirteen  members:  James  Wilson,  Mrs.  Ann  Wilson, 
Joseph  Gibson,  Mrs.  Maria  J.  Gibson,  Sarah  C.  Greene,  John 
H.  IMcQuown,  Robert  M.  Hunter,  Mrs.  Sarah  Hunter,  Sam- 
uel Dryden,  Jonathan  Dryden,  Nancy  Dryden,  Andrew  Gray, 
and  Mrs.  Mary  Gray.  Elders:  Dr.  J.  H.  McQuown,  Jo- 
seph Gibson.  The  Ministers  were  John  E.  Elliott,  David 
McFarland  and  Nathaniel  Williams.  This  church  had  in- 
creased during  the  nine  years  of  its  existence,  so  that 
there  were  on  its  roll  in  1866  about  forty-eight  names.  June 
23,  1866,  the  two  churches  of  Long  Point,  n.  s.,  and  Neoga, 
o.  s.,  effected  an  organic  union.  The  elders  of  both  churches 
resigned.  The  church  then  voted  to  connect  with  Wabash 
Presbytery.  The  elders  of  both  the  old  churches  were  then 
elected,    viz. :   John  G.    Morrison,    Edie    Stewart,    Alex.    B. 


OLNEY    CHURCH.  $0/ 

Ewing,  William  Clark,  Joseph  Gibson,  John  R.  ^litchell  and 
James  Ewing.  Rev.  John  B.  Brandt  was  chosen  minister. 
He  remained  until  Oct.,  1867.  Rev.  Wm.  B.  Fans  succeeded 
in  Dec,  1868,  and  remained  until  his  death,  Nov,  4  1871. 
Dec.  28,  1871,  Rev.  N.  S.  Dickey  was  engaged  for  one  year. 
Dec.  31,  1872,  Rev.  John  M.  Johnson  took  charge  as  pastor 
and  still  remains.  The  rotary  system  of  eldership  has  been 
adopted  by  this  church.  The  present  number  of  members 
is  one  hundred  and  fifty. 


Olxey  Presbyterian  Church,  Richland  county,  was  or- 
ganized January  8,  1858,  by  a  Committee  of  Palestine  Pres- 
bytery, with  these  members :  Mrs.  Mary  Knight,  Mrs.  Eliz- 
abeth Darhng,  Mrs.  Mary  McClure,  Mrs.  Milla  Burrell,  Mrs. 
Rebecca  A.  Wilson,  Mrs.  Harriet  N.  Crozier,  John  Boyd, 
James  Crozier,  ]\Irs.  Jane  Wilson,  John  Henderson,  Mrs. 
Jane  Henderson,  Miss  Mary  A.  Henderson.  Elder:  John 
Henderson.  Elders  since  chosen  :  George  W.  Cone,  D.  D. 
Marquis,  David  Smith,  John  L.  Campbell,  James  W.  Beck,. 
Harris  Haywood,  William  H.  Wallar,  L.  M.  Parker,  Dr.  Ely 
Bowyer,  Judge  J.  C.  Allen.  The  four  last  named  are  the 
present  Board.  Ministers:  John  Crozier;  Henry 

E.  Thomas,  pastor;  Archibald  H.  Sloat ;  Solomon  Cook;  R. 
J.  L.  Matthews,  pastor;  John  Stuart,  pastor,  began  June, 
1876,  and  still  continues.  The   church   building- 

was  completed  in  i860  and  cost  three  thousand  dollars.  The 
parsonage  was  built  in  1864  and  cost  thirteen  hundred  and 
sixty-five  dollars.  The  church  and  parsonage  are  on  the 
same  lot  and  are  together  worth  five  thousand  dollars.  In 
October,  1877,  there  was  still  a  debt  on  the  parsonage  of  four 
hundred    dollars.  There    is    a    Congregational 

church  in  this  place,  organized  in  1873,  the  fruit  of  a  quarrel. 

The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  at  Marshall,  Clark 
county,  September  16,  1858.  Hopewell  and  Tuscola  churches 
were  received.  The  name  of  Okaw  church  was  changed  ta 
Arcola.  Joseph  Piatt  and  S.  N.  Palmer  were  dismissed  to 
the  Presbytery  of  Crawfordsville. 

Tuscola  Church  was  organized  by  Revs.  R.  H.  Lilly  and 
H.  I.  Venable,  May  8,  1858,  with  sixteen    members.     Eld- 


508  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

ERS :  W.  H.  Randolph,  Silas  Miller  and  James  S.  Walling. 
Since  elected:  Samuel  Daggy,  Thomas  W.  Robinson,  Wil- 
liam C.  Bradley,  William  H.  Lamb,  Thomas  Owens,  Holland 
Griswold,  Noah  Amen,  William  B.  Ervin,  Samuel  Waddell. 
Ministers:  George  D.  Miller;  Edwin  Black,  from  1865  to 
1874,  pastor:  W.  H.  Prestley;  A.  W.  Ringland. 

The  church  building,  twenty-eight  by  forty-five,  was  dedi- 
cated second  Sabbath  in  January,  1865,  and  cost  ^2,000. 
Two  additions  have  since  been  made  at  a  cost  of  $1,400.  In 
March,  1874,  thirty-one  persons  were  received  by  examina- 
tion and  one  by  letter.  The  Second  Presbyter- 
ian church  was  organized  June  ii,  186S,  by  a  committee  of 
Palestine  Presbytery,  with  thirty-eight  members.  Elders  : 
Samuel  Waddell,  Thomas  W.  Robinson  and  Noah  Amen.  The 
First  and  Second  churches  of  Tuscola  were  combined  into 
one  in  1874,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Mattoon  to  which  both  be- 
longed. The  Session  of  the  two  churches  became  the  Session 
of  the  united  church.  There  have  been  in  all  about  four  hun- 
dred members  connected  with  these  Tuscola  churches. 
The  Second  church  never  possessed  a  regular  church  edifice. 
They  rented  part  of  the  time  a  hall  in  the  village.  Also 
worshiped  in  two  school  houses,  one  two  miles,  the  other 
three  and  one-half  miles  north  of  the  village.  Their  supply 
of  preaching  was  irregular.  Among  others  Revs.  John  G. 
Miller,  of  Neoga,  W.  W.  Williams  and  Ellis  Howell,  visited 
them  occasionally. 


Hopewell  Church  was  situated  three  and  a  half  or  four 
miles  northwest  of  Bridgeport.  It  was  organized  by  Revs. 
John  Crozier  and  John  B.  Saye,  May  15,  1858,  with  sixteen 
members.  James  Martin,  elder.  Other  elders  were  Alex. 
Bell  and  John  A.  Newell.  It  had  a  log  building  for  a  place  of 
worship-  It  was  named  Hopezvell  at  the  suggestion  of  Mr. 
Crozier.  But  its  name  did  not  save  it.  It  has  mostly  been 
absorbed  by  the  Bridgeport  church.  It  at  one  time  had 
forty-six  members.  But  in  1867  its  name  had  disappeared 
from  the  minutes, 


Presbytery  of  Sangamon  met  at  Jacksonville,  April  3, 
1858.  Robert  S.  Finley,  from  the  Presbyter}^  of  Elizabeth- 
town,  and  Samuel  Lynn,  from   the   Presbytery  of  Ebenezer, 


SAMUEL    K.  SNEED.  509- 

were  received.  A  special  meeting  was  held  at  Springfield, 
May  13,  at  which  C.  P.  Jennings  was  received  from  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Iowa  and  installed  pastor  of  the  third  church 
of  that  city.  Serious  difficulty  had  arisen  in  the  Portuguese 
Church  in  Springfield  about  the  validity,  or  non-validity,  of 
Romish  baptism.  The  pastor,  Antonio  De  Mattos,  had  been 
baptized  in  the  Romish  Church,  held  his  baptism  to  be  valid 
and  refused  to  be  re-baptized.  Upon  the  general  question 
the  Church  and  congregation  were  pretty  evenly  divided. 
Presbytery  cut  the  Gordiaa  knot  by  dissolving  the  pastoral 
relation.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  with  North 

Sangamon  church,  September  14.  T.  M.  Oviatt  was  received 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Iowa. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Rich  view,  April  8, 
1858.  Thomas  Lippincott,  from  the  Presbytery  of  lUinois, 
Samuel  K.  Sneed,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Keokuk,  and  An- 
drew Luce,  from  that  of  Fort  Wayne,  were  receiv'ed.  Also 
the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Cairo.  Robert  Stewart 
and  A.  T,  Norton,  ministers,  and  L.  A.  Parks  and  Russell 
Tuthill,  elders,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assem- 
bly. H.  D.  Piatt  was  dismissed  to  the  Morgan  Conference, 
and  T.  B.  Hurlbut  to  the  General  Association  of  Illinois. 

At  a  called  meeting  held  in  Alton,  July  i,W.  W.  Wells,  was 
dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Ottawa;  A.  T.  Norton  was 
released  from  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Alton  church ;  Cor- 
nelius H.  Taylor  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Huron 
and  installed  pastor  of  the   Alton   church.  The 

fall  session  was  held  at  Plainview,  commencing  October  2, 
George  C.  Wood  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Illinois, 
and  Gideon  C.  Clark  was  received  from  the  same  Presbytery. 
Provision  was  made  for  the  installation  of  Andrew  Luce,  pas- 
tor of  Belleville  church,  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  November 
next. 

Samuel  Kirby  Sneed. 

I  give  the  sketch  of  this  good  man  in  his  own  words,  penned  February  17,  1871. 

I  was  born  in  Kentucky,  just  back  of  Louisville,  January 
16,  1798.  I  went  to  school  in  Louisville  till  I  was  eighteen. 
I  entered  Yale  College  18 16,  and  was  graduated  1820.  In  1821 
I  went  to    Andover,  Mass.,  and    remained    one    year.     My 


510  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

health  faiHng,  I  came  home.  In  the  spring  of  1823  I  was 
taken  under  the  care  of  the  Louisv'ille  Presbytery,  when  it 
extended  indefinitely  west.  I  was  licensed  in  June,  1824, 
and  ordained  in  May,  1826.  I  spent  1S25  and  1826  as  an 
agent  for  Center  College,  Kentucky — first  going  to  New 
England,  and  then  through  Kentucky.  In  the  fall  of  1S26 
I  settled  as  a  pastor  with  the  churches  of  Springfield  and 
Lebanon  in  the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania.  I  remained 
with  them  three  years  during  the  precious  revivals  in  Ken- 
tucky. In  the  fall  of  1 830  I  accepted  a  commission  as  Super- 
intending agent  for^Sabbath  schools  in  Indiana,  when  the 
great  effort  was  made  to  plant  a  Sabbath  school  in  every 
neighborhood  in  the  great  valley.  I  traveled  very  exten- 
sively in  Indiana  in  the  winter  of  1831  and  1832.  I  was  in 
Louisiana  on  the  same  agency.  In    June,    1832, 

I  settled  as  pastor  in  New  Albany  and  remained  there  eleven 
years.  I  resigned  that  pastorate  in  1843.  ^  then  became 
agent  for  Wabash  College  at  Crawfordsville,  Ind.,  and  con- 
tinued in  1:hat  agency  two  and  one-half  years.  In  the  spring 
of  1846  I  took  charge  of  the  church  in  Evansville,  Ind.,  but 
my  health  utterly  failed,  and  in  184SI  resigned  again.  After 
spending  some  two  years  in  trying  to  get  well,  in  1 850  I 
again  took  the  agency  for  Wabash  College.  In  1852  I  went 
to  Keokuk,  Iowa,  as  pastor,  where  I  continued  two  and  a 
half  years.  In  1855  I  removed  to  Monticello  Seminary  and 
preached  there  four  months.  In  February,  1856,  I  became 
agent  for  Yellow  Springs  College  in  Iowa.  The  remainder 
of  that  year  and  most  of  1857  were  spent  in  the  service  of 
that  college.  I  joined  the  Alton  Presbytery,  April  9,  1858, 
and  took  charge  of  the  Brighton  church  for  one  year.  In 
December,  1858,  I  came  to  Missouri  and  joined  the  Presby- 
tery of  St.  Louis,  and  for  a  short  time  was  agent  for  Linden- 
wood  Female  College.  In  1859  and  1S60,  for  one  year,  I 
acted  as  Presbyterial  Missionary,  mostly  in  the  bounds  of 
St.  Louis  Presbytery.  The  war  broke  up  my  operations. 
Since  then  I  preached  one  year  to  that  portion  of  Bon 
Homme  church  which  remained  with  the  General  Assembly. 

For  the  past  twelve  years  my  home  has  been  at  Kirkwood, 
Mo.  And  now  I  am  an  old  man,  seventy-three  years  and 
one  month  old,  with  the  infirmities  of  age  upon  me,  broken 
down  in  health  and  unable  to  preach,  but  burning  with  desire 
to  do  so  and  praying  that  the  kingdom  of  God  may  come 
with  power.  Samuel  K.  Sneed. 

He  died  at  Kirkwood,  Mo.,  Aug.  30,  1876,  aged  78  years. 


ANDREW    LUCE.  5  I  I 

Andrew  Luce — Auto-biographical. — I  was  born  in  Lon- 
don, England,  September  lo,  1813.  What  literary  education 
I  received,  aside  from  home-study,  was  at  a  private  institu- 
tion in  London,  conducted  by  Rev.  Edward  P.  Turner,  M. 
A.,  of  Cambridge  Universit\-.  Studied  theolog}' 

tinder  the  direction  of  Rev.  Asa  F.  Clark,  Presbytery  of  Al- 
bany, N.  Y.,  and  Rev.  Joseph  Babcock,  Presbytery  of  Fort 
Wayne,  Ind.  Was  licensed  at  a  meeting  of  the  Presbytery 
of  Fort  Wayne,  held  in  the  Shiloh  church,  Wabash  county, 
Ind.,  April,  1845.  Was  ordained  in  the  same  year,  at  the 
fall  meeting  of  Presbytery,  held  in  the  Second  Presbyterian 
church  of  Fort  Wayne.  From  the  date  of  licensure  until 
July,  1857 — twelve  years — I  supplied  for  eighteen  months, 
the  First  church  of  Jay  county  ;  for  two  years,  a  missionary 
field  in  Wabash  county,  and  for  eight  years,  the  Presbyterian 
■church  of  Winchester,  Randolph  county.  In  July,  1857,  I 
accepted  a  call  from  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Belleville, 
St.  Clair  county,  111.;  was  installed  its  pastor  November, 
1858.  In  March,  1863,  the  war  having  so  diminished  the 
resources  of  the  church  as  to  cause  them  to  be  unable  to  raise 
the  sum  pledged  for  the  pastor's  support,  I  accepted  the 
office  of  chaplain  tendered  me  by  the  officers  of  the  24th 
regiment  of  Missouri  volunteers  (infantry),  and  served  in  that 
■capacity  until  the  regiment  was  mustered  out  of  service  in 
October,    1864.  I  removed  to   Carbondale  Janu- 

ary', 1865  ;  was  supply  pastor  of  the  church  at  that  place  un- 
til 1868,  when  I  became  missionary  and  superintendent  of 
schools  to  the  Grand  Tower  Railroad  and  Mining  Company. 
In  July,  1869, 1  became  supply  pastor  of  the  church  at  Rolla, 
Mo.,  but  declining  a  call  to  become  pastor,  returned  to  Car- 
bondale, October,  1872,  and  edited  a  weekly  newspaper  until 
July,  1875.  I  then  removed  to  Greenfield,  Greene  county; 
remained  there  as  supply  pastor  one  year.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1875.  I  returned  to  Indiana,  and  took  charge  of  the 
churches  of  Liberty,  Shiloh  and  La  Gro.  (The  latter  place 
is  my  residence.)  I  have  preached  for  two  years  to  the 
church  in  whose  house  I  was  licensed  thirty-three  years  ago. 
In  almost  all  my  congregations  I  find  some  of  the  hearers  of 
almost  my  first  attempts  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  Indiana. 

Andrew  Luce. 

He  married,  Jan.  17,  1844,  Caroline  E.  French,  daughter 
of  Enos  French,  of  West  Stockbridge,  Mass.  This  excel- 
lent lady  died  in  Rolla,  Mo.  A  married  daughter  resides  at 
Rolla,  Mo.,  and  another  at  Red  Bud,  111. 


512  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Cornelius  Hector  Taylor  was  born  in  Shelburn,  Vt.^. 
March  14,  1821,  and  died  February  25,  1875.  He  was  the 
son  of  Vernon  D.  Taylor,  who,  at  the  date  of  his  birth,  was 
engaged  in  business,  but  afterward  became  a  minister  of  the 
gospel,  and  labored  as  such  till  the  infirmities  of  age  laid  him 
aside. Even  in  boyhood,  the  son  became  the  companion, 
almost  the  counselor,  of  the  father.  In  his  youth  Cornelius 
had  a  business  training  and  experience  which  were  of  decided 
advantage  to  him  in  his  subsequent  life. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  or  twenty  he  resolved  on  a  liberal 
education.  He  prepared  for  college  at  Kalamazoo,  Michi- 
gan. In  Septembet",  1842,  he  entered  the  Freshman  class  in 
the  Western  Reserve  college.  He  was  graduated  in  1846, 
and  prosecuted  his  theological  studies  three  years  longer  at 
the  same  institution.  Then  he  supplied  the  pulpit  of  the 
church  in  Willoughby  one  year.  In  185 1  he  became  pastor 
at  Huron,  where  he  remained  till  1858.  This  church  he  found 
dependent  on  missionary  aid.  He  left  it  self-sustaining,  and 
with  a  neat,  commodious  house  of  worship,  which  is  a  monu- 
ment of  his  energy  and  discretion.  In  1858  he 
sought  a  change  of  field.  His  health  suffered  from  the  cli- 
mate at  Huron,  and  he  went  to  Alton,  111.  He  had  been  a 
leading  member  of  Huron  Presbytery  and  the  Western  Re- 
serve Synod.  He  became  a  foremost  man  in  Southern  Illi- 
nois, caring  for  many  feeble  churches  of  Alton  Presbytery. 
While  there  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was 
conferred  upon  him  by  the  authorities  of  Shurtleff  college. 

In  Alton  he  labored  ten  years,  and  established  a  name 
which  is  as  the  odor  of  precious  ointment.  The  people  of 
Huron  are  scarcely  yet  reconciled  to  his  departure  from  them. 
In  1868  he  became  pastor  of  the  Third  Presbyterian  church, 
Cincinnati,  and  continued  such  until  his  death,  at  his  resi- 
dence in  that  city,  February  25,  1875.  His  labors  there 
were  extremely  arduous,  but  attended  with  good  success. 
In  that  pastorate  of  seven  years  the  additions  to  the  church 
were  four  hundred  and  twenty-two — two  hundred  and  fifty- 
four  of  them  on  profession  of  their  faith.  His  funeral  ser- 
vices were  held  in  his  church  at  Cincinnati,  Sabbath,  Feb- 
ruary 28.  His  remains  were  then  taken  to  Alton,  111.,  the 
scene  of  his  last  previous  pastorate,  where,  after  appropriate 
services,  they  were  deposited  beside  those  of  his  son,  George 
Bellamy. 

Mr.  Taylor  married  Julia  A.  Edwards,  of  Southampton,. 


CAIRO    CHURCH.  513 

Mass.,  May  7,  1850,  a  lineal  descendant  of  Jonathan  Ed- 
wards. Their  children  are  Edwards  Cornelius,  born  June  8, 
1852;  Julia  King,  April  25,  1854;  George  Bellamy,  April  18, 
1856;  Frank  Livingston,  September  10,  1858;  Benj.  Kirk 
Hart,  August  13,  1864.     The  widow  resides  in  Alton. 

Dr.  Taylor  was  invited  in  1873  and  1874  to  the  church  of 
Hudson,  O.,  in  connection  with  a  professorship  of  philoso- 
phy in  Western  Reserve  college,  and  then  to  the  presidency 
of  the  college.  These  calls  gave  him  much  concern,  but  he 
did  not  see  his  way  clear  to  leave  Cincinnati.  He  also  re- 
ceived calls  to  Norwalk,  O.,  and  to  Quincy,  111.,  the  latter 
but  a  few  weeks  before  his  death.  As  a  public  speaker  he 
greatly  excelled. 


Cairo  Church.  On  the  first  Sabbath  in  January,  1855, 
the  house  of  worship  of  the  Cairo  Presbyterian  church  was 
dedicated,  Rev.  Robert  Stewart  preaching  the  sermon.  The 
means  for  its  erection  were  raised  mainly  from  abroad.  The 
first  five  hundred  dollars  were  secured  by  Rev.  A.  T.  Nor- 
ton in  St.  Louis.  Seventeen  hundred  and  sixty-two  dollars 
were  collected  by  Rev.  R.  Stewart  in  twenty-two  towns  and 
cities  in  Illinois.  Five  hundred  and  thirty-four  dollars  were 
secured  in  Cairo.  The  site  was  donated  by  the  Cairo  Com- 
pany. In  1858  the  rivers  broke  through  the  levee  and  laid 
Cairo  under  water.  In  the  church  the  water  rose  to  the  pulpit 
cushion,  but  spared  the  Bible  lying  upon  it.  It  cost  five  hun- 
dred dollars  to  repair  the  damages.  Since  then  the  church  has 
been  again  thoroughly  renovated,  a  fine  organ  placed  in  it, 
and  a  commodious  parsonage  erected  adjoining  the  church 
building.  A  sermon  was  preached  in  Cairo,  February  8, 
1852,  by  Rev.  Robert  Stewart  on  the  "Sam  Dale"  wharf 
boat.  Rev.  E.  B.  Olmsted  preached  in  the  evening  of  the 
same  day  in  the  dining  hall  of  the  hotel  on  the  point.  The 
church  organization  took  place  December  20,  1856,  with 
ten  members,  three  males  and  seven  females.  No  elders 
were  elected  at  that  time.  The  ministers  have  been  :  Rob- 
ert Stewart;  E.  B.  Olmsted;  A.  G.  Martin;  E.  Folsom; 
Charles  Kenmore ;  Robert  Stewart,  again ;  H.  P.  Roberts, 
in  1865.  Under  his  ministry  the  church  became  self-support- 
ing. Charles  H.  Foote,  installed  October  20,  1867,  and  B. 
Y.  George,  pastor,  who  still  continues.  Elders  :  E.  O.  Wil- 
cox, James  McFerran,  Walter   Hyslop,  D.   W.  Munn,  J.  B. 

32 


514  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Read  and  J.  M.  Lansden.  Since  1863  this  has  been  one  of 
the  most  interesting,  prosperous  and  efficient  churches  in  the 
Presbytery  of  Cairo.  Morally  and  religiously  speaking,  no 
greater  contrast  probably  is  to  be  seen  in  the  Christian 
world  than  between  the  Cairo  of  1852  and  the  Cairo  of  1879. 

The  following  statements  were  made  on  the  floor  of  Synod 
of  Illinois  South  at  Cairo  during  its  meeting  in  October, 
1875,  by  Rev.  David  Dimond,  D.  D.,  and  are  here  committed 
to  writing  at  the  desire  of  the  pastor  of  that  church  :  "Just 
thirty-one  years  ago,  then  a  licentiate,  I  was  passing  down  the 
Ohio  river  from  Pittsburg  on  my  first  journey  to  the  West. 
In  the  party  were  John  N.  Lewis,  D.  D.,  author  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Manual,  Rev.  Artemas  BuUard,  D.  D.,  pastor  in  St. 
Louis,  and  his  wife  and  four  children.  Saturday  night  over- 
took us  at  Cairo.  Though  we  had  paid  our  fare  to  St.  Louis, 
none  of  this  company  would  journey  on  the  Sabbath.  Cairo 
was  a  forlorn  looking  place  of  about  thirty  uninteresting 
houses,  and  some  traces  of  railroad  earth-works  raised  ten 
years  before.  An  old  steamer,  'The  Vicksburg,'  dismantled 
of  its  machinery,  lay  at  the  landing,  and  served  as  a  wharf- 
boat  and  hotel.  Here  we  spent  the  Sabbath.  Word  was 
sent  abroad  and  an  audience  of  about  fifty  gathered  on  the 
old  boat,  morning  and  night,  to  hear  the  gospel. 

"Such  was  a  Sabbath  spent  in  Cairo  in  1845.  In  the 
autumn  of  1854  I  casually  met  Rev.  A.  T.  Norton  on  the 
streets  of  St.  Louis.  Said  he  to  me,  *  We  are  building  a  church 
at  Cairo.  Robert  Stewart  will  have  charge.  I  am  here  so- 
liciting funds.'  I  took  Dr.  N.  to  my  friend  A.  V.,  not  a 
Christian,  but  a  large-minded  and  generous  man.  We  found 
him  at  home.  He  promptly  gave  twenty  dollars  in  gold. 
Showed  us  some  rare  objects  of  virtu  in  his  parlor,  and  we 
were  on  the  side-walk  again  in  fifteen  minutes.  Said  Dr.  N. 
to  me,  'This  has  been  a  pleasant  call  and  differs  from  an  in- 
terview I  had  yesterday.  I  called  on  Col.  J.  B.  Brandt,  at 
his  marble  mansion  on  Washington  avenue,  between  Third 
and  Fourth  streets.  He  heard  me  fully,  took  my  book  and 
wrote  twenty-five  dollars,  carefully  dried  the  ink  and  handed 
it  back.  Said  I  to  him,  "  Colonel,  you  are  known  to  be  a 
millionaire  and  attached  to  Presbyterianism.  If  you  send  me 
away  with  less  than  one  hundred  dollars,  you  will  destroy 
my  prospect  of  doing  anything  in  this  city,"  "Do  you 
think  so?"  responded  the  Colonel!  And  thus,  by  dint  of 
pressure  I  obtained  from  him  one  hundred  dollars.    It  was  thus. 


SYNOD    OF    ILLINOIS. 


D'D 


brethren,  that  the  house  where  Synod  meets  was  reared, 
and  of  Dr.  Norton  it  may  be  said,  as  it  was  of  the  builder  of 
the  great  cathedral,  Si  nioinwientum  quaeris?  Circtimspice. 
And  the  Doctor  may  also  reflect,  as  he  looks  over  this  city 
.and  this  Synod,  quae  regio  non  nostri  plena  laboris  ! 


Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Springfield,  October  7, 
1858.  Hardin  church  was  attached  to  Alton  Presbytery. 
The  Church  Extension  Committee  reported  that  they  had 
employed  Rev.  A.  T.  Norton  during  the  entire  year,  his  salary 
being  paid  by  a  i^w  individuals.  His  report  of  labors  was 
presented,  approved  and  his  appointment  continued. 

The  Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s.,  met  at  Peoria,  September 
13,  1858.  The  bounds  of  its  Presbyteries  were  re-arranged, 
and  two  new  Presbyteries — Hillsboro   and    Saline — erected. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

MEETINGS  OF  PRESBYTERIES  AND  SYNODS  FROM  1 859  TQ 
1 86 1,  INCLUDING  SKETCHES  OF  THE  CHURCHES  ORGANIZED 
AND  THE  MINISTERS  COMMENCING  THEIR  LABORS  HERE 
WITHIN  THE  PERIOD. 

Authorities:   Original  Records;  Auto-biographies;  Presbytery  Reporter. 
YEAR   1859. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  held  a  called  meeting  at 
Jacksonville,  commencing  February  22,  1859,  to  investigate 
difficulties  in  the  First  Presb3'terian  church  in  that  place. 
The  regular  spring  meeting  was  held  at  Carrollton  April  14. 
The  church  at  Maroa,  organized  by  Rev.  A.  T.  Norton,  Jan. 
30,  1859,  with  twenty-four  members,  was  received,  J.  G. 
Rankin,  minister,  and  Chester  Armstrong,  elder,  were  ap- 
pointed to  attend  the  Assembly.  Norman  A.  Prentiss  was 
licensed  April  16.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at 

Winchester,  beginning  September  15.  The  church  of  Green- 
field was  received.  C.  J.  Pitkin  was  dismissed  to  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Alton.  Geo.  C.  Wood  reported  service  through 
the  year  as  Presbyterial  missionary.  His  support — $800  and 
traveling  expenses — was  secured  by  special  collections,  indi- 
vidual donations,  and  subscriptions  in  the  churches  where 
his  labor  was  expended.  Adjourned  meetings  were  held  in 
October  and  December,  at  which  the  investigation  of  the 
difficulties  in  the  First  church  of  Jacksonville  was  continued. 
These  difficulties  increased  as  the  case  proceeded,  and  ulti- 
mated  in  a  judicial  trial,  which  was  not  decided  until  March 
9,  1S60.  It  excited  most  intense  interest  at  the  time,  greatly 
divided  public  opinion  in  Jacksonville  and  elsewhere,  and  is 
yet  too  recent,  although  twenty  years  in  the  past,  to  justify 
the  historian  in  recording  a  decided  opinion.  It  was  proba- 
bly, however,  one  of  those  cases  so  frequently  occurring 
among  good,  but  short-seeing  and  fallible  men,  in  which 
both  sides  were  right,  and  both  wrong.  Its  effects  remain, 
and  will  when  the  actors  are  all  laid  in  the  tomb. 


GREENFIELD    CHURCH.  5^7 

Greenfield  Church,  Green  County.  The  Presbyterian 
body  had  not  even  a  nominal  representative  in  this  place  till 
May  15,  1859,  when  Rev.  Geo.  C.  Wood  found  his  way  hither, 
gathered  up  the  scattered  elements  of  this  faith,  and  organ- 
ized them  into  what  is  known  as  The  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Greenfield.  The  number  of  members  was 
twelve,  viz  :  R.  E.  Wilder,  A.  T.  Wilder,  E.  M,  Gilmore, 
Mary  M.  Gilmore,  Hiram  B.  Ellis,  F.  A.  Ellis,  George  Mc- 
Chesney,  Hannah  L.  Gushing,  M.  F.  Spencer,  Mary  I.  Spen- 
ycer,  Robert  Harden,  Lucy  Harden,  Philip  S.  Moser  and 
Hashy  Moser.  R.  E.  Wilder  and  Hiram  B.  Ellis  were  elected 
elders.  For  a  brief  period  Mr.  Wood  ministered 

as  supply  pastor,  after  whom  Rev.  J.  R.  Armstrong  and  Rev. 
Morgan  L.  Wood,  with  other  more  transient  supplies,  with 
frequent  interruptions,  till  1870,  when  the  Rev.  M.  L.  Wood 
was  employed  as  supply  pastor,  and  continued  till  1875-  H. 
B.  Ellis  having  deceased  some  years  before,  George  Mc- 
Chesney  was  elected  elder  in  January,  1 871. 

Hitherto  the  church  had  held  their  public  services  in  the 
•Union  and  old  Baptist  churches.  This  year  they  accepted 
-an  invitation  of  Prof.  Wilder  to  hold  all  their  services  in  his 
■"  private  academy,"  which  they  did  for  some  three  years, 
when  they  removed  to  their  new  church,  partially  completed, 
•erected  the   year  before,  1872.  This   structure, 

since  finished,  is  a  commodious  brick  edifice,  located  in  the 
•center  of  town,  having  a  large  audience  room  above,  with  an 
inviting  room  below,  furnished  with  every  appliance  for  Sab- 
bath school  and  other  church  purposes,  the  whole  worth 
.some  ;^9,ooo.  May  19,  1873,  Charles  G.  Gray  was  added  to 
the  eldership,  thus  forming  the  trio  that  have  continued  to 
this  present,  1879.  On  the  retirement  of  the  Rev. 
Morgan  L.  Wood,  in  1875,  after  a  short  interregnum,  filled 
by  several  temporary  supplies.  Rev.  Andrew  Luce  was  em- 
ployed for  one  year.  Then  Rev.  Gideon  C.  Clark.  He  con- 
tinued till  April  of  the  present  year,  1879.  Thus, 
though  this  church  has  had  a  nominal  existence  of  just  twenty 
years,  its  active  life  is  embraced  within  the  brief  period  of 
eight.  During  its  history,  though  now  numbering  only  fifty 
members,  it  has  had  on  its  roll  eighty.  Its  Sabbath  school, 
from  very  small  beginnings,  was  declared  in  a  late  county 
Sabbath  school  convention  "the  banner  school"  of  the 
•county,  both  for  numbers  and  efficiency.  Its  weekly  prayer- 
.meetings,  both  general  and  female,  are  efficiently  maintained. 


5l8  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Though  financially  poor,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  with 
little  aid  from  outside  sources,  and  located  under  a  meridian 
where  genuine  Presbyterian  material  is  confessedly  a  scarce 
article,  it  has  attained  to  its  present  efficiency  and  prestige, 
mostly  through  the  unwearied  efforts  and  labors  of  its  pres- 
ent board  of  elders.  The  ministrations  of  its  pul- 
pit, while  not  brilliant  or  rhetorical,  have  been  sound  and 
faithful.  Its  whole  history  has  beeii  one  of  peace — only  one 
case  of  discipline  having  occurred  to  cause  friction — thus  in- 
dicating the  efficiency  of  the  Presbyterian  polity.  Having  no 
rival,  and  situated  in  at  own  of  1,500  inhabitants,  it  presents 
a  field  for  usefulness  second  to  but  few  others. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Chester.  April  8, 
1859.  Georgetown  church  was  received.  D.  A.  Wallace 
was  elected  stated  clerk ;  B.  H,  Charles,  minister,  and  Rob- 
ert Douglas,  elder,  were  chosen  commissioners  to  the  Assem- 
bly; Daniel  Steele  was  dismissed  to  the  United  Presbyte- 
rian church.  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis.  The  fall 
meeting  was  held  at  Trenton,  October  7.  F.  H.  L.  Laird,, 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Potosi,  and  William  H.  Templeton, 
from  the  Presbytery  of  the  Creek  Nation,  were  received.  B. 
H.  Charles  was  installed  over  Chester  church,  April  11. 


Georgetown  Church,  Randolph  county,  was  organized 
by  a  committee  of  Kaskaskia  Presbytery  January  22,  1859, 
with  these  eleven  members  :  James  Brown,  Sr.,  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth K.  Brown,  Miss  Amanda  Brown,  Miss  Ann  Eliza  Brown, 
James  Brown,  Jr.,  Alfred  A.  Brown,  Samuel  N.  Brown,  Mrs. 
Frances  K,  Whitford,  Mrs.  Anna  Mathews,  Mrs.  Anna  C. 
Parker,  George  Gordon.  Elder:  James  Brown,  Sr.  Elders 
since  appointed:  Robert  Cunningham,  March  i,  i860,  from 
Lively's  Prairie  church;  A.  A.  Brown  and  R.  G.  Reynolds, 
May  12,  1866;  J.  L.  Mann  and  James  A.  Reynolds,  March, 
1873;  John  Morrison,  John  H.  Barber,  James  M.  Malone,. 
February  15,  1875.  Ministers:  John  Mathews,  about  once 
a  month  during  his  residence  in  the  place  ;  Wm.  H.  Temple- 
ton,  from  June,  1867,  to  June,  1869  ;  A.  J.  Clark,  from  April 
to  October,  1875  ;  J.  W.  Cecil,  October,  1875,  to  March, 
1876;  James  Scott  Davis,  June,  1876,  to  June,  1878.  No 
regular    preaching    since.      The    name    of   the    church  was 


FRANCIS    H.  L.    LAIRD.  519 

changed  from  Georgetown  to  Steele's  Mills  in  April,  1875. 
The  organization  took  place  in  the  old  Baptist  house,  which 
stood  on  the  site  of  their  present  edifice.  Services  were  held 
mostly  in  the  old  Baptist  church,  but  sometimes  in  a  store- 
house on  the  Alma  side  of  the  town,  and  occasionally  at  the 
railroad  depot.  The  site  for  the  present  and  only  church  ed- 
ifice owned  by  the  congregation  was  given  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
W.  F.  Stinder.  The  building  was  erected  in  1875,  and  cost 
;^5,ooo.  The  corner-stone  was  laid  July  17,  1875,  and  the 
edifice  completed  December  i,  of  the  same  year. 


WiLLiAiM  H.  Templeton  was  born  in  Pennsylvania ;  grad- 
uated at  Washington  college,  Penn.,  in  1845  ;  studied  theol- 
ogy at  Princeton.  Was  a  missionary  to  the  Creek  Indians 
in  Arkansas  several  years.  In  this  State  he  has  labored  in 
the  southwest  part  of  Randolph  county,  with  the  church  of 
Galum,  in  Perry  county,  where  his  residence  is,  with  Oak 
Grove  church,  in  Wasliington  county,  and  is  now  occupying 
his  old  field  in  Randolph. 


Francis  H.  L.  Laird.  He  shall  tell  his  own  story.  I 
was  born  January  21,  1802,  less  than  a  mile  from  Raccoon 
church,  Washington  county.  Pa.  My  father,  James  L., 
was  a  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterian — had  four  sons — James, 
Episcopal  minister;  John,  a  lawyer;  Robert  M.,  Presbyte- 
rian minister,  and  myself  His  daughter,  Rebecca, 
was  consort  of  Rev.  C.  Vallandigham,  and  Eleanor,  consort 
of  S.  S.  Henry.  I  attended  Washington  College,  also  Jef- 
ferson College,  and  closed  at  the  Western  University,  Pitts- 
burg. November  9,  1828,  was  ordained  deacon 
in  St.  John's  church,  Norristown,  Pa.,  by  Bishop  H.  U.  On- 
derdonk,  D.  D.,  and  received  Priest's  Orders  from  him  in 
Trinity  church,  Pittsburg,  1829.  April,  1852,  I  was  received 
into  Louisville  Presbytery;  removed  to  Corydon,  Ind. ;  be- 
came supply  pastor  to  the  church,  and  taught  the  public 
school.  During  the  first  year  I  taught  the  Shorter  Cate- 
chism to  thirty  children,  who  met  me  in  the  church  on  Sat- 
urdays. The  second  year,  the  Rev.  John  Wallace  having 
left  Ebenezer  and  Rehoboth,  I  rode  thirty  miles  and 
preached  three  times  each  Sabbath.  In  1854  I  became  sup- 
ply pastor  to  the  First  church,  Bloomington,    Ind.      During 


520  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS, 

the  year  twenty  were  added  by  examination  and  twelve  were 
recovered  to  duty  at  Vandalia,  where  I  preached  once  a 
month  on  Saturdays  and  Sabbaths.  In  1855  I  left  Bloom- 
ington  and  served  different  missionary  stations  at  Auburn 
and  Potosi,  Mo.,  and  elsewhere  until  December,  1858,  when 
I  became  teacher  of  the  public  school  and  and  supply  pas- 
tor of  the  church  in  Carlyle,  111.,  and  afterwards  pastor. 
During  the  three  and  a  half  years  while  there,  the  church 
was  repaired,  and  a  bell  purchased,  with  funds  I  collected 
chiefly  in  my  native  place,  Raccoon,  to  which  I  made  a 
hasty  visit.  April,  1862,  became  supply  to  Moro  church, 
which  a  severe  attack  of  rheumatism  obliged  me  to  resign  in 
1863.  I  removed  to  Upper  Alton,  April,  1864.  Since  which 
I  have  been  able  to  preach  but  a  few  times,  in  consequence 
of  the  rheumatism  and  nasal  catarrh.  The  latter  still  injuri- 
ously affects  my  speech  and  hearing.  So  long  as  I  was 
able,  I  preached  three  times  almost  every  Sabbath  and  never 
rode  less  than  five  miles  to  the  afternoon  appointment. 

July  15,  1828,  the  Rev.  John  H.  Hopkins,  rector  of  Trin- 
ity church,  Pittsburg,  married  me  to  Miss  Sarah  McFarland, 
of  Montours  congregation,  near  Pittsburg.  Only  three 
children  of  our  ten  are  now  on  earth,  viz. :  Adehne  Rebecca 
Dorsey,  Anne  Elizabeth  Pallies  and  William  White  Laird. 
Three  sons  volunteered  to  suppress  the  rebellion.  My  third 
son  died,  October,  1862,  of  chronic  diarrhea  at  U.  S.  Hos- 
pital, Mound  City.  In  1863  I  brought  his  remains  to  Moro, 
opened  the  coffin  and  painfully  found  that  he  had  been 
buried  alive !  My  oldest  son  was  killed  and  stripped  by  the 
rebels  at  Memphis,  November,  1864.  My  second  son  was 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  Corinth,  Miss.,  and  after  having 
served  more  than  three  years  was  honorably  discharged,  re- 
turned and  died  here,  December  4,  1866.  Three  daughters 
died  within  the  last  few  years.  My  dear  wife  died  November 
I,  1868. 


The  Presbytery  of  Wabash  met  with  the  New  Prov- 
idence church,  April  21,  1859.  Charles  H.  Palmer  was  dis- 
missed to  the  Presbytery  of  Bloomington,  Friend  A.  Dem- 
ino-,  minister,  and  J.  G.  Morrison,  elder,  were  appointed  Com- 
missioners to  the  Assembly.  The  fall  session  was 
held  at  Danville,  commencing  October  5.  Unity  church 
was  received. 


JAMES    W.  ALLISON.  521 

Unity  Church  was  organized  by  Rev.  Samuel  Ward  in 
the  fall  of  1859.  It  was  in  Shelby  county,  T.  10  N.,  R.  6 
'E.  Its  elders  were  D.  D.  Cadwell  and  Thomas  McMellen. 
It  was  soon  disbanded. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  at  Palestine,  Craw- 
ford county,  April  14,  1859.  Allan  McFarland  was  received 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Whitewater,  and  on  the  15th  installed 
pastor  of  the  Palestine  church.  J.  A.  Steele,  minister,  and 
David  Dryden,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  Assem- 
bly. Wakefield  and  Kansas  churches  were  received.  Ste- 
phen J.  Bovell  was  licensed.  The  fall  meeting 
was  held  at  Grandview,  October  lO.  John  Elliott,  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Chicago,  and  Henry  T,  Morton,  licentiate,  from 
the  Presbytery  of  Vincennes,  were  received.  On  the  iith 
inst.  James  W.  Allison  and  Henry  T.  Morton  were  ordained, 
sine  tihilo. 


Allan  McFarland  was  born  in  the  State  of  New  York ; 
graduated  at  Union  College  1849;  studied  theology  at  Prince- 
ton; ordained  at  Penfield,  N.  J.,  April,  1853;  supply  pastor 
at  Brookfield,  Ind.,  1864;  pastor  at  Palestine  and  Beck- 
with  Prairie  from  1858  to  1868,  but  was  absent  two  years  of 
the  time  as  chaplain  in  the  army ;  preached  at  Farm- 
ington.  111.,  several  years  subsequent  to  1870,  and  is  now — 
1879 — at  Flora,  Clay,  county,  111.  He  is  a  brother  greatly 
useful  and  greatly  beloved. 


James  W.  Allison  was  born  in  Augusta  county,  Va., 
May  23,  1828.  His  ance-Jtors  were  Scotch-Irish  Presbyte- 
rians. He  came  with  his  parents  to  Edgar  county.  III.,  in 
November,  1838,  in  the  eleventh  year  of  his  age.  He  la- 
bored on  a  farm  for  several  years,  attending  the  common 
school  for  a  few  months  every  winter.  He  united  with  the 
Presbyterian  church  of  Grandview  in  November,  1842.  He 
entered  upon  a  course  of  study  with  the  ministry  in  view  in 
185 1  ;  graduated  at  Hanover  College,  Ind.,  in  1856.  He 
studied  theology  at  the  New.  Albany  and  Allegheny  Semin- 
aries— graduating  at  the  latter,  April,  1838.  He  was  licensed 
i)y  the  Presbytery  of  Palestine  in  April,  1857,  and  ordained 


522  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

by  the  same  at  Grandview,  III,  October  ii,  1859,  Immedi- 
ately after  leaving  the  seminary  he  took  charge  of  a  mission- 
ary field  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  between  Tuscola 
and  Mattoon.  The  churches  of  Areola,  Tuscola,  o.  s.,  Milton,, 
and  Mattoon,  o.  s.,  were  organized  during  his  eleven  years 
service  in  that  field.  His  principal  labors,  however,  were  at 
Areola  and  vicinity,  where  he  was  installed  pastor.  In  the 
same  period  he  supplied  for  a  short  time  the  churches  of 
Kansas  and  Pleasant  Prairie  in  connection  with  Areola.  He 
resigned  the  care  of  Areola  church  at  the  close  of  1868,  and 
took  charge  of  the  churches  of  Grandview  and  Dudley  for 
two  years,  when  his  health  became  impaired  and  he  was 
obliged  to  desist  from  regular  ministerial  work.  He  is  now 
— 1879 — on  a  farm  near  Kansas,  Edgar  county,  preaching  as 
opportunities  present  and  health  permits,  but  is  without  reg- 
ular ministerial  charge.  He  has  been  twice  married.  First 
to  Miss  Anna  E.  Nelson,  of  Hanover,  Ind.,  May  4,  1858,. 
who  died  August,  1861.  Second,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Howell, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Ellis  Howell,  October  7,  1862.  They  have 
one  child,  Ellis  Y.,  born  August  19,  1863. 


Henry  T.  Morton.  Have  found  out  nothing  of  his  early 
history.  He  was  a  licentiate  of  Vincennes  Presbytery  in 
1859.  Ordained  as  above.  Supply  pastor  at  Newton,  111., 
in  i860;  pastor  at  Bardstown,  Ky.,  in  186 1.  In  1862  he  was 
W.  C.  at  Shelbyville,  Ky.,  a  member  of  Louisville  Presby^^ 
tery.  In  1863  supply  pastor  at  Rockfort,  Ind.  At  Ow- 
ensboro',  Ky.,  in  1864,  teacher  and  supply  pastor.  At 
the  same  place  in  1865,  but  only  teacher.  After  that  year 
his  name  disappears  from  the  records  of  the  Assembly. 


Wakefield  Church  was  organized  by  Rev.  John  Crozier 
October  9  and  10,  1859,  with  six  members,  Joseph  Wilson 
and  James  McKinney,  elders.  May  21,  1871,  the  name  was 
changed  to  Mt.  Olivet.  In  1873  the  elders  were  James  R. 
Richey,  Andrew  D.  Delzell  and  James  Caldwell.  At  that 
time  the  resident  members  numbered  twenty-six,  and  James 
Brownlee  was  their  minister.  At  present,  1879,  George  W. 
Nicolls  preaches  here  and  at  Newton,  Jasper  county.  This 
church,  Mt.  Olivet,  is  in  Richland  county,  about  seven  miles 
north  and  six  west  of  Olney.     Its  post  office  is  Olney.    It  has- 


KANSAS    CHURCH,  525 

a  good  church  building,  dedicated  October  8,  1871.  The 
Mount  OHvet  church  building  is  on  a  level  prairie,  about  twa 
miles  north  of  Onion  Hill. 


Kansas  Church,  Edgar  county,  was  organized  November 
7,  1858,  in  the  Methodist  Protestant  church,  by  Revs.  J.  A. 
Steele  and  Henry  I.  Venable,  and  Elder  J.  Y.  Allison,  with 
these  members  :  George  Brown,  Hannah  T.  Brown,  S.  C. 
Hogue,  Martha  J.  Hogue,  James  F.  Hogue,  Samuel  Hartzell, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Hartzell,  Cyrus  Goodale,  Mrs.  C.  Goodale,  Dan- 
iel Shafer,  Louis  Shafer,  Henry  Bull,  Mrs,  Mary  Shy,  Miss 
Mary  Shy,  Margaret  Barnet,  Mrs.  M.  Shafer  and  Henry 
Shafer,  Elders:  George  Brown,  Henry  Bull  and  S.  C, 
Hogue.  Elders  since  chosen:  John  Y.  Allison,  Sanford 
Williams,  Dr.  Geo.  Ringland,  John  S.  Paxton,  Ministers  : 
James  W.  Allison,  1860-62;  Nathaniel  Williams,  1863-64; 
S.  B.  Taggart,  1864-69,  pastor;  R.  A.  Mitchell,  1870-77. 
The  church  building  is  a  large  frame,  on  a  very  pleasant  site, 
and  was  erected  in  1862-63,  at  a  cost  of  $2,850.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1858  the  pulpit  was  supplied  by  William  F.  Ringland, 
student  of  theology,  a  son  of  elder  Dr.  Geo.  Ringland.  A 
commodious  parsonage  was  erected  in  1864,  at  a  cost  of 
;^2,ooo.  Until  the  erection  of  the  present  church,  the  place 
of  worship  was  the  Protestant  Methodist  house,  which  then 
stood  in  the  centre  of  the  village. 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  met  at  Williamsville,  April 
20,  1859.  R.  W.  Allen,  minister,  and  John  Todd,  elder^ 
were  appointed  to  attend  the  Assembly.  The  fall 

meeting  was  held  at  Taylorville,  commencing  September  13. 
The  church  of  Tacusa  was  received.  Adjourned  meetings 
were  held  at  Springfield  September  22,  and  October  19,  at 
which  the  conduct  of  Henry  R.  Lewis  in  certain  money 
transactions  was  investigated,  and  he  was  deemed  deserving 
of  severe  rebuke,  which  was  accordingly  administered.  Two 
members  of  the  Presbytery  complained  to  Synod  of  this  sen- 
tence as  being  inadequate. 


Tacusa,  or  Assumption  Church  was  organized   in   the 
house  of  Marcus  L.  Barrett,  May  27,  1859,  by  H.  R.  Lewis,. 


524  PRESBYTERIANI3M    IN    ILLhXOIS. 

with  twenty-four  members.  Elders  :  S.  C.  Sheller  and 
Wm.  G.  Calhoun.  Elders  suice  chosen:  Daniel  Gahagan, 
Zadok  Lanham,  George  White,  Samuel  M.  Moore,  William 
Ray,  Dr.  Joseph  D.  Bennett.  Ministers  :  H.  R.  Lewis, 
1859-60;  Clark  Loudon,  1861-66;  B.  E.  Mayo,  1866-68,  the 
last  year  pastor  ;  Washington  Maynard,  1868 — installed  Sep- 
tember 24,  1863,  dismissed  September,  1875  ;  R.  M.  Neiil, 
January  I,  1876,  August,  1876;  Washington  Maynard  (sec- 
ond time),  October  I,  1876 — still  acting.  The  church  edifice 
was  dedicated  June  23,  1861,  and  cost  ^^1,000.  A  parsonage 
was  erected  in  1867  on  the  same  half-acre  lot  with  the  church, 
and  cost  seven  huirdred  and  fifty  dollars.  This  church  was 
originally  called  Tacusa.  Tacusa  and   Assump- 

tion were  at  first  two  small  places  on  the  railroad,  within  one 
half  mile  of  each  other.  They  finally  consolidated  under  the 
name  of  Assumption,  and  the  church,  by  common  consent, 
took  the  name  of  the  village.  The  site  for  the  edifice  and 
parsonage  was  donated  by  the  proprietor  of  the  town,  Col. 
E.  E.  Milhoit.  The  whole  number  of  members 

connected  with  this  church  is  two  hundred  and  nine. 

A  member  of  Assumption  church  is  in  Missouri  peniten- 
tiary. He  killed  a  man  in  a  quarrel  in  Missouri  years  ago, 
escaped  to  this  State,  became  a  convert  to  Christ,  united 
with  Assumption  church,  was  arrested  for  that  long-ago  kill- 
ing, tried,  convicted  and  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary  for 
eleven  years,  about  five  of  which  he  has  served  out.  He  is 
.believed  to  be  a  truly  Christian  man. 


Alton  Presbytery  met  at  Centralia  April  7,  1859.  Mound 
City  church  was  received.  James  S.  Walton,  from  Athens 
Presbytery,  and  Almond  G.  Martin,  from  Coldwater  Presby- 
tery, were  received.  N.  A.  Hunt,  not  having  used  the  letter 
granted  him  September  26,  1856,  returned  it  to  Presbytery. 
A.  T.  Norton,  minister,  and  J.  N.  McCord,  M.  D.,  elder,  were 
appointed  commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  The  chief  busi- 
ness transacted  at  this  meeting  had  reference  to  the  relations 
of  the  Presbytery  to  the  American  Home  Missionar}'  Society. 
As  this  business  was  of  general  interest,  and  concerned  most 
vitally  the  very  existence  of  the  New  School  body  as  a  Pres- 
byterian Church,  I  should  hardly  be  excused  did  I  not  go 
into  it  somewhat  in  detail.  Happily  the  means  for  doing 
this  with  entire  accuracy  are  at  hand.      They  are   found    in 


ALTON    PRESBYTERY    AND    A.  H.  M.  S.  525 

the  records  of  the  Presbytery  and  in  the  Presbytery  Reporter 
for  May,  1859: 

More  than  one  entire  day  of  this  session  of  Presbytery^ 
April  7-1 1,  1859,  was  occupied  in  considering  its  relations  to 
the  A.  H,  M.  S.  The  statement  of  the  Stated  Clerk,  in  intro- 
ducing the  discussion,  was  substantially  as  follows  : 

A  matter  of  great  interest  and  importance  has  been 
sprung  upon  us.  Since  January  last,  the  A.  H.  M.  S.  have 
been  refusing  to  commission  or  re-commission  any  missiona- 
ries on  our  field.  An  extensive  correspondence  has  been 
carried  on  between  the  various  missionaries  in  whose  behalf 
applications  have  been  made  to  the  society,  and  between 
myself  and  the  society.  Rev.  D.  B.  Coe,  D.  D,  is  the  Secre- 
tary, to  whom  has  been  committed  the  task  of  making  known 
to  us  the  Society's  behests.  In  order  that  the  Presbytery 
may  perfectly  understand  this  subject,  and  be  able  to  act  in- 
telligently, I  propose  to  bring  before  them  the  correspond- 
ence which  has  been  had.  First,  however,  I  will  offer  a  few 
preliminary  remarks,  for  the  sake  of  those  who  have  not  been 
with  us  from  the  beginning.  The  Alton  Presby- 

tery took  measures  for  entering  upon  the  work  of  Presbyte- 
rial  missions,  April  ii,  1840.  At  their  session  held  at  that 
time  in  Upper  Alton,  Presbytery  passed  these  resolutions : 

(1)  That  the  interests  of  religion,  within  the  bounds  of  this  Presbytery,  require 
the  immediate  employment  of  a  missionary,  who  shall  devote  his  whole  time  to- 
ministerial  labor  in  our  destitute  churches  and  settlements. 

(2)  That  Rev.  IMessrs.  T.  Baldwin  and  A.  T.  Norton  be  a  committee  to  pro- 
cure a  missionary,  and  make  arrangements  for  his  laboring  under  the  direction  of 
this  Presbytery. 

In  pursuance  of  these  resolutions  the  committee  immedi- 
ately employed  Rev.  William  Chamberlin.  In  their  simplic- 
ity they  deemed  the  authority  of  Presbytery  sicfficient !  They 
did  not  even  dream  that  they  must  first  ask  the  A.  H.  M.  S. 
to  allow  them  to  enter  upon  this  work !  Presbytery  paid 
Mr.  Chamberlin's  entire  salary  up  to  January  24,  1841.  Sub- 
sequently one-half  his  support  was  furnished  by  the  A.  H. 
M.  S.,  the  other  half  by  the   Presbytery.  Since 

the  period  above  referred  to — April  ii,  1840 — we  have  con- 
stantly had  one,  a  portion  of  the  time  two,  and,  for  a  short 
period,  three  missionaries  in    our   employ.  This 

Presbyterial  missionary  work  was  mostly,  though  not  exclu- 
sively, confined  to  the  vacant  churches  of  the  Presbytery 
until  October,  1844,  when  by  vote  of  Presbytery  it  was  for- 
mally extended,  and  made  to  include  the  exploration  of  our 


526  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

jield  and  the  planting  of  new  churches.  Additional  mission- 
aries, first  Rev.  Williston  Jones,  then  Rev.  Joseph  Gordon, 
and  still  later  Rev.  Robert  Stewart,  were  employed,  and  the 
pioneer  work  was  pressed  forward  vigorously  and  with  suc- 
cess. Until  about  1854  or  1855  we  acted  in  com- 
plete and  kind  co-operation  with  the  A.  H.  M.  S.  The  prin- 
ciples of  co-operation  were  then  understood  on  both  sides, 
and  sacredly  regarded.  As  the  natural  consequence,  the 
sentiments  of  co-operation  were  felt  and  cherished.  We  ap- 
pointed our  Presbyterial  missionaries,  they  commissioned 
them.  We  directed  their  labors  exclusively.  We  raised 
money  from  all  ouf  churches  and  paid  our  missionaries  there- 
with, save  that  portion  of  their  salaries  pledged  them  in  their 
respective  commissions  by  the  society.  We  reported  our 
receipts  at  the  end  of  each  year.  Even  the  collections 
which  their  missionaries  were,  by  the  terms  of  their  commis- 
sions, bound  to  take  up  in  their  respective  fields  were  paid  to 
our  treasury,  and  were  by  the  society  regarded  as  a  full  fulfill- 
ment of  the  obligation.  Dr.  Milton  Badger  in  a  letter  to  me, 
dated  March  27,  1845,  says,  "  We  shall  regard  the  collection 
taken  tip  and  paid  over  to  the  Presbytery,  as  the  one  contempla- 
ted in  the  proviso r  viz.,  of  the  commission  of  their  missiona- 
ries. Our  Presbyterial  missionary  committee  acted  as  the 
agent  of  that  society  on  our  field ;  and,  I  venture  to  say,  they 
never  had  a  paid  agent  who  did  the  work  as  well,  or  anything 
like  as  well  as  that  z^/z-paid  committee.  Their  agent  in  those 
days.  Rev.  William  Kirby,  came  into  the  field  about  once 
a  year;  but  he  never  found  anything  of  consequence  to 
do  for  the  society,  and  he  showed  his  wisdom  by  letting  well 
enough  alone.  Our  churches  and  ministers  and  missionary 
collections  steadily  increased.  All  the  Home  missionary 
money  raised  on  our  field  went  through  the  hands  of  our 
Presbyterial  missionary  committee.  Here  was  proper,  true 
and  real  co-operation  ;  the  control,  direction  and  agency  work 
on  the  field  were  all  in  our  hands  ;  all  applications  for  aid 
from  our  feeble  churches  were  made  through  us.  We  re- 
ported to  them  what  we  did,  and  the  wants  and  condition  of 
our  feeble  churches.  They,  as  the  general  agent  of  the  denomin- 
ation, sent  to  our  feeble  churches  and  new  and  needy  fields  a  por- 
tion of  the  funds  which  our  strong  churches  at  the  East  were  put- 
ting into  their  hands  for  that  very  piirposc.  With  this  condition 
of  things  we  were  perfectly  satisfied.  The  society,  too,  were 
satisfied  apparently,  and  praised  us  so  frequently  and  loudly 


ALTON    PRESBYTERY    AND    A.   H.  M.  S.  5  2/ 

as  to  bring  the  blush  to  our  cheeks,  and  attract  the  attention 
of  the  country.  But  this  prosperous  and  to  us  sat- 

isfactory condition  of  things  was  not  allowed  to  continue. 
There  was  actually  danger,  lest  in  this  way,  the  real  mission- 
ary power  of  our  Church  should  get  into  play,  and  render 
less  necessary,  or  sink  in  importance  the  great  central  agency 
in  New  York.  The  Church  Extension  movement  in  our  As- 
sembly— one  chief  feature  of  which  is  the  exploration  of  new 
territory  and  the  organization  of  Presbyterian  churches — was 
inaugurated.  The  society  seems  to  have  felt  it  necessary 
about  that  time  so  to  change  their  policy  as  to  control,  or 
prevent  this  pioneer  work.  Accordingl}^  they  adopted  a  rule 
not  to  cominission  missionaries  except  to  labor  at  certain  points 
designated  in  their  cojnniissions.  This  would  seem  like  a  small 
thing.  But  it  was  like  the  tax  on  tea  in  ante-revolutionary 
times.  It  contained  a  mighty  principle.  .It  was  virtually 
saying  to  Presbyteries,  either  that  they  could  not,  or  should 
not  direct  their  own  Presbyterial  missionaries.  In  the  former 
case  it  was  an  insult.  In  the  latter,  it  was  assuming  to  them- 
selves— a  mere  voluntary  society  with  no  other  than  a  money 
basis — a  power  whicli  God  never  gave  to  any  other  body  than 
his  Cliiirch.  Just  at  this  point  commenced  the  divergence 
between  this  Presbytery  and  that  Society.  For  half  a  year 
our  missionary,  Rev.  Robert  Stewart,  was  kept  uncommis- 
sioned by  the  rule  which  I  have  mentioned,  and  by  other 
pretexts — such  as  that  he  was  engaged  a  portion  of  his  time 
in  protracted  meetings,  and  in  pr9moting  the  building  of 
churches — the  society  not  seeming  to  heed  at  all  the  fact  that 
he  was  oiir  missionary,  was  doing,  in  all  this,  our  bidding,  or 
at  least  acting  with  our  consent,  and  that  we  on  the  ground 
must  be  presumed  to  know  better  where  and  hozv  our  mis- 
sionary should  labor  than  they  could,  a  thousand  miles  off, 
in  their  up-stairs  office  in  Nassau  street,  New  York.  In  a 
word,  they  were  manifestly  and  persistently  taking  from  us 
the  right  arm  of  our  strength — that  inlierent  God-given  right 
which  we  never  could  surrender  without  faithlessness  to  our 
Master,  our  Church  and  ourselves,  viz.,  the  right  to  manage 
•OUR  OWN  BENEVOLENT  OPERATIONS.  Thcy ,  the  mere  agents, 
the  servants  of  the  Church,  were  attempting  to  lord  it  over 
God's  heritage!  Talk  of  an  Ecclesiastical  liicrarchy !  a 
voluntary  society,  that  has  grown  fat  and  sleek  and  proud  on 
the  offerings  of  the  Church,  is  a  spiritual  despot  that  can  vie 
with   Rome !  But   to    return   to   my    narrative. 


528  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

After  a  half  year  of  negotiations  for  a  commission  for  Mr. 
Stewart,  weary,  sick,  and  disgusted  with  the  whole  corres- 
pondence, I  at  length  named  to  the  Executive  Committee 
some  ten  or  fifteen  places,  scattered  from  Dan  to  Beersheba, 
in  which  we  might  wish  our  Missionary  to  labor.  The  letter  was 
designed  to  convey  to  the  Executive  Committee  my  excessive 
aiid  emphatic  disgust  at  their  requirements.  But,  uiirabile 
dictii !  it  brought  the  commission  !  In  order  to  be  free  from 
such  harrassments,  and  that  the  Society  and  all  men  might 
understand  that  we  should  not  yield  up  the  control  of  our 
Presbyterial  Missionary  work,  this  Presbytery,  ar  their  ses- 
sion in  Mt.  Vernon',''April  4,  1856,  adopted  a  report  which 
contains  the  following  language  : 

Until  two  years  past  the  commissions  of  our  Presbyterial  missionaries  have 
been  co-extensive  with  our  bounds.  That  society  has  not  only  permitted  them  to 
so  labor  under  the  direction  of  this  body,  but  has  repeatedly  expressed  their  ap- 
probation of  the  arrangement,  their  full  conviction  of  its  utility,  and  their  high 
satisfaction  with  its  results.  Now,  however,  for  reasons  best  known  to  them- 
selves, they  refuse  to  do  this,  and  insist  that  every  missionary  should  have  certain 
places  specified  in  his  commission,  where  he  is  expected  to  confine  his  labors. 
At  one  of  tliese  he  must  reside.  That  is,  the  Society  has  virtually  aimed  a  death 
tlo'cV  at  our  Presbyterial  missions.  If  we  submit  to  this,  we  come  un- 

der the  complete  control  of  a  society  outside  of  our  Church — we  deprive  our- 
selves entirely  of  the  power  of  extension  as  a  denomination — we  may  not  even 
cherish  our  own  feeble  churches  without  that  Society's  permission  ;  and  we  must 
be  content  to  let  the  duty  and  the  privilege  of  extending  Clirist's  kingdom,  pass 
into  the  hands  of  a  body  over  which  we  not  only  have  no  control,  and  in  the  man- 
agement of  which  we  have  no  voice.  Shall  we  submit  to  this  ?  Your 
committee  say — No  !  most  emphatically.  Our  duty  to  our  God — our  own  min- 
isterial vows — our  duty  to  the  perishing  around  us,  and  our  regard  for  our  be- 
loved Zion  forbid  it.  Your  committee,  therefore,  propose  to  employ 
two  missionaries  under //^e  sole  and  only  direction  of  this  Presbytery,  with  no 
commissions  from  any  other  source,  save  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Since  that  date,  April,  1856,  we  have  acted  on  the  princi- 
ple then  laid  down.  No  notice,  however,  was  taken  of  it 
until  the  beginning  of  the  present  year. 

During  1858  the  plan  acted  upon  by  Alton  Presbytery 
was  carried  through  Illinois  Synod.  That  Society,  which 
has  been  termed  the  "  mother  of  churches," — may  it  not 
prove  a  jr/^y)- mother ! — seems  to  have  taken  new  alarm,  and 
to  have  determined  to  try  upon  this  Presbytery  the  effect  of 
chastisement.  They  began,  however,  with  Wabash  Presby- 
tery, first  refusing  a  commission  to  Rev.  C.  H.  Palmer,  on  the 
ground  tliat  Presbytery  had  assumed  an  independent  position 
in  regard  to  the  H.  M.  work.  But  Alton  Presbytery  was  evi- 
dently the  chief  offender,  and  on  that  devoted  body  the 
blows  have  fallen  most  frequently,  and  upon  them  they  are 


ALTON    PRESBYTERY    AND    A.  H.  M.  S.  529 

falling  still.  Jan.  ii,  1859,  Dr.  Coe  addressed  a  letter  to 
Rev,  E.  B.  Olmsted,  of  which  the  portion  which  follows  is  all 
that  bears  upon  the  question  before  us  : 

The  Presbytery  to  which  your  church  belongs  was  formerly  one  of  the  most 
efficient  allies  of  this  Society.  All  its  contributions  for  Home  Missions  were  re- 
ported to  us,  and  were  expended  in  the  support  of  our  missionaries.  Of  late  the 
Presbytery  has  adopted  a  plan  of  independent  action,  appointing  its  own  mission- 
aries, and  contributing  its  funds  to  their  support.  For  two  years,  only  one  or 
two  small  collections  have  been  made  for  the  Society  (except  a  part  of  the  con- 
tributions of  the  churches  assisted  by  it),  while  more  than  $2,000  have  been  ex- 
pended in  that  time  by  Presbyterial  missions.  If  the  Presbytery  prefer 
this  independent  action,  we  may,  as  we  do,  regret  it ;  but  they  have  a  perfect 
right  to  adopt  it,  and  we  have  no  right  to  complain.  But  the  principles  of  this 
Society  will  not  allow  it  to  grant  aid  to  the  feeble  churches  of  ecclesiastical  bodies 
which  do  not  co-operate  with  it  in  the  missionary  work.  This  principle  is  un- 
derstood by,  and  has  received  the  approval  of  the  Missionary  Committee  of 
your  Presbytery.  As  they  no  longer  act  in  co-operation  with  the  Society,  they 
cannot  expect  its  continued  assistance,  and  we  can  only  refer  the  churches  need- 
ing aid  to  that  committee  for  relief.  We  should  rejoice  to  labor  with 
our  brethren  in  Southern  Illinois,  as  heretofore,  in  supplying  the  destitute  and 
building  up  the  Redeemer's  kingdom.  But  if  the  work  can  be  done  more  effect- 
ually in  some  other  way,  we  will  cheerfully  acquiesce,  and  turn  to  other  fields. 

The  next  day,  Jan.  12,  Dr.  Coe  addressed  a  letter  to  Rev. 
H.  Patrick,  of  Marion,  of  the  same  general  purport,  making 
no  new  points,  and  declining  to  re-commission  him  for  the 
same  reasons.  The  next  letter,  in  the  order  of 

this  tedious  correspondence,  is  from  Dr.  Coe  to  myself,  dated 
Jan.  19th,  and  is  in  reply  to  a  brief  note  from  me  inquiring 
for  the  facts  in  Mr.  Palmer's  case.  After  stating  the  reasons 
for  which  the  application  for  a  commission  for  Mr.  Palmer 
had  been  rejected — reasons  entirely  similar  to  those  in  the 
cases  of  Messrs.  Olmsted  and  Patrick — the  secretary  goes  on 
to  say,  "  He,  Mr.  Palmer,  was  assured,  that  we  should  be 
most  happy  to  aid  those  churches,  as  heretofore,  if  the  Pres- 
bytery will  co-operate  with  the  Society  in  good  faith,  to  the 
extent  of  its  ability."  Here  we  get  a  glimpse  of  what  the 
doctor  means  by  "  co-operation."  He  evidently  thinks  the 
Presbytery  will  be  in  a  state  of  "  co-operation  "  ivhen  it  does 
for  home  missions  all  it  can,  and  does  that  all  through  the  Amer- 
ican Home  Missionary  Society.  Such  a  ^(?-operation  (from  coriy 
together,  and  opero,  to  work,  meaning  a  zvorking  together^  is  a 
great  misnomer.  It  is  not  the  co-operation  of  two  partners, 
both  of  whom  exercise  control ;  but  the  co-operation  of  the 
head  of  a  firm  with  one  of  his  clerks.  The  Society  is  the 
head  of  the  Home  Missionary  establishment  in  America 
(it  is  the  American  H.  M.  S.) ;  the  Presbyterian  Church  is 
only  a  clerk  in  the  establishment,  and  has  no  business  to  do 


530  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

anything  except  as  the  head  of  the  establishment  dictates  ! 
If,  however,  this  great  Presbyterian  Church  will  only  "  in 
good  faith,  and  to  the  extent  of  her  ability,"  act  according 
to  the  principles  of  the  A.  H.  M.  S. — that  Society  will  conde- 
scend to  co-operate  with  her  !  Is  not  that  a  stoop  of  conde- 
scension !  Further  on,  in  the  same  letter,  the 
secretary  says  to  me,  "  I  have  now  before  me  a  letter  from 
you  in  which  you  distinctly  recognize  it  (this  principle  of  co- 
operation) as  essential  to  an  auxiliary  relation,  and  modify 
the  missionary  arrangements  of  your  Presbytery,  so  as  to 
bring  them  into  harmony  with  it."  The  reply  to 
this  will  be  found  "in  my  letter  to  Dr.  Coe,  dated  January  25, 
1859.  It  was  forwarded  to  Dr.  Hatfield,  with  the  request 
that  he  would  peruse  it,  and  either  hand  it  to  Dr.  Coe  or  re- 
turn it  to  me,  with  his  own  suggestions.  He  took  the  former 
course,  merely  remarking  in  a  note  to  me,  dated  February 
7.  iS59>  "  I  was  not  present,  I  think,  when  Bro.  Olmsted's 
case  was  before  us.  I  knew  nothing  of  the  difficulty  until 
advised  of  the  similar  case  in  Wisconsin."  This  sentence  is 
significant.  It  lets  out  the  very  important  fact  that  this  policy 
of  refusing  commissions  to  the  missionaries  in  Presbyteries 
which  performed  some  portion  of  their  missionary  work  inde- 
pendently, was  initiated  by  the  Executive  Committee  wJien 
Dr  Hatfield  zvas  absent.  Who  else  was  absent  from  that  im- 
portant  meeting?     Was   Dr.  Asa   D.  Smith  one  of  them? 

This  is  the  letter : 

Alton,  III.,  January  25,  1859. 
Dear  Bro.  Coe : 

Yours  of  the  19th  is  before  me ;  also  the  letter  you  wrote  to  Rev.  E.  B.  Olm- 
sted on  the  nth  inst.  In  these  letters  you  distinctly  say  that  the  A.  H.  M.  S. 
declines  longer  to  aid  the  feeble  churches  in  the  Presbyteries  of  Alton  and  Wa- 
bash, because  they  have  assumed  a  position  independent  of  that  Society,  by  ap- 
pointing missionaries  of  their  own,  and  making  collections  for  their  support.  It 
is  true  that  these  Presbyteries,  and  the  Illinois  Synod,  and  the  Peoria  Synod,  and 
the  Albany  Synod,  and  I  know  not  how  many  more,  have  appointed  missiona- 
ries of  their  own,  and  pay  them  from  their  own  contributions.  But 
why  have  they  done  it  ?  Because  the  A.  H.  M.  S. — a  voluntary  society,  with- 
out the  slightest  ecclesiastical  authority,  have  exceeded  their  true  function — 
which  is  singly  and  solely  to  be  agents  of  the  churches,  so  far  and  so  long  as  the 
churches  are  pleased  to  employ  them — and  have  intruded  into  the  work  of  ec- 
clesiastical control  ■iXiA  direction,  e.  g.  Until  about  two  years  ago  Alton  Pres- 
bytery appointed  an  itinerant  missionary  or  missionaries,  had  them  commis- 
sioned by  your  Society,  and  reported  their  collections.  But  mark  !  The  Pres- 
bytcry  directed  the  labors  of  those  missionaries.  In  order,  as  I  now  firmly  believe, 
and  then  did,  to  prevent  this  Preshytcrial  direction,  you  made  the  rule  that  your 
missionaries  could  labor  only  at  points  designated  in  their  commissions.  That 
rule,  made  for  the  nonce,  virtually  took  from  our  hands  what  we  believed  we  had 
no  right  to  yield  up,  XSxo.  business  of  planting  our  own  churches  in  our  own  terri- 
tory-    We  threw  ourselver  upon  our  inherent  aad  inalienable  right  and  sacred 


ALTON    PRESBYTERY    AND    A.  H.   M.  S.  53 1 

^dtity  to  do  this  work  in  our  own  way,  independent  of  any  and  of  all  foreign  dic- 
tation.    And  since  your  Society  would  not  sufter  us  to  do  it  through  them,  we 

-determined    to    do  it    widiout    them.  But  we   liave  gone  no  farther 

than  this.  We  have  simply  vindicated  our  rights  ;  not  to  have  done  this  would 
have  been  unfaithfulness  to  our  Master  and  our  Church.  We  have  commissioned 
none  but  ?V?«^ra«/ missionaries.  We  have  no  purpose  to  commission  any  others, 
unless  you  compel  us  to  do  it — and  your  present  action  looks  very  like  it.  We 
have  taken  no  collections  except  such  as  were  necessary  to  meet  the  expenses  of 
this  pioneer  missionary  work.  Most  of  our  churclies  contribute  to  your  Society. 
I  many  mention  Monticello,  CoUinsville,  Bunker  Hill.  Brighton,  and  I  believe 
Belleville.  These  are  more  than  half  of  our  self-sustaining  churches.  Besides 
these,  a// our  missionary  churches  contribute  to  your  treasury.  I  repeat,  then  : 
We  have  not  assumed  an  independent  position,  except  with  reference  to  the  pio- 
neer branch  of  the  general  missionary  work — and  to  this  your  Society  has  forced 
us.  If,  besides  contributing  to  your  Society,  we  sustain  pioneer  mis- 

sionaries of  our  own,  I  know  not  on  what  principle  that  can  be  a  ground  of  com- 
plaint, or  how  that  can  constitute  the  shadow  of  a  reason  for  withholding  aid 

'from  our  feeble  churches.  Have  we  ever  agreed  that  we  will  do  nothing  for  the 
Home  Missionary  cause,  except  through  one  particular  channel  ?  Do  I  under- 
stand that  unless  we  do  all  that  we  do,  for  Home  Missions,  through  your  Society, 
you  will  do  nothing  for  us  ?  You  assure  Mr.  Palmer  the  Society  will  aid  these 
feeble  churches  if  the  Presbytery  co-operate  with  them  to  the  "  extent  of  its 
ability.^'  i.e.  It  must  do  all  it  can  do  through  you,  or  have  no  help.  This  is 
drawing  the  lines  pretty  close.  It  may  be  possible  that  your  Society  can  in  this 
way  control  our  Presbyteries  and  Synods.  There  is  no  telling  what  men  will  do 
when  they  are  threatened  with  starvation.  But  if  they  do  your  bidding  under 
such  a  pressure,   you  will  lose  both  their  confidence  and  respect.  The 

allegiance  of  our  Presbyteries  and  Synods  is  to  our  General  Assembly,  not  to 

-.the  A.  H.  M.  S.  Our  Assembly  declared  in  1855  (See  minutes  for  that  year,  p. 
21),  "  That  the  functions  now  assigned  them — the  Ch.  Ex.  Com. — are  those  of 
etnploying  Prcsbytcrial,  Synodical  and  other  Presbyterian  itinerant  or  exploring 

■agents,  and  also  the  receiving  and  disbursing  of  funds  for  these  objects.''^     This  is 

jprecisely  what  Alton  and  Wabash  Presbyteries  have  done — nothing  more. 

We  may  well  ask  by  what  ri^ht  the  A.  H.  M.  S.  are  punishing  us  for  follow- 

ling  the  recommendations,  or  obeying  the  behest  of  our  own  Assembly  ? 
The  rule  you  have  adopted  places  you  in  conflict  with  our  whole  Church. 
Your  interpretation  of  co-operation  is  clearly  this  :  You  say  to  us,  you  must  do 

■  all your  home  missionary  7vork  through  our  Society  ;  then  we  will  help  your  fee- 
ble churches.     Such  an  interpretation  of  co-operation  we  never  have  admitted  and 

mever  shall.  It  is  seldom  I  write  so  long  a  letter,  but  in  advocating 

the  rights  of  the  weak  against  the  strong,  and  of  the  oppressed  against  the  op- 

ipressor,  "my  heart  becomes  hot  within  me."  If  your  Society  insist  on  their 
present  course,  I   see  no  alternative  but  an  appeal  to  the   public.     Our  feeble 

•churches  and  indigent  ministers  shall  not  suffer  without  at  least  one  strenuous 

•effort  in  their  behaif. 

To  this  letter  Dr.  Coe  sent  a  reply,  dated  February  i8, 
1859.  It  is  too  long  to  quote  in  full.  He  states  that  the 
subject  to  which  this  correspondence  refers  had  been  fully 
discussed  by  the  Executive  Committee  at  their  meeting,  Mon- 
day, February  14,  but  that  no  further  action  was  taken,  add- 
ing :  "The  principles  involved  in  my  letter  of  January  19, 
will  doubtless  be  applied,  as  they  have  been  heretofore,  in  all 
:similar  cases."  The  Secretary  goes  on  to  request  that  the 
.action  of  the  Executive  Committee  be  communicated  to  the 
.Presb>-tery,  and  in  the  very  ivords  in  zvhich  it  had  been  made 


532  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

knozvn  to  me.  He  meets  no  one  of  my  positions.  He  is  pre-^ 
eminently  evasive  and  unfair.  He  quotes,  e,  g.,  with  great 
gusto,  from  the  Assembly's  Minutes  of  1854 — "that  the  diffi- 
culties apprehended,  being  all  happily  adjusted,  they  see  no 
occasion  to  create  any  other  instrumentality" — than  that  of 
the  A.  H.  M.  S. — but  utterly  ignores  the  action  at  St.  Louis  in 
1855,  when  our  Church  Extension  Committee  was  established. 
He  does  not  know  such  a  Committee  exists ;  and  that  our 
Church  is  looking  upon  it  every  year  with  increasing  favor 
and  hope,  and  becoming  more  and  more  convinced  of  its  in- 
dispensable necess-ity.  The  Societ)^  calls  in 
question  my  assertion  that  "  the  Society  has  no  right  to  or- 
ganize churches."  It  lias  no  such  right,  and  can  put  forth  no 
such  claim,  unless  its  conductors  are  believers  in  the  doc- 
trines of  radical  Independency.  If  they  hold  that  laymen- 
may  organize  churches,  then  they  may  say  that  the  Society 
can  do  it  as  such.  But  if  they  admit  none  can  do  that  act 
save  regularly  ordained  ministers,  their  claim  falls.  Presby- 
terians certainly  will  not  admit  that  the  A.  H.  M.  S.  is  an 
ecclesiastical  body. 

Dr.  Coe's  letters  to  Rev.  W.  S.  Post,  dated  February  15, 
1859,  rejecting  the  applications  of  the  churches  of  New  Du- 
coign  and  Carbondale ;  to  Mr.  Pitkin,  dated  March  15,  1859, 
rejecting  the  application  of  the  church  in  Troy;  to  Mr.  Bird,, 
dated  March  29,  1859,  commiserating  with  him  in  his  embar- 
rassments at  being  connected  with  such  a  rebellious  Presby- 
tery;  to  Mr.  Gibson,  dated  March  4,  1S59,  rejecting  the  ap- 
plications of  the  church  in  Mt.  Vernon,  were  all  read  in  full. 
Their  contents  were  entirely  similar  to  those  in  the  letter  to 
Mr.  Olmsted.  They  were  all  electioneering  documents,  cal- 
culated and,  no  doubt  designed,  to  influence  votes  in  the 
Presbytery.  The  agent  of  the  Society  was  also 

present,  having  in  his  pocket  copies  of  my  letters  to  Dr.  Coe, 
which  had  been  forwarded  to  him  from  New  York.  He  was 
armed  cap-a-pie  for  advocating  the  claims  of  the  Society. 
Previously  to  the  meeting  of  Presbytery,  he  had  been  to 
the  Session  of  Alton  church,  to  draw  them  into  the  Society  V 
measures.  How  many  other  Sessions,  and  how  many  of  our 
ministers  he  approached  for  a  similar  purpose  I  know  not. 
But,  beyond  any  question,  there  was  a  concerted  and  desper- 
ate attempt  made  to  dragoon  the  Presbytery  into  submission. 
How  well  it  succeeded  the  action  of  the  Presbytery  will 
show.  After  the  presentation  of  the  subject  and 


ALTON    PRESBYTERY    AND    A.  H    M.  S.  533 

the  reading  of  the  correspondence  by  the  Stated  Clerk,  the 
■whole  matter  was  referred  to  a  special  committee,  consisting 
of  Messrs.  Norton,  Taylor,  Edwards,  Parks  and  Porter. 
The  committee  unanimously  agreed  upon  the  following  re- 
port : 

Whereas,  Difficulties  have  arisen  between  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  A. 
H.  M.  S.  and  this  Presbytery,  concerning  the  terms  of  co-operation  between  us 
and  them,  this  committee  recommend : 

1.  That  we  appoint  now,  as  we  have  done  ever  since  1840,  a  Missionary  Com- 
mittee, to  consist  of  seven  members — three  ministers  and  four  elders — one  of 
whom  shall  be  chairman,  and  another  secretary  and  treasurer — four  of  the  com- 
mittee to  constitute  a  quorum,  and  the  committee  to  meet  monthly  in  the  city  of 
Alton.  They  also  recommend  that  Rev.  C.  H.  Taylor  be  the  chairman,  and  El- 
der Isaac  Scarritt  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  committee,  and  that  the  other 
members  be  Rev.  Messrs.  J.  S.  Edwards  and  A.  T.  Norton,  and  Elders  A.  M. 
Blackburn,  L.  A.  Parks  and  J.  W.  Gilson. 

2.  That  this  Committee  on  Home  Missions  be  instructed  to  advise  the  Execu- 
tive Committee  of  the  A.  H.  M.  S.  as  follows  : 

1.  We  must  insist  upon  Its  being  our  duty,  our  right,  and  an  imperative  neces- 
sity, to  employ  an  exploring  missionary  witliin  our  bounds,  as  hitherto. 

2.  We  are  willing,  nevertheless,  to  co-operate  with  the  A.  PI.  M.  Society ;  and 
in  case  their  aid  is  continued  to  our  missionaries,  we  do  hereby  request  that  all 
our  churches  contribute  yearly  to  its  treasury,  according  to  the  full  measure  of 
•their  ability. 

3.  If  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  A.  H.  M.  S  will  not  pledge  continued 
aid  to  our  needy  churches  on  these  terms,  we  recommend  that  Presbytery  adopt 
the  following  plan  : 

(i.)  They  urge  that  as  many  of  the  missionary  churches  as  possible  assume  at 
-once  the  position  of  self-support — and  that,  in  other  cases,  two,  three,  or  even 
four  churches  be  united,  if  necessary,  in  the  support  of  one  man. 

(2.)  That  Presbytery  also  urge  upon  all  our  churches  to  take  up  the  largest  col- 
lections possible  for  the  general  work  of  home  missions  in  our  bounds— and  that 
in  order  to  meet  the  present  home  missionary  exigency,  collections  to  all  volun- 
tary societies,  save  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.,  be  either  suspended  for  a  year  or  two 
entirely,  or  be  greatly  reduced  ;  and  that  all  the  monies  so  collected  be  paid  to 
the  Treasurer  above  named. 

(3.)  That  Presbytery  direct  their  Home  Missionary  Committee  to  prepare  a 
a  memorial  for  the  next  General  Assembly,  giving  a  succinct  but  comprehensive 
history  of  the  present  difficulty,  and  requesting  them  to  so  enlarge  the  functions  of 
•the  Assembly's  Permanent  Church  Extension  Committee,  that  they  can  aftbrd  aid 
to  all  the  missionaries  of  this  body  from  whom  the  A.  H.  M.  Society  is  now  with- 
holding commissions,  and  to  all  others  in  our  bounds  whom  this  Presbytery  or 
their  Missionary  Committee  recommend. 

(4.)  Should  the  needed  aid  not  be  gained  in  the  way  last  named,  that  Presby- 
tery empower  their  Missionary  Committee  to  employ  an  agent  to  raise  the  funds 
wherever  they  may  direct. 

(5.)  That  our  commissioners  to  the  next  General  Assembly  be  specially  charged 
to  urge  the  memorial  above  named  upon  the  attention  of  the  Assembly,  and  to 
gain  from  the  Church  Extension  Committee  the  aid  needed. 

(6  )  That  our  churches,  whose  applications  have  been  rejected,  be  directed, 
-after  doing  their  utmost'for  themselves,  to  make  application  to  this  Presbyterial 
Home  Missionary  Committee. 

(7.)  That  our  present  Presbyterial  Missionary,  Rev.  J.  Gordon,  be  continued 
■to  labor  as  heretofore,  under  the  direction  ef  the  Presbyterial  Missionary  Com- 
imittee. 

The  report  was  thoroughly  discussed,  nearly  every  mem- 


534  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

ber  of  Presbytery  and  the  agent  of  the  H.  M.  Society,. 
Rev.  E,  Jenney,  participating  in  the  debate.  It  was 
finally  adopted  with  an  unanimity  most  surprising,  consider- 
ing the  powerful  extraneous  influences  which  had  been 
brought  to  bear  upon  the  body.  Only  two  or  three  voted- 
against  it.  It  was  a  noble  triumph  of  principle  over  domi- 
neering injustice,  the  power  of  the  purse  and  the  prestige  of 
the  third  of  a  century. 

May  5,  1859. — ^^  have  just  received  from  Isaac  Scarritt, 
Esq.,  a  note  saying  "  that  he  transmitted  to  the  A.  H.  M.  S.. 
the  action  of  Presb.ytery  of  Alton  so  far  as  it  related  to  them," 
and  also  a  letter  from  New  York. 

This  letter,  which  we  think  all  will  regard  as  virtually  the 

closing  act  in  this  long  drama,  is  as  follows  : 

New  York,  April  26,  1859. 
Isaac  Scarritt,  Esq., — Dear  Sir  : 

Your  communication  of  April  iSth,  enclosing  a  minute  of  the  doings  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Alton,  was  duly  received,  and  was  laid  before  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee at  their  meeting  yesterday.  They  reciprocate  most  cordially  the  desire 
of  the  Presbytery  to  resume  the  co-operaLon  which  has  so  long  subsisted  between- 
this  Society  and  that  body,  in  the  work  of  home  missions  ;  and  the  only  ques- 
tion that  arose  in  considering  the  minute  forwarded  by  you,  respected  its  import 
as  to  a  single  point.  They  were  uncertain  whether  it  is  the  design  of  the  Presby- 
tery that  the  missionary  sustained  by  its  funds  shall  be  commissioned  by  this 
Society,  as  was  always  done  from  1840  to  1856,  or  should  act  independently,  as 
has  been  the  case  since  the  latter  date.  In  order  to  settle  this  question,  so  as  to- 
prevent  future  misunderstanding,  the  committee  adopted  tiiianimozisly  [who  yier&: 
present?  Ed.)  the  following  minute,  viz.  : 

"A  communication  having  been  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Alton,  enclos- 
ing a  minute  adopted  by  that  l.ody  at  its  late  meeting,  in  reference  to  the  'terms, 
of  co-operation ;  ' 

"  Resolved,  I.  That  the  Presbytery  be  informed  that  the  following  principles, 
govern  the  Society  in  co-operating  with  auxiliaries  and  ecclesiastical  bodies,  and 
this  committee  will  be  happy  to  co-operate  with  the  Presbytery  on  the  same- 
terms,  viz.: 

"  1st.  That  the  missionaries  laboring  within  the  bounds  of  an  auxiliary  or  ec- 
clesiastical body  be  commissioned  by  this  Society,  and  be  governed  in  their  labors 
by  its  principles. 

"2d.  That  the  funds  raised  on  the  field  be  applied  to  cancel  the  pledges  con- 
tained in  the  commissions,  and  be  acknowledged  by  the  Society  as  contributed 
to  its  treasury. 

"  3d.  That  the  churches  on  the  field  co-operate  cordially  with  the  Society  in. 
the  raising  of  funds,  and  contribute  yearly  to  its  treasury,  according  to  the  full 
measure  of  their  abihty. 

'^Resolved,  2,  That  this  committee  continue  to  regard  the  work  of  exploring 
and  occupying  new  fields  of  labor  as  one  of  great  importance,  and  by  sustaining 
general  exploring  agents,  and  other  itinerant  laborers,  having  missionary  circuits, 
more  or  less  extensive,  as  circumstances  may  require,  they  are  enabled  to  reach> 
every  portion  of  the  field,  and  carry  forward,  with  harmony  and  efficiency  every 
department  of  the  missionary  work.  As  soon  as  we  are  informed  that 

the  missionary  work  of  the  Presbytery  has  been  brought  into  harmony  with  these- 
principles,  the  way  will  be  open  to  render  aid  to  the  churches  within  its  bounds."" 
Very  respectfully  yours,  etc., 

D.  B.  COE,  Secretary,  etc. 


ALTON    PRESBYTERY    AND    A.  H.  M.  S.  535 

This  is  unmistakable.  For  once  we  will  give  the  A.  H. 
M.  S.  the  credit  of  plainly  showing  its  hand.  There  is  abund- 
ance of  fair  and  smooth  speech,  and  about  the  usual  amount 
of  verbosity;  but  there  is  point,  unmistakable  point.  We 
think  the  office,  Bible  House,  Astor  Place,  can  no  longer 
be  termed  as  we  once  heard  it,  "Circumlocution  Office," 
"  point  no  point!'  After  digging  underground  for  months 
and  years,  and  finding  themselves  unearthed,  they  suddenly 
spring  to  their  feet  exclaiming,  "we  stand  here  in  the  open 
sunlight,  zvhere  we  always  have  stood!' 

The  co-operation!  here  set  forth  is  this:  1st.  The  society 
propose  to  direct  and  control  every  missionary  laboring  in 
the  bounds  of  the  Presbytery, 

(2)  They  propose  that  the  churches  cordially  contribute 
all  their  missionary  funds  to  its  treasury. 

(3)  They  propose  to  take  entire  charge  of  the  pioneer,  or 
church  extension  work,  and,  finally, 

(4)  They  propose,  in  a  word,  to  "  carry  forward  every  de- 
partment of  the  Home  Missionary  Work." 

They  do  not  intend  our  General  Assembly's  Church  Ex- 
tension Committee  shall  have  a  dollar  to  expend,  or  a  place 
on  earth  to  set  their  foot.  Now  "  know  all  men 

by  these  presents,"  that  this  is  co-operation  as  understood 
at  the  Bible  House,  Astor  Place,  New  York ! 

But  amidst  all  this  outspokenness  there  is  a  touch  of  the 
old  diplomacy.  They  don't  understand  what  the  Presbytery 
mean  when  they  say, ' '  We  must  insist  upon  its  being  our  duty, 
our  jight,  and  an  imperative  Jiecessity  to  employ  an  exploring 
missionary  zvithin  our  bouiids  as  hitherto!'  What  language 
cozdd  be  plainer?  Why  do  the  Executive  Committee  stum- 
ble here  ?  Is  this  a  ruse  ?  And  did  the  Secretaries  imagine 
that  by  its  use  they  might  prevent  the  publication  of  the  ac- 
tion of  Presbytery  this  month,  prevent  its  being  brought  up 
at  the  next  meeting  of  the  Assembly,  and  thus,  by  gaining 
time,  have  the  game  in  their  own  hands  by  giving  the  starva- 
tion argument  longer  time  to  develop  its  irresistable  logic  ? 

We  are  sorry  to  suppose  it  possible  good  men  could  re- 
sort to  such  subterfuges,  but  experience  is  a  stern  teacher. 

It  is  painfully  apparent  that  the  Home  Missionary  Society 
is  not  what  it  was  when  Dr.  Absalom  Peters  and  Dr.  Charles 
Hall  were  its  Secretaries.  It  is  currently  believed 

now  to  be  essentially  a  one  man  pozuei  ;  and  that  the  Senior 
Secretary  is  the  talented,  if  not  disinterested   and  impartial 


536  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

pilot,  who  stands  at  its  helm,  and  is  guiding  it  with  ail  sails 
set  into  the  harbor  of  radical  independency ! 

1879.     Was  not  this  true  prophecy? 

The  above  action  of  Alton  Presbytery  was  indorsed  and 
sanctioned  by  that  of  Chicago  the  same  month,  and  the 
whole  was  sent  to  the  Assembly  as  a  memorial  in  May,  1859. 
The  action  of  the  Assembly  accorded  substantially  with  the 
plea  of  the  memorial.  The  way  being  thus  prepared,  the 
Assembly  of  1861  took  into  its  own  hand  its  entire  Home 
Missionary  work.  This  done,  the  greatest  barrier  to  the  re- 
union of  the  two  Assemblies  was  removed.  All  this  is  but 
another  illustration  of  the  maxim,  that  great  events  often  pro- 
ceed from  little  causes. 


James  S.  Walton  was  born  January  13,  1817,  In  Chester 
county,  Pa.  Graduated  at  Marietta  College  in  1843,  and  at 
Lane  Seminary  1846.  Ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Ath- 
ens, Ohio,  April  15,  1847.  Joined  Alton  Presbytery,  April 
8,  1859,  ^"*^  took  charge  of  Pana  church.  He,  or  rather  his 
wife,  taught  school  in  the  same  place.  He  was  an  able  ser- 
monizer,  but  became  so  deaf  as  to  be  unable  to  hear  his  own 
voice,  and  was  obliged  on  that  account  to  give  up  preaching. 
He  then  worked  at  the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  which  he  had 
learned  in  his  boyhood,  and  subsequently  on  his  farm  near 
Pana  until  his  death,  which  took  place  October   i,  1874. 


Almond  G.  Martin  was  born  in  Maumee,  Ohio,  January 
21,  1821.  Educated  at  Western  Reserve  College  and 
Seminary.  Ordained  by  Elyria  Presbytery  in  1849.  Joined 
Alton  Presbytery,  April,  1859.  Labored  at  Cairo,  111.  Was 
dismissed,  April  4,  1862,  to  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Joseph. 
In  1870  he  was  laboring  in  a  missionary  field  in  Fort  Wayne 
Presbytery.  He  is  now — 1879 — at  Thorp's  Spring,  Texas, 
and  is  still  a  member  of  Fort  Wayne  Presbytery,  but  with- 
out ministerial  charge. 


Mound  City  Church  was  organized,  February  6,  1859, 
by  Revs.  A.  T.  Norton  and  E.  B.  Olmsted,  with  ten  members. 
Adam  Mason,  Jacob  Skeen  and  Edward  H.  White,  elders. 
This  church  lived  but  a  short  time.     The  members  removed. 


MEETING    OF    PRESBYTERIES.  $37 

Another  church  of  the  same  name  was  organized  by  Revs. 
A.  T.  Norton  and  H.  B.  Thayer,  September  14,  1873,  with 
seven  members.  The  hcentiate,  William  B.  Minton,  was  lo- 
cated there.  His  success  for  a  time  was  very  encouraging. 
A  hall  for  religious  services  had  been  rented  and  a  cabinet 
organ  procured.  An  excellent,  public-spirited  gentleman, 
Mr.  Edwin  S.  Chester,  had  located  in  Mound  City  as  Super- 
intendent of  the  "  Handle  Works."  He  encouraged  this 
•church  movement  in  every  way.  But  before  many  months 
he  removed  and  took  the  business  with  him.  Mr.  Minton, 
too,  left  for  Anna,  and  this  second  Mound  City  church  has 
followed  the  first.  Possibly  one  or  two  members  may  yet  re- 
main. But  Mound  City  itself  is  well  nigh  extinct.  The 
business  and  the  people  are  gone.  The  buildings  are  mostly 
a  ruin. 

Alton  Presbytery  met  at  Belleville,  September  29,  1859. 
'C.  J.  Pitkin  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Illinois.  A. 
T.  Norton  resigned  as  Stated  Clerk,  and  C.  H.  Taylor  was 
appointed  in  his  place.  The  report  of  the  Missionary  Com- 
mittee was  encouraging.  The  contributions  for  Home  Mis- 
sions had  increased  one  hundred  per  cent.  Andrew  Luce  was 
installed  pastor  of  Belleville  church,  Sabbath  evening,  Octo- 
ber 2. 

The  Presbytery  of  Hillsboro  held  its  first  session  at 
Hillsboro,  commencing  November  27,  1858.  This  Presbytery 
was  constituted  by  the  Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s.,   in    October, 

1858,  and  comprised  the  counties  of  Bond,  Fayette,  Marion, 
Clay,  Effingham,  Montgomery,  Jersey  and  the  south  part  of 
Macoupin.  It  consisted  of  seven  ministers  and  seventeen 
churches.     The  same  Presbytery  met  at  Jerseyville,  April  8, 

1859.  Peter  Hassinger,  minister,  and  William  Lanterman, 
elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  next  Assembly.  Sando- 
val church  was  received.  John  Mack,  licentiate,  was  dis- 
missed to  the  Presbytery  of  Kansas.  Henry  Blanke  was 
-received  from  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis.  Samuel  Lynn 
was  installed  pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  church  of 
Jerseyville,  April  10.  A  called  meeting  was  held  at  Hills- 
boro, commencing  July  19.  David  R.  Todd,  licentiate,  was 
received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Miami,  examined  and  or- 
dained, sine  titulo,  July  22.  The  same  day  Alfred  N. 
X)enney   was   received.  The  fall  meeting  was  held 


538  PRESBYTEKIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS, 

at  Moro,  Rattan's  Prairie  church,  commencing  October 
7.  L.  B.  W.  Shryock  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Ebenezer.  R.  M.  Roberts  was  released  from  the  pastoral 
care  of  the  Hillsboro  church.  He  also  resigned  his  position 
as  Stated  Clerk,  and  T.  W.  Hynes  was  appointed  in  his 
place. 

Henry  Blanke,  a  German  preacher,  died  at  Bay,  Mo., 
February  25,  1873,  aged  fifty-three.  At  the  time  of  his 
death,  and  for  several  years  before,  he  was  a  member  of  St. 
Louis  Presbytery.   ,. 


David  R.  Todd  was  born  January  31,  1829,  in  Hanover 
township,  Dauphin  county,  Penn.  His  ancestors  were  from 
Ireland,  Presbyterian  in  belief.  He  fitted  for  college  at  Leb- 
anon Academy,  Warren  county,  Ohio,  and  graduated  at 
Washington  College,  Washington  county,  Penn.,  in  1852. 
He  studied  theology  at  Danville,  Ky.  He  was  licensed  by 
Miami  Presbytery  September  12,  1855;  ordained  1859;  be- 
gan preaching  in  Putnam  county,  Ind.,  to  the  churches  of 
Putnamville  and  Walnut  Hill.  Was  with  them  one  year  and 
a  half.  In  1857,  was  settled  over  the  churches  of  Jefferson 
and  Sugar  Creek,  Clinton  county,  Ind.  He  next  labored  at 
Flora  and  Xenia,  111.  Then,  in  succession,  at  Litchfield, 
Dawson  and  Williamsville,  same  State.  His  next  field  was 
Bethlehem  and  Union  churches,  Cass  county,  Ind.  In  Sept., 
1870,  he  removed  to  Jackson  county,  Kansas,  his  present 
field  of  labor.  His  father,  James  Todd,  a  tanner,  born  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1804,  near  Harrisburg,  Penn.,  was  drowned  in  the 
Susquehanna  river  when  the  son  was  only  two  years  of 
age.  He  was  taken  to  reside  with  his  grand-parents,  who  re- 
moved to  Warren  county,  Ohio,  in  1831.  He  married,  March 
23,  1858,  Miss  Carrie  N.  Baker,  of  Jefferson,  Clinton  county,. 
Ind.,  daughter  of  A.  Baker,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  State 
of  Indiana.  Mr.  Todd  has  a  family  of  five  children :  Irene 
E.,  born  March  8,  1861  ;  Kate  Lizzie,  November  2,  1863; 
David  Abner  and  Carrie  Baker,  twins,  May  8,  1856;  Jennie 
Joy,  May  6,  1877. 


T — Lazarus  B.  W.  Shryock — was  born  near  the  village  of 
New  Salem   (now   Delmont),   Westmoreland  county,  Penn., 


L.  B.  W.   SHRYOCH.  539 

July,  1826,  within  the  bounds  of  the  Presbyterian  congrega- 
tion of  Congruity,  Presbytery  of  Blairsville.  Under  the  min- 
istry of  Rev.  Samuel  McFarran,  D,  D.,  I  was  baptized,  and 
made  a  profession  of  religion  in  my  twentieth  year. 

My  ancestors,  on  my  father's  side,  came  from  the  Rhine 
(Palatinate),  1733.  They  were  Lutherans.  On  my  mother's — 
whose  name  was  Wilson — they  came  over  about  the  time  of 
the  founding  of  Penn's  colony,  and  were  "  Friends."  My  ac- 
ademic education  was  obtained  mainly  at  Richmond  Classi- 
cal Institute  (afterwards  college),  Jefferson  county,  Ohio. 
My  college  course  was  taken  at  Jefferson  College,  Cannons- 
burg,  Penn.,  from  which  I  was  graduated  August  3,  185 1. 
My  theological  education  was  pursued  at  Harrodsburg,  Ky., 
under  the  direction  of  the  Rev.  John  Montgomery,  D.  D.,  my 
pastor  at  that  time.  I  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Transylvania  at  their  sitting  in  Danville,  Ky.,  April  22,  1853. 
I  was  ordained,  si)ie  titnlo,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Ebenezer  at 
Covington,  Ky.,  Nov.  15,  1855.  I  removed  to  Marion  county, 
111.,  Sept.,  1859,  to  take  charge  of  the  churches  of  Salem  and 
Sandoval,  and  occupy  Kinmundy,  where  I  organized  a 
church  in  the  winter  following.  After  the  war  came  on  and 
since,  I  have  labored  in  Indiana  and  Iowa,  and  am  now  un- 
der call  to  the  churches  of  Hamilton  and  Wythe,  Presbytery 
of  Schuyler,  and  also  the  churches  of  Leon  and  Garden 
Grove,  Presbytery  Des  Moines.  One  of  these  calls  I  shall 
accept.  I  was  married  August  5,  1852,  to  Miss 

Elizabeth  Abraham,  at  Steubenville,  Ohio,  who  still  sur- 
vives. We  have  had  three  children,  all  now  living :  William 
T.,  born  May  28,  1853;  Everett  H.,  born  October  21,  1857, 
and  Anna  VVilson,  born  November  26,  1865. 

Every  man's  life  is  an  interesting  book  to  himself,  and  it 
ought  to  be  to  him  an  instructive  one,  as  evincing  the  out- 
working of  the  purposes  of  a  superintending  Providence. 
Mine  has  proved  to  me  the  great  value  of  faithful,  early  parent- 
al and  pastoral  training — the  importance  of  good  and  industri- 
ous habits,  and  the  inestimable  power  over  a  human  life  of 
the  word  of  God  well  imbedded  in  the  warp  and  woof  of  the 
early  life. 

Sandoval  Church  was  organized  this  year,  with  four 
members — A.  Anderson,  elder.  This  church  never  had  much 
efficiency  or  success.  The  New  School  bouy,  supposing  it 
to  be  extinct,  or  at   least  in  avticulo  mortis,  organized  here 


540  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

March  4  and  5,  1865.  Frederick  E.  Robinson,  elder,  and 
William  H.  Bird,  minister.  For  a  time  this  church  grew  and 
gave  good  promise  of  an  useful  career.  But  these  promises 
all  failed.  The  members  nearly  all  removed,  and  the  church 
was  dissolved  by  Presbytery,  October  10,  1868.  The  o. 
s.  church  continued  awhile  longer  in  name,  but  for  the  most 
part  without  the  ordinances,  until  all  that  was  left  of  it — in- 
cluding the  elder — joined  a  Congregational  church  which 
had  been  established  in  the  place. 

The  Presbytery  of  Saline  was  organized  by  the  Synod 
of  Illinois,  o.  s.,  at' their  session  in  Peoria,  October  8,  1S58, 
and  made  to  include,  in  general  terms,  the  southeastern  part 
of  the  State.  Its  first  session  was  to  have  been  with  the 
Wabash  church,  on  the  fourth  Saturday  of  November,  1858. 
But  that  meeting  failed,  and  the  moderator,  S.  C.  Baldrige, 
called  the  Presbytery  together  at  Friendsville,  Wabash 
county.  May  5,  1859.  John  Crozier,  minister,  and  John  F. 
Younken,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  Assembly. 
David  McKnight    was    licensed.  The  fall  meet- 

ing was  held  at  Olney,  commencing  October  8.  This  Pres- 
bytery had  a  territory  of  sixteen  counties,  but  at  first  only 
four  ministers  and  nine  churches. 

The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Danville,  October  7, 
1859.  Resolutions  of  co-operation  with  the  trustees  of 
Blackburn  Theological  Seminary  in  the  objects  of  that  insti- 
tution were  adopted,  and  a  Committee  of  Visitation  ap- 
pointed. The  cause  of  Church  Extension  received  much  at- 
tention, and  the  forward  movements  of  the  several  Presby- 
teries of  the  Synod  and  of  the  Assembly  in  that  cause,  re- 
ceived unanimous  and  enthusiastic  approval. 

The  Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s.,  met  at  Paris,  Edgar  county, 
October  12,  1859.  Seven  Presbyteries  were  represented,  in- 
cluding the  two  new  ones  of  Hillsboro  and  Saline.  The 
bounds  of  Saline  Presbytery  were  extended  in  its  northwest 
part  so  as  to  include  Marion  county,  and  Rev.  L.  B.  W. 
Shryock  located  at  Sandoval. 

YEAR  i860. 

Illinois  Presbytery  met  at  Carlinville,  March  12,  i860. 
William    L.   Tarbet  was    received    from    the   Presbyiery   of 


WILLIAM    L.  TARBET,  54I 

North  Alabama,  Arrangements  were  made  for  his  installa- 
tion over  the  church  of  Virden  on  the  second  Sabbath  of 
May,  i860.  A  petition  signed  b}'  thirty-three  members  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Jacksonville  was  presented, 
asking  to  be  organized  into  a  new  church,  to  be  called  "  The 
Westminster  Presbyterian  church  of  Jacksonville."  A  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  organize  the  church.  J.  C,  Dow- 
ner, minister,  and  H.  Ellis,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend 
the  Assembly. 


William  L.  Tarbet.  I  give  the  sketch  in  his  own  lan- 
guage, but  adding  these  facts.  He  is  a  Trustee  of  Black- 
burn University  and  Secretary  of  the  Board.  His  whole  pas- 
toral work  is  perfectly  systematized.  In  particular  is  his 
plan  for  raising  funds  for  benevolent  causes  the  most  com- 
plete and  successful  in  the  Synod,  or  the  State,  He  was- 
born  to  demonstrate  that  order,  system,  promptness  and  reg- 
ularity are  as  important  and  valuable  in  religious  as  in  secular 
affairs, 

"  I  was  born  in  Blount  county,  East  Tenn.,  August  8,  1825. 
My  ancestors  on  both  sides  were  Scotch,  My  maternal 
grandfather,  David  Eagleton,  was  brought  up  in  Edinburgh. 
They  were  of  the  Calvinistic  belief  I  was  instructed  by  my 
parents  until  my  sixteenth  year,  when  I  became  a  pupil  of 
the  Rev,  Hugh  King  Shields,  who  had  charge  of  the  acad- 
emy in  Savannah,  Hardin  county,  Middle  Tenn,,  a  village  to 
which  my  parents  removed  in  the  winter  of  1833,  I  re- 
mained in  the  academy  about  three  years,  when  I  entered 
Jackson  College  in  Maury  county,  Middle  Tenn,  I  was 
graduated  in  the  summer  of  1847.  I  taught  in  the  academy 
in  Savannah  the  following  year,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1848  I 
entered  Lane  Seminary,  and  studied  under  Drs,  Beecher^ 
Stowe  and  Allen.  I  left  the  seminary  in  the  summer  of  1850, 
returned  to  Tennessee  and  taught  two  years  in  the  academy 
at  Lawrenceburg.  I  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Richland,  April,  185 1,  in  what  was  called  "The  Brick 
Church,"  Giles  county.  I  was  ordained  by  the  same  body, 
October,  185 1,  during  its  meeting  in  the  Elk  Ridge  church, 
in  Giles  county.  I  was  consecrated  to  the  work 

of  serving  God  in  the  ministry  of  his  Son  by  a  godly  mother, 
whose  prayers  are  among  the  first  things  in  my  recollection. 
My  first  field  of  labor  was  composed  of  the  churches  of  Cor- 


542  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

nersville  and  Brick  Church  in  Giles  county,  Tenn.  My  next 
field  was  in  Nashville,  Tenn.  I  remained  there  about  eight 
months,  when  I  returned  to  Giles  county  and  became  stated 
supply  to  Bethany  church.  I  continued  with  that  church  about 
three  years,  when  I  received  a  call  to  the  Presbyterian  church 
in  Virden,  Macoupin  county.  111.  I  entered  this  field,  May, 
1859,  and  here  the  great  head  of  the  Church  has  continued 
me  until  this  present.  I  was  installed  pastor  of  this  church, 
May  13,  i860.  I  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 

Emma  Hall  Calvert,  June  13,  1854,  at  Bowling  Green,  Ky., 
by  the  Rev.  Edward  McMillan.  There  have  been  born  unto 
us  three  daughtersand  two  sons.  Two  daughters  have  been 
removed  to  the  heavenly  kingdom.  Mary  Lyon,  born  Jan- 
uary 22,  1855,  died  April  6,  1874;  and  Ellen  G.,  born 
August  12,  1857,  died  August  13,  1857.  Our  surviving 
children  are  William  L.,  born  January  21,  1859;  Henry  B., 
born  November  18,  1861,  and  Emma  H.,  born  December  5, 
1864. 

William  L.  Tarbet." 

Virden,  Decembr  3,  1878. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  held  their  fall  meeting  with 
Pisgah  church,  commencing  September  6,  i860.  Martin  P, 
Ormsby,  licentiate,  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Ca- 
yuga. He  and  Norman  A.  Prentiss  were  examined,  and  on 
Sabbath,  September  9,  i860,  ordained.  Prairie  Bird  church 
was  enrolled  this  year  by  this  Presbytery, 


Prairie  Bird  Church,  Shelby  county.  Prarie  Bird  is  a 
would-be  village  (no  plat  recorded),  with  a  population  of 
about  fifty.  The  village  and  Presbyterian  church  building 
are  in  T.  12  N.,  R.  3  E.,  S.  19,  S.  E.  quarter.  The  church  site 
is  two  acres.  Cemetery  on  it.  The  church  was  organized  by 
Geo.  C.  Wood,  missionary  of  the  Presbytery  of  Illinois,  April 
8,  i860,  with  these  members:  Robert  Burke,  Esther  Burke 
David  Ewing,  Evelyn  Ewing,  Elizabeth  Fulton,  Geo.  B.  Hill, 
Elizabeth  Hill,  Jane  Feckner,  Mrs.  Sarah  Armstrong,  Mrs. 
Mary  Ann  Jackson,  Sarah  Hill,  Robert  Harper,  Margaret 
Harper,  Zadock  Lanham,  Jane  Gardner,  Jacob  Lair,  Lois 
B.  Lair,  Emily  Piatt,  Geo.  Griggs,  Christiana  Griggs,  Eleanor 
Griggs,  Aaron  Griggs,  Mrs.  Sarah  Hunter,  Mrs.  Sarah  Am- 
lin,  James  Hutchinson,  Dr.  John  H.  Quown.     Elders  :  Da- 


WESTMINSTER    CHURCH.  543 

vid  Evving,  Geo.  B.  Hill,  George  Griggs,  the  first.  After- 
wards appointed:  James  Moore,  M.  D.  Lane,  John  B. 
Smith,  Anderson  Hunter.  Ministers:  J.  S.  Walton,  1862; 
Eli  W.  Taylor,  two  years,  from  June,  1863  ;  G.  A.  Pollock, 
ordained  over  the  church  June  2,  1866 — continued  until 
1869;  J.  D.  Jenkins,  November,  1874,  or  sooner,  till  end  of 
1875  ;  Adam  Johnston,  January,  1877,  and  still  continues. 
The  house  of  worship — frame — was  erected  in  1857,  and  cost 
eight  hundred  dollars.  Shelbyville  church  was  organized  in  a 
barn,  at  the  place  now  called  Prairie  Bird. 


Westminster  Church,  Jacksonville,  was  organized  by  a 
committee  of  Illinois  Presbytery  May  13,  i860,  in  the  Con- 
gregational church,  with  forty-five  members — thirty-five  of 
these  were  from  the  First  church.  Elders  :  David  A.  Smith 
and  Henry  Jones,  M.  D.  Elders  since  appointed  :  Augus- 
tus R.  Barber,  Wm.  Russell,  Wm.  C.  Stevenson,  Joshua 
Moore,  John  M.  Brown,  William  E.  Capps.  Of  these  eight, 
David  A.  Smith  and  Joshua  Moore  have  died.  Ministers: 
David  A.  Hamilton,  D.  D.,  pastor,  began  October  i,  i860, 
.and  remained  till  December  31,  1871.  This  pastorate  was 
pleasant  both  to  pastor  and  people,  and  fruitful  in  good  re- 
.sults.  The  additions  were  two  hundred — fifty-nine  by  let- 
ter, and  one  hundred  and  forty-one  by  examination,  H.  V. 
D.  Nevius  was  installed  November  17,  1872.  He  remained 
but  eighteen  months.  Samuel  M.  Morton  began  his  labors 
here  on  the  last  Sabbath  of  October,  1874,  and  was  installed 
October  27,  1875.  He  still  remains.  The  church  edifice  is 
on  the  corner  of  College  avenue  and  Westminster  street.  It 
was  erected  in  the  summer  of  i860,  and  dedicated  in  the 
fall  of  that  year.  In  1866  great  improvements  were  made. 
Among  them  was  the  erection  of  a  tower,  in  which  is  a  bell 
weighing  3,500  pounds.  These  improvements  cost  ^8,000. 
In  1875  ;^2,500  more  were  expended  upon  the  building, 
making  the  whole  cost  of  the  property,  as  it  now  stands, 
$ij,^oo.  The  annual  expenses  have  averaged  ^2,700.  The 
benevolent  contributions  have  aggregated,  up  to  July,  1876, 
$14,818 — an  average  of  nine  hundred  and  twenty-six  dollars 
annually.  There  have  been  connected  with  this  church, 
down  to  July,  1876,  three  hundred  and  twenty-one  persons. 


544  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Martin  P.  Ormsby — In  his  own  words.  I  was  born  June 
I,  1830,  in  Underbill,  Vt.,  of  American  parents,  belonging  to 
the  Baptist  church.  However,  two  uncles,  on  my  mother's 
side,  Rev.  Calvin  Butler  and  Rev.  Joseph  Butler,  were  Pres- 
byterian ministers.  Was  educated  in  a  law  office  and  in 
Auburn  Theological  Seminary.  Was  licensed  by  Cayuga 
Presbytery  in  the  spring  of  1859,  and  ordained  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Illinois  in  the  fall  of  i860.  Labored  about  a  year 
at  Shelbyville,  two  years  each  at  Wilmington  and  Mt.  Car- 
roll, five  and  a  half  years  at  Minonk,  a  year  at  Winchester,, 
and  seven  years  at  Eureka,  111.,  where  I  now  am.  Was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  M.  Ca'tharine  Huffman  December  25,  i860,  at 
Shelbyville,  but  the  Lord  has  given  us  no  children. 


Norman  A.  Prentiss  was  born  at  Prattsburg,  Steuben- 
county,  N.  Y.,  January  12,  1829.  Graduated  at  Amherst 
College,  Mass.,  in  1854.  Became  principal  of  a  seminary 
in  Danville,  111.,  in  the  same  year.  In  1857  he  took  charge 
of  the  Presbyterian  academy  of  Carrollton,  111.  From  thence 
to  Warsaw,  111.,  as  superintendent  of  the  public  schools  in 
that  city.  Ordained  September  9,  i860,  by  Illinois  Presby- 
tery. In  1867  he  went  to  Philadelphia,  Penn.  He  was  sup- 
ply, pastor  of  Mantua  Second  Presbyterian  church,  West 
Philadelphia,  for  about  two  years.  He  then  was  pastor  of  a 
Congregational  church,  La  Salle,  III,  for  about  four  years. 
He  is  now  pastor  of  the  First  Congregational  church,  Aurora,^ 
111.  He  married  Miss  Caroline  Hovey,  of   Cov- 

entry, Ct.  He  would  prefer  to  be  in  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
but  of  late  years  his  lot  has  been  cast  with  another  denomi- 
nation. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  with  Pleasant  Ridge 
church,  Randolph  county,  April  13,  i860,  W.  R.  Sim,  min- 
ister, and  Hugh  Adams,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the 
next  Assembly.  The   fall   meeting  was  held  at 

Nashville,  Washington  county,  commencing  Oct.  5.  Mas- 
coutah  church  was  received.  A.  A.  Morrison  was  dismissed 
to  the  Presbytery  of  Highland.  Arrangements  were  made 
for  the  installation  of  F.  H.  L.  Laird,  pastor  of  Carlyle 
church,  on  the  28th  inst.  D.  A.  Wallace  was  elected  Stated 
Clerk. 


BEMEXT    CHURCH.  545 

jMascoutah  Cpiurch  was  organized  i\Iay  12,  i860,  with 
nine  members,  Jacob  Sullivan,  elder.  It  was  dissolved  by- 
Presbytery  April  II,  1868,  and  its  members  directed  to  at- 
tach themselves  to  the  church  of  Trenton. 


The  Presbytery  of  Wabash  met  at  Neoga,  April  27, 
i860.  Joseph  Wilson,  minister,  and  Wm.  M.  Allison,  elder, 
were  appointed  to  attend  the  Assembly.  The  name  of  Long 
Point  church  was  changed  to  that  of  Neoga.  Bement  church 
was  received.  Tuscola  church — old  school — was,  at  their 
own  request,  received  under  the  care  of  this  Presbytery. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Cerro  Gordo,  September  29, 
i860.  The  Presbytery  took  occasion  to  express  their  confi- 
dence in  the  general  good  management  of  the  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society,  and  their  dissent  from  the  course  of  the 
"  Presbytery  Reporter,"  in  calling  in  question  that  manage- 
ment. They  do  not  make  it  matter  of  record  that  the  price 
of  this  sycophancy  was  the  lifting  from  them  of  the  Society's 
ban.  However,  when  they  found  the  Assembly  was  sustain- 
ing the  positions  of  the  Alton  and  Chicago  Presbyteries,  and 
of  the  "  Presbytery  Reporter,"  they  wheeled  into  line. 


Bement  Church  was  organized  August  29,  1869,  by  Rev. 
T.  P.  Emerson,  in  the  Methodist  church  building,  with  these 
members  :  Mr.  E.  C.  Camp,  Mrs.  E.  J.  Camp,  Mrs.  Mary 
Ellen  Camp,  William  Newton,  Mrs.  Margaret  Newton,  Mrs. 
Sarah  E.  Bryant,  Mrs.  E.  P.  Swanny.  Elders  :  E.  C.  Camp, 
William  Newton,  Geo.  Sanford,  William  M.  Camp,  John  H. 
Murphy,  L.  W.  Brodman.  The  rotary  system  was  adopted 
in  1872.  Ministers:  T.  P.Emerson,  S.  A.  Hammer,  B.  F. 
Sharp,  A.  W.  Ringland,  who  is  still  in  charge. 

Present  membership,  one  hundred  and  eight. 

The  church  building  was  begun  1870.  The  basement  was 
completed  the  same  year.  The  audience  room  in  February, 
1876.  Whole  cost,  ^11,240.  This  church  is  in  a  healthy, 
growing  condition.  There  was  an  earlier  organization,  n.  s., 
about  i860. 

The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  at  York,  April  12, 
i860.  Ellis  Howell,  minister,  and  J.  P.  Mitchell,  elder,  were 
appointed  to  attend  the   Assembly.      The    name   of  Bethel 

35 


546  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

church  was  changed  to  Oakland.  The  fall  meet- 

ing was  held  at  Grandview,  commencing  September  4.  E. 
W.  Thayer  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Sangamon. 
H.  I.  Venable  was  installed  pastor  of  Oakland  church,  May 
19,  i860.  Charles  P.  Spining  was  ordained  pastor  of  the 
Grandview  church,  September  5,  i860.  At  a  called  meeting, 
November  26,  Henry  T.  Morton  was  dismissed  to  the  Presby- 
tery of  Louisville. 


Charles  P.  Seining. — Auto-biographical. — 1  was  born 
at  Oxford,  Ohio,  September  12,  1830.  My  ancestors  on  my 
father's  side  came  from  England  and  Holland  On  my  moth- 
er's side,  from  Holland  and  France.  Both  branches  of  the 
family  when  they  came  to  this  country  settled  near  Elizabeth- 
town,  N.  J.  In  1797  my  grandfather,  on  my  father's  side,  re- 
moved from  New  Jersey  and  settled  for  a  short  time  near 
Cincinnati,  and  then  located  permanently  near  Dayton,  Mont- 
gomery county,  Ohio.  About  the  same  time  my  grandfather, 
on  my  mother's  side,  Peter  Perlee,  located  at  Lebanon,  War- 
ren county,  Ohio.  My  ancestors  were  of  the 
Presbyterian  faith.  My  father,  C.  H.  Spining  (who  at  this 
date  is  still  living  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-six),  has  been  for  more  than  fifty  years  a  ruling  elder. 
The  greater  part  of  this  period  he  has  been  connected  with 
the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Dayton.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  I  was  sent  to  Dayton  to  enter  a  high 
school,  where  I  remained  three  years.  I  then  attended  the 
university  at  Charlottesville,  Va.,  for  two  years.  Having 
spent  a  short  time  in  teaching  school  in  Indiana,  I  removed 
with  my  brother  George  to  Illinois,  where  we  together  bought 
a  farm  near  Paris,  Edgar  county.  In  the  autumn  of  1855  I 
entered  the  Theological  Seminary  at  New  Albany.  This 
was  the  last  session  of  the  seminary  at  that  place.  I  was 
licensed  April  i,  1858.  On  the  4th  of  May,  1858.  I  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Brooks,  daughter  of  Mr.  Thomas 
M.  Brooks,  of  Edgar  county,  111.  A  few  weeks  after  my 
marriage  I  took  charge  of  Mt.  Carmel  church  for  one  year. 
August  21,  1859,  I  took  charge  of  the  Grandview  church, 
and  was  ordained  its  pastor.  The  whole  of  my  ministerial 
labors  with  this  church,  as  supply  and  pastor,  covered  a  pe- 
riod of  eight  years.  The  membership  in  actual  attendance 
when    I    took    charge    was    about  eighty-five.     The  acces- 


MEETING    OF    PRESBYTERIES.  54/ 

-•sions  to  the  church,  by  examiaatioa  and  certificate,  were 
about  fifty.  The  first  Sabbath    in  July,  1867,  I 

■commenced  preaching  to  the  church  of  Warsaw,  Ind.,  but 
in  August,  1868,  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Iowa  City,  Iowa, 
taking  charge  of  the  Fairview  and  Solon  churches.  I  re- 
mained with  Fairview  church  three  years  and  a  half — with 
Solon  only  two  years.  In  the  spring  of  1873  I  removed  to 
Poweshiek  county,  Iowa,  taking  charge  of  the  Deep  River 
and  Montezuma  churches.  I  have  had  eight  children.  Two 
have  died.  Lillie,  my  oldest  child,  a  daughter  of  three  years, 
was  taken  away  from  us  with  the  disease  of  small-pox  while  at 
Grandview,  111.  Our  fourth  daughter,  Mary,  died  at  Warsaw, 
Ind.,  in  infancy.  My  living  children  are  as  follows:  Jennie 
Perlee,  in  her  eighteenth  year ;  Essie  Brown,  in  her  sixteenth 
year;  Charles  Martyn,  in  his  fourteenth  year ;  Flora  Amanda, 
in  her  ninth  year;  William  Brooks,  in  his  sixth  year,  and 
Grace  Gertrude,  in  her  fourth  year.  I  shall  ever  have  cause 
-of  gratitude  to  God  for  the  religious  instruction,  the  godly 
•example  and  constant  prayers   of  my  faithful  cojv'ANIox. 

C.    P.    S PINING. 

Davenport,  Iowa,  1S79. 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  met  at  Decatur,  April  10, 
i860.  C.  P.  Jennings,  minister,  and  Jacob  F.  Bergen,  elder, 
were  appointed  to  attend  the  Assembly.  A.  C.  Gish,  elder 
in  Auburn  church,  having  avowed  himself  a  Universalist,  was 
deposed  from  the  eldership  and  suspended  from  the  commu- 
nion of  the  church.  August  30,  i860,  the  Presbytery  met 
at  Petersburg.  P.  D.  Young  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery 
■of  Bloomington.  October    13  the  fall  meeting 

commenced  at  Decatur.  E.  W.  Thayer  was  received  from 
the  Presbytery  of  Palestine.  This  year  the  Pana,  o.  s., 
church  was  enrolled.     It  had  but  a  brief  existence. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Jersey ville,  April  12, 
i860,  George  W.  G3odale,  of  the  Presbytery  of  Blooming- 
tou,  David  Dimond,  of  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis,  and  C. 
H.  Foote,  of  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick  were  re- 
ceived. C.  H.  Taylor,  minister,  and  J.  G.  Lamb,  elder,  were 
■elected  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  C.  H.  Foote  was 
installed  pastor  of  the  Jerseyville  church. 


548  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Charles  Henry  Foote  was  born  at  Lenox,  Mass.,  June 
17,  1825,  same  day  the  corner-stone  of  Bunker  Hill  monu- 
ment was  laid.  His  ancestry  were  Scotch-Irish.  His  pre- 
paratory education  was  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.  His  collegiate 
at  Williams  College,  where  he  graduated  in  1849.  Studied 
law  two  years  with  Judge  Humphreys,  Rochester,  N.  Y.  His 
theological  course  was  taken  at  Princeton.  Licensed  by  the 
Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick,  February  8,  1854.  Ordained 
by  the  same  body  pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  church, 
New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  July  20,  1854.  Installed  pastor  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  Jerseyville,  111.,  April  15,  i860;  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  Cairo,  April  20,  1867  ;  the  North  churcli,, 
St.  Louis,  1871  ;  of  the  Walnut  Street  Presbyterian  church, 
Evansville,  Ind.,  1875.  Called  to  the  Presbyterian  church," 
Ionia,  Mich.,  1878.  In  these  several  fields  there  were  added 
under  his  ministry,  at  New  Branswick,  sixty-five ;  Jersey- 
ville, one  hundred  and  twenty-one ;  Cairo,  one  hundred  an  d 
nine ;  St.  Louis,  two  hundred  and  ninety-six ;  Evansville, 
one  hundred  and  thirty-eight;  in  first  five  months  at  Ionia — - 
where  he  still  is — fifteen.  Total,  seven  hundred  and  forty- 
four.  Married  June  13,  1854.  His  children — Bessie  Green^ 
born  August  10,  1855,  died  January  17,  1856.  Carrie  Palmer, 
born  June  11,  1857,  died  October  16,  1859.  Mary  Scott, 
born  August  19,  1861.  He  says:  "The  anxiety,  conversa- 
tion and  prayers  of  my  mother,  under  the  Spirit,  influenced 
me  to  enter  the  ministry.  The  advice  of  Judge  Humphrey,, 
with  whom  I  studied  law,  who  said,  '  You  had  better  go  to 
the  seminary,  for  when  you  come  to  die  you  will  die  a  hap- 
pier man  as  a  minister  than  as  a  lawyer,'  settled  the  matter. 
My  lot  and  life  as  a  minister  have  been  better  than  I  hoped.. 
God  has  been  good  to  me.  The  churches  I  have  ministered 
to  have  taken  me  at  my  best.  My  brethren  in  the  ministry 
have  honored  me  with  their  confidence.  The  degree  of  D. 
D.  was  conferred  by  Blackburn  University  in  1871.'' 


George  W.  Goodale. — From  his  own  pen. — I  was  born  in 
the  town  of  West  Boylston,  Worcester  county,  Mass.,  May 
I,  1 82 1.  My  ancestors  were  of  the  Puritan  stock.  I  was  of 
the  sixth  generation  from  Robert  Goodale,  who,  with  his 
wife,  embarked  at  Ipswich,  England,  in  1634,  and  landed  at 
Salem,  Mass.  The  numerous  descendants  of  that  family  are 
now  scattered  through  nearly  all  the  Northern   and  Western 


GEORGE    W.    GOODALE.  549 

"States,  a  large  portion  engaged  in  agriculture,  few  in  the 
learned  professions,  and  still  fewer  in  politics.  But  one  of  the 
name  has  been  known  to  live  by  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liq- 
uors, and  the  history  of  the  family  tells  of  no  drunkards. 
But  few  families  represent  Puritan  faith  and  Puritan  habits 
better  than  the  Goodales.  Deacons  were  abundant  among 
them ;  patriots  not  a  few,  and  many  champions  in  the  cause 
of  anti-slavery.  The  good  old  writings  of  Calvin,  Baxter, 
Doddridge,  Edwards  and  Payson  were  their  meat  and  drink. 
This  son  of  such  sires  early  developed  the  hereditary  taste 
for  such  reading,  and  almost  from  my  earliest  recollection  de- 
termined to  be  a  Christian.  Misconceived  ideas  as  to  what 
►conversion  was  prevented  me  from  making  a  public  profes- 
sion of  faith  in  Christ  until  eighteen  years  of  age.  My  early 
life  was  not  without  good  Sabbath  school  instruction  and  pul- 
pit teaching.  Public  schools  had  laid  a  good  foundation  in 
letters.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  I  commenced  a  prepara- 
tory collegiate  course  at  Groton,  Mass.,  and  graduated  at 
Amherst  in  the  class  of  1848.  About  the  time  I 

imade  a  public  profession  of  religion,  Dr.  Bullard,  formerly  of 
.St.  Louis,  presented  the  need  of  men  and  means  for  the 
West.  The  purpose  was  then  formed  to  qualify,  as  well  as 
rmeans  would  admit,  and  respond  to  the  Doctor's  Macedo- 
nian call.  I  was  then  an  apprentice  ;  but  as  soon  as  my  time 
was  out,  and  I  could  choose  my  way,  I  laid  dov^n  my  tools, 
settled  with  my  late  employer,  received  his  note  for  twenty- 
five  dollars,  the  balance  due  me,  and  started  for  school. 
Here  I  met  other  young  men  with  quite  limited  means,  who 
were  looking  forward  to  a  course  of  study  that  should  qualify 
them  for  the  gospel  ministry.  What  others  could  do  I  was 
sure  I  could,  and  relying  upon  my  twenty-five  dollar  note, 
and  my  own  efforts,  I  commenced  the  study  of  the  Latin 
grammar  and  Greek  lessons.  Soon  after  I  visited  my  father 
and  told  him  my  purpose  and  that  I  needed  classical  books. 
His  faith  and  funds  were  not  equal  to  the  occasion.  He,  how- 
ever, gave  me  a  wood-pile  and  use  of  team  to  haul  it  to  mar- 
ket. I  very  soon  converted  it  into  about  fourteen  dollars' 
worth  of  books  and  took  them  home  with  much  satisfaction. 
After  examing  for  a  while  the  contents  of  my  bundle  of  books, 
he  carefully  laid  them  down  and,  with  a  serious  tone,  said  : 
"  George,  it  is  a  pity  to  waste  so  much  money."  Those  lexi- 
cons are  still  by  me  as  I  write  this  reminiscence.  My  natural 
^diffidence  led  me  to  think  that  perhaps  public  speaking  was 


550  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

not  my  calling.  I  loved  teaching,  and  was  not  without  tes- 
timony of  success  in  that  department  of  labor,  It  seemed 
to  me  not  much  below  the  ministry  as  a  field  for  usefulness. 
I  had  reason  to  think  that  I  had  already  led  several  of  my  pu- 
pils to  Christ.  I  believed  I  could  reach  a  class  that  a  preacher 
could  not.  At  this  time  I  had  an  unexpected  call  to  take 
the  charge  of  an  important  school  in  Sag  Harbor,  N.  Y.  It 
seemed  to  be  the  Lord's  ordering  and  I  accepted.  With  this 
situation  and  a  pretty  good  salary,  I  married,  September  15, 
1849,  Miss  Mary  Hope,  of  Clinton,  Hunterdon  county,  N.  J.,, 
and  elected  her  first  assistant  in  my  school.  At 

the  end  of  three  years,  failing  health  induced  me  to  give  up 
teaching  for  a  time,  try  the  climate  of  the  West  and  a  more 
active  life.  We  settled  in  Wenona,  Marshall  county,  111, 
While  in  the  employ  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany, I  gathered  a  Presbyterian  church  at  that  new  railroad 
station  and  acepted  the  office  of  ruling  elder. 

The  Presbytery  of  Peoria  and  Knox  wanted  me  to  enter 
the  ministry.  I  gave  reasons  substantially  as  above.  Presby- 
tery thought  they  should  not  be  sustained.  T  then  proposed  to 
be  loyal  to  their  government, and  submitted  to  an  examination. 
I  was  licensed   September  6,  1856.  In  the  redi- 

vision  of  the  Synod  into  Presbyteries,  Wenona  fell  to  Bloom- 
ington  Presbytery,  and  I  was  by  them  ordained  at  Washing- 
ton, Tazewell  county,  soon  after.  My  first  charge 
was  the  church  at  Kappa,  111.,  with  El  Paso  as  a  preaching 
station.  Soon  after  entering  that  field,  the  Lord  gave  His 
approval  to  my  ministry  by  converting  a  goodly  number  of 
my  hearers.  Had  ft  not  been  for  this,  I  should  have  doubted 
the  wisdr  n  of  Presbytery  in  setting  me  to  the  work. 

During  my  ministry  at  El  Paso,  111.,  a  church  was  organ- 
ized there,  composed  of  New  School  Presbyterians  and  Con- 
gregationalists.  Through  the  persistent  efforts  of  "  one  wo- 
man," a  majority  of  Presbyterians  gave  way  and  the  church 
adopted  the  Congregational  order.  This  church  was  marked 
"  vacant "  in  the  next  published  minutes  of  the  Association, 
and  a  man  was  sent  to  candidate  for  the  pastorate  which  I  was 
still  holding.  At  this  time  the  friction  was  considerable  be- 
tween the  two  bodies.  In  Dec,  1859,  I  accepted  a  more  ho- 
mogeneous field  at  Vandalia,  III.  After  nearly  three  years'  la- 
bor here,  I  resigned  to  take  the  charge  of  the  incipient  college 
at  Carbondale,  having  been  elected  to  that  trust  by  the  joint 
action  of  Alton   Presbytery  and  the  trustees  of  that  inst'tu- 


GEORGE    W.    GOODALE.  55 1 

tion.  The  war  and  its  influences  paralyzed  our  efforts  there, 
and  eventually  caused  the  loss  of  that  valuable  property  to 
the  object  originally  designed.  Finding  my  efforts  hindered 
at  Carbondale,  I  accepted  the  invitation  of  Col.  Pease  to  as- 
sist in  collecting  his  regiment  of  volunteers,  and  serve  as 
chaplain.  In  this  work  I  continued  until  his  regiment  was 
consolidated  with  Col.  Morrison's,  which  together  constituted 
the  Forty-Ninth  Illinois.  Col.  Morrison's  chaplain  went  on 
with  the  army,  while  I  accepted  the  charge  of  the  church  of 
Greenville,  under  the  care  of  the  Alton  Presbytery. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  I  was  again  persuaded  by  Dr.  Nor- 
ton to  embark  in  a  Synodical  college,  or  training  school  for 
young  men,  at  Weston,  Platte  county,  Mo.,  where  a  valuable 
property  could  be  obtained  at  small  cost,  and  at  the  same 
time  revive  our  denominational  work  in  that  part  of  the 
State.  Three  years'  labor  here  teaching  and  preaching  so 
thoroughly  undermined  my  health  that  protracted  illness  was 
the  result.  Complete  release  from  sedentary  life  and  from 
mental  labor,  was  my  only  hope.  I  then,  in  Sep- 

tember, 1868,  removed  to  Kansas  City,  and  engaged  in  bus- 
iness for  five  years,  during  the  former  portion  of  the  time 
assisting  in  the  building  of  the  Third  Presbyterian  church  of 
that  place,  and  effecting  its  organization,  which  followed  the 
erection  of  their  house  of  worship.  The  latter  two  years  I 
preached  in  vacant  pulpits.  Finding  my  health 

again  fully  restored,  I  accepted  an  invitation  to  supply  the 
First  Presbyterian  church  of  Knob  Noster,  Mo.,  for  one 
year.  Before  that  year  closed,  I  was  called  to  this  field,  in 
the  new  State  of  Nebraska.  In  September,  1874,  I  removed 
here,  and  at  present  writing  am  supplying  the  First  Presby- 
terian church  of  Pawnee  City,  Neb.  As  the  fruit 
of  our  college  enterprise  at  Weston,  Mo.,  four  or  five  young 
men  were  started  in  a  course  of  preparation  for  the  ministry. 
One  has  gone  to  his  reward,  having  but  just  entered  upon 
his  work.  The  others  are  now  laboring  in  important  churches 
east  of  the  Mississippi,  No  small  work  was  done  in 
opening  the  way  for  the  education  of  the  colored  people  of 
that  town  and  vicinity.  We  have  now  living  two 
children.  Our  eldest  is  Mrs.  J.  T.  Maitland.  Her  husband 
is  elder  of  the  church  at  Weston,  Mo.  She  was  born  at 
Sag  Harbor,  Suffolk  county,  N.  Y.,  April  30,  185 1.  The 
youngest,  a  son,  Geo.  W.,  Jr.,  was  born  December  28,  1857, 
at  Wenona,  Marshall  county.  111.  He  is  now  assistant  cash- 
ier of  the  Exchange  Bank  of  Hastings,  Neb. 


552  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Alon  Presbytery  held  its  fall  meeting  at  Pana,  commenc- 
ing September  29,  i860.  Monticello  church  gave  notice  of 
its  withdrawal  from  the  care  of  Presbytery.  Presbytery  bear 
testimony  that  in  the  present  crisis  of  our  home  missionary 
affairs,  their  churches  have  done  nobly  in  the  work  of  self- 
support. 

HiLLSBORO  Presbytery  met  at  Sandoval,  April  6,  i860. 
At  a  called  meeting  of  this  Presbytery,  held  at  Hillsboro 
December  20,  1859,  W.  L.  Mitchell,  licentiate,  had  been  re- 
ceived from  the  Presbytery  of  Iowa,  examined,  and  ordained 
pastor  of  Hillsboro  church.  Samuel  Lynn,  minister,  and 
John  F.  Templeton,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the 
meeting  of  the  Assembly.  The  "  First  German  Presbyterian 
church  of  Jerseyville,"  was  received.  Henry  Martyn  Cor- 
bett  was  licensed  April  9.  The  fall  meeting  was 

held  at  Greenville,  Bond  county,  commencing  September  14. 
D.  R.  Todd  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Saline,  and 
P.  R.  Vanatta  to  that  of  Indianapolis.  Alfred  N.  Denny  was 
ordained,  sitte  titulo,  Sept.  17. 


"  The  First  German  Presbyterian  Church  of  Jersey- 
ville," was  organized  January  15,  i860,  with  thirty-four 
members  and  two  elders,  by  Revs,  Henry  Blanke  and  Sam- 
uel Lynn.     It  was  dropped  from  the  roll  in  1868. 


William  Luther  Mitchell,  son  of  William  and  Eleanor 
Mitchell,  was  born  in  Maury  county,  Tenn,  July  ii,  1828. 
He  was  converted  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  under  the 
preaching  of  Rev.  Daniel  Baker,  D.  D.;  graduated  at  Jeffer- 
son College,  Pa.,  1854,  and  at  Princeton  Seminary,  N.  J., 
1857;  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Lafayette,  Mo., 
Sept.,  1857;  supplied  the  First  Presbyterian  church,  Burling- 
ton, Iowa,  a  year  and  a  half;  was  ordained  and  installed 
pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  Hillsboro,  111.,  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Hillsboro,  December,  1859.  After  a  short  but 
successful  ministry,  he  finished  his  labors  and  entered  into 
rest  February  23,  1864.  He   married  Miss  Mary 

B.  Mutchmore,  May  4,  1858,  who,  with  two  children,  sur- 
vives him.  The  widow  resides  with  her  father  at  Moro,  Mad- 
ison county,  111. 


ALFRED    N.  DENNY.  553 

Alfred  Nelson  Denny  was  born  in  Bond  county,  111.,  on 
December  7,  1830.  He  was  the  son  of  John  and  Sarah 
Denny,  and  was  a  child  of  the  covenant.  He  made  a  pub- 
lic profession  of  religion  at  the  age  of  twelve  years.  His 
father  came  to  this  State  in  the  year  181 8,  and  was  a  citizen 
of  Illinois  under  its  territorial  government.  His  early  life 
was  spent  amid  the  sparse  population,  the  broad  and  open 
prairies,  the  pioneer  schools,  and  the  scattered  and  feeble 
churches  of  early  times.  He  graduated  at  "  Illinois  College  " 
in  the  year  1854,  and  after  completing  the  regular  course  of 
collegiate  studies,  was  employed  for  about  a  year  in  teaching 
in  that  institution.  Leaving  Jacksonville,  he  was  engaged  in 
teaching  elsewhere  for  two  years.  He  entered  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary,  at  New  York  City,  in  Sept.,  1857,  and 
was  for  about  two  years  a  student  in  that  institution.  At  the 
end  of  his  second  year  his  health  seemed  so  precarious  as  to 
raise  the  question  in  his  own  mind,  and  also  among  his 
friends,  as  to  the  propriety  of  continuing  his  studies,  and 
even  the  prospect  of  his  ever  entering  the  ministry.  Several 
severe  attacks  of  hemorrhage  greatly  enfeebled  him  and 
caused  anxious  solicitude  on  the  part  of  his  friends.  His 
own  mind  was  perplexed  as  to  the  path  of  duty,  and  his  way 
seemed  hedged  up.  In  these  perplexities  he  sought  coun- 
sel and  advice  from  his  pastor  and  other  pious  friends.  After 
several  prayerful  interviews,  it  was  decided  to  seek  licensure 
at  once,  and  to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  a  missionary.  The 
parts  of  trial  were  privately  arranged.  He  was  licensed  in 
the  fall  of  1859,  and  was  ordained  September  17,  i860.  He 
immediately  began  his  labors  as  a  preacher  in  the  destitute 
region  around  his  home.  He  preached  several  months  at 
Mason,  also  at  Nashville,  and  finally  at  Moro,  where  he  had 
charge  of  the  united  field  of  Moro  and  Dry  Point.  He  was 
married,  September  i,  1863,  to  Miss  Martha  J.  Y.  Mutch- 
more,  who  survives  him.  He  died  at  his  own  house  in  Mo- 
ro, Madison  county.  111.,  Sept.  29,  i! 


The  Presbytery  of  Saline  met  at  Shawneetown,  April 
5,  1S60.  The  name  of  John  Mack  was  enrolled  as  licentiate. 
He  was  examined  and  ordained,  sine  titulo,  Sabbath  even- 
ing, April  8.  L.  B.  W.  Shryock,  minister,  and  J.  P.  McNair, 
elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  Assembly.  •  An  ad- 
journed meeting  was  held  at  Carmi,  May  24,  i860,  at  which 


554  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

N.  F.  Tuck  was  received  as  licentiate  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Ebenezer,  examined  and  ordained,  sine  titido. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Xenia,  commencing  Octo- 
ber 5.  D.  R.  Todd  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Hillsboro.  The  name  of  Hopewell  church,  Franklin  county, 
was  chanced  to  Knob  Prairie. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Carlinville,  October 
4,  i860.  The  Synod   Illinois,  o.  s.  met  at  De- 

catur, October  10,  i860.     Members  were   present  from  the 
seven  Presbyteries  <:omprising  the  Synod. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

MEETINGS  OF  PRESBYTERIES  AND  SYNODS  FROM  1 86 1  TO 
1863,  INCLUDING  SKETCHES  OF  THE  CHURCHES  ORGANIZED 
AND  THE  MINISTERS  COMMENCING  THEIR  LABORS  WITHIN 
THE  PERIOD. 

Authorities  :    Original  Records ;  Auto-biographies ;  Presbytery  Reporter. 
YEAR  1 86 1. 

Illinois  Presbytery  met  at  Jacksonville,  April  5,  1861. 
The  church  of  Murrajrville  was  received.  J.  G.  Rankin  was 
dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Schuyler,  and  M.  P.  Ormsby 
to  that  of  Chicago.  D.  H.  Hamilton  was  received  from  the 
New  Haven  Congregational  Association,  and  was  installed, 
April  y,  pastor  of  the  Westminster  church.  At  a  called 
meeting  held  at  Virden,  May  3,  W.  R.  Adams  was  licensed. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Carrollton,  commencing  Sep- 
tember 5.  E.  Jenney  was  dismissed  to  the  Congregational 
Central  Association  of  Illinois.  Measures  were  taken  to 
continue  the  employment  of  the  Presbyterial  Missionary ,_ 
and  to  obtain,  if  possible,  aid  towards  his  support  from  the 
Church  Extension  Committee.  Waitstill  B.  Orvis  was  re- 
ceived. N.  A.  Prentiss  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of 
Schuyler. 


David  H.  Hamilton,  D.  D.,  was  born  at  Canajoharrie^ 
N.  Y.,  October  29,  18 13.  His  twin-brother  says  that  before 
he  was  six  years  of  age  he  could  repeat  from  memory  the 
entire  gospel  of  John.  He  was  in  the  habit  at  that  early  age 
of  declaiming  from  the  writings  of  Milton,  Young,  Addison, 
Pope,  Cowper,  etc.,  while  his  only  teachers  were  an  older 
brother  and  sister.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  entered  the 
academy  at  Canajoharrie  and  remained  there  two  years. 
Then  followed  two  or  three  years  of  poor  health,  during 
which  time  he  taught  school  and  studied  as  he  was  able. 

At  about  the  eighteenth  year  of  his  age  he  entered  the 


556  PRESBYTERIAXISxM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Academy  of  Amsterdam  and  was  there  fitted  for  college. 
He  went  next  to  Union  College  and  graduated  with  honor. 
After  studying  law  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  after  one 
year's  practice,  having  a  bright  future  before  him  in  his  pro- 
fession and  every  prospect  of  success,  not  feeling  satisfied 
that  it  was  the  work  to  which  the  Master  had  called  him.  he 
abandoned  it  and  entered  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Au- 
burn, N.  Y,  There  he  took  the  full  course,  and  on  the  day 
he  was  licensed  a  committee  from  the  church  of  Trumans- 
burg,  N.  Y.,  invited  him  to  become  their  pastor.  He  ac- 
cepted the  call  and-labored  there  most  successfully  for  ten 
years.  Receiving  a  call  to  a  church  in  New  Haven,  Ct., 
he  removed  to  that  city  and  there  labored  for  about  six 
years,  and  from  New  Haven  he  went  to  Berlin  to  attend  the 
university  there.  He  remained  in  Europe  a  little  over  two 
years,  studying  at  Berlin  in  term  time  and  traveling  during 
his  vacations.  Upon  his  return  from  Europe  he 

received  a  call  from  the  Westminster  church  of  Jacksonville, 
111.  There  he  labored  for  twelve  years  most  successfully,  and 
during  the  time  wrote  that  wonderful  book,  "Autology," 
which  will  be  read,  studied  and  admired,  when  the  feeble 
and  flippant  productions  of  some  authors,  now  so  popular, 
are  forgotten.  After  spending  about  fourteen  months  in 
Boston,  superintending  the  publication  of  this  work,  he  ac- 
cepted a  call  to  the  church  of  Ripley,  and  here  for  six  years 
performed  more  labor  than  any  two  men  I  ever  knew.  I 
have  known  him  to  preach  one  hundred  sermons  in  ninety 
consecutive  days.  Dr.  Hamilton  came  to  Ripley 

in  April,  1873,  and  made  my  house  his  home  for  some  days, 
and  from  that  time  until  he  left  us,  in  May,  1879,  I  was  on 
the  most  intimate  terms  with  him,  and  while  he  soon  won  my 
love  and  respect,  I  can  truly  say  that  a  thorough  acquaint- 
ance of  six  years  only  served  to  increase  my  esteem  and  ad- 
miration for  the  man.  Endowed  by  his  Creator  with  superior 
talents,  cultivated  by  long  years  of  study  and  research,  with 
a  constant  flow  of  humor  and  innocent  mirth,  he  was  a  most 
delightful  companion.  In  the  pulpit  he  was  a  giant — the 
grand  themes  of  the  gospel  filling  his  whole  soul,  and  realiz- 
ing that  he  was  a  messenger  from  the  Infinite  One,  on  a  mis- 
sion involving  the  interests  of  eternity,  he  would  preach  with 
an  earnestness  and  emotion  which  arrested  the  attention  of 
the  most  thoughtless  and  stupid.  He  shrunk  from  no  labor 
•or  privation,  and  was,  I  think,  the  most  unselfish  man  I  ever 


DAVID    H.  HAMILTON,  D.  D.  557- 

knew.  The  poorest  and  humblest  outcast  enHsted  his  53^111- 
pathy  and  were  the  objects  of  his  benefaction.  I  cannot 
forego  mentioning  one  incident,  amongst  many,  to  illustrate 
what  I  mean.  He  came  to  my  house  one  dark,  cold  night, 
some  two  years  ago,  and  urged  me  to  go  with  him  to  visit  a 
poor  old  colored  woman  who  lived  in  the  outskirts  of  Rip- 
ley. I  tried  to  beg  off,  as  the  night  was  dark  and  disagreea- 
ble, but  no,  go  I  must.  We  groped  our  way  along  until  we 
reached  the  little  rough  board  shanty,  where  old  Aunt  Sallie 
lived.  The  Doctor  knocked  at  the  door,  and  some  one  called 
out,  "Who  dar?"  I  answered,  "Dr.  Hamilton."  "God 
bless  you,"  was  the  reply.  We  were  admitted  and  the  Doc- 
tor talked  to  the  poor  old  African  with  as  much  earnestness 
and  feeling  as  if  he  had  been  addressing  a  great  congregation 
of  the  rich  and  the  learned.  We  then  knelt  down  on  the 
rough  floor  and  he  uttered  such  a  prayer  as  I  am  sure  I  never 
heard,  and  I  doubt  if  such  an  one  was  ever  heard  in  heaven 
before.  Then  giving  the  old  black  woman  some  money  we 
left.  I  have  traveled  with  him  a  great  deal,  and  often  in  the 
rail  car  or  omnibus,  with  closed  eyes,  his  lips  would  move,, 
and  getting  my  ear  close  to  him  I  would  find  he  was  com- 
muning with  his  Father  in  heaven.  This  great 
and  noble  man,  overworked,  both  mentally  and  physically,, 
left  his  people  in  Ripley,  May  10,  1879,  to  go  to  Boston,  in 
part  on  business  and  in  part  to  recuperate  his  health.  His 
wife  accompanied  him,  and  when  they  reached  Kingsboro,. 
N.  Y.,  he  was  unable  to  proceed  on  his  journey.  There,  at 
the  house  of  a  near  relative,  he  received  every  care  and  at- 
tention. He  lingered  and  suffered  with  most  wonderful  pa- 
tience, until  July  4,  at  two  o'clock,  p.  m.,  when  his  spirit  was 
set  free.  His  funeral  took  place  on  the  following  Monday,. 
and  at  the  same  hour  a  memorial  service  was  held  at  Ripley, 
Ohio,  where  a  large  and  deeply  solemn  audience  showed  the 
love  and  respect  in  which  he  was  held.  A  good 
man's  life,  next  to  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  is  the  most 
sacred  and  valuable  thing  in  the  universe  of  God. 

W.    W.    GlLLILAND. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Liberty,  Randolph- 
county,  April  12,  1861.  W.  R.  Sim  was  dismissed  to  the 
Presbytery  of  Saline.  F.  H.  L.  Laird,  minister,  and  W.  N.. 
Bilderback,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  Assembly 


558  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

F.  H.  L.  Laird  was  installed  pastor  of  Carlyle  church,  Octo- 
ber 28.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Carlyle, 
October  ii,  1861.  James  Stafford  was  dismissed  to  the 
Presbytery  of  Rock  River. 

The  Presbytery  of  Wabash  met  at  Farmington,  Coles 
county,  April  19,  1861.  George  D.  Miller  was  received  from 
the  Presbytery  of  Logansport.  William  R.  Palmer,  minister, 
and  D.  D.  Cadwell,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  As- 
sembly. The  Presbytery  receded  entirely  from  the  position 
they  assumed  last  year,  on  the  subject  of  Home  Missions,  by 
withdrawing  their  countenance  and  support  from  the  A.  H. 
M.  Society,  and  declaring  their  adherence  to  the  Assembly's 
Church  Extension  plan.  The   fall   meeting  was 

held  at  Tuscola,  September  6. 

George  D.  Miller  was  born  June  15,  1811,  near  Day- 
ton, Ohio,  and  was  dedicated  to  God  by  his  pious  parents  in 
baptism.  He  graduated  at  Wabash  College  in  1840.  Stud- 
ied theology  at  Lane  Seminary.  Was  licensed  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Crawfordsville  in  July,  1843.  His  first  field  of 
labor  was  Romney,  Tippecanoe  county,  Ind.,  and  its  neigh- 
borhood. In  November,  1847,  he  took  charge  of  the  church 
of  Monticello,  White  county,  Ind.  Preached  there  three- 
fourths  of  his  time — the  other  fourth  twelve  miles  north.  In 
May,  1848,  he  organized  Bedford  church  with  eight  members. 
After  a  few  years  he  was  installed  pastor  of  that  church,  and 
remained  until  the  spring  of  1857,  when  his  health  gave  way 
and  he  resigned.  The  next  winter  he  spent  at  the  South  to 
recruit.  In  April,  1858,  he  returned  to  Indiana  and  labored 
as  a  missionary  at  several  places  on  the  New  Albany,  Salem 
&  Michigan  City  Railroad  for  four  years.  His  regular  route 
was  from  St.  Pierre  to  Harrisonville,  or  Tippecanoe  Battle 
Ground.  On  the  second  Sabbath  in  August,  i860,  he  began 
his  labors  at  Tuscola,  111.,  and  remained  as  supply  pastor 
until  November,  1865.  In  1871  his  health  obliged  him  to 
give  up  preaching  entirely.  His  disease  was  consumption, 
and  he  lingered,  calm  and  patient,  until  January  25,  1876. 
His  widow  still — 1879 — resides  in  Tuscola. 

The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  with  Pleasant  Prairie 
church,  April  ii,  1861.     J.  H.  Steele  was  dismissed  to  the 


NEW    HOPE    CHURCH.  559 

Presbytery  of  Highland,  and  John  ElHott  to  that  of  Bloom- 
ington.  The  churches  of  New  Hope  and  Milton  were  re- 
ceived. Samuel  Newell,  minister,  and  A.  B.  Austin,  elder, 
were  appointed  to   attend  the  Assembly.  The 

fall  meeting  was  held  at  Oakland,  September  I2.  The  church 
of  Beckwith  Prairie  was  received. 


New  Hope  Church,  Jasper  county.  The  church  building 
is  situated  on  S.  E.  quarter  of  N.  E.  quarter  of  S.  6,  T.  8  N., 
R.  lo  E.  This  church  was  organized  by  Revs.  A.  McFarland, 
H.  T.  Morton  and  Elder  A.  S.  Harris,  June  2i,  i86q,  with 
the  following  members,  viz. :  Adrian  F.  Aten  and  Catharine 
Aten,  James  R.  Jackson  and  Margaret  Jackson,  Martin  N. 
Henderson  and  Delilah  E.  Henderson,  Geo.  W.  Jenkins  and 
Elizabeth  Jenkins,  Aaron  M.  Aten  and  Martha  Aten,  Elisha 
McLain  and  EHza  McLain,  Mrs.  Nancy  R.  McKinley,  John 
H.  Aten,  Henry  H.  McKinley,  Susan  M.  Black,  Hannah  C. 
Black,  Harriet  A.  Banta,  Eliza  I.  McLain.  Elders  :  J.  R. 
Jackson,  A.  F.  Aten  and  M.  N.  Henderson.  No  records  of  ses- 
sions from  June  15,  1861,  toMay  28,  1865.  J.  P.  Fox  was  min- 
ister most  of  that  time.  There  have  been  connected  with  the 
■church  sixty-five  members  in  all.  The  organization  took 
place  in  A.  F.  Aten's  barn.  The  church  house  was  built  in 
1869-70,  Whole  cost  about  ;^  1,200 — Church  Erection  con- 
tributing three  hundred  dollars.  The  site  of  the  church  is  one 
acre,  the  gift  of  A.  F.  Aten.  Ministers  :  H.  T.  Morton, 
three  months  in  i860 ;  H.  I.  Venable,  eleven  months  in  i§66  ; 
J.  P.  Fox,  in  1863-65,  a  young  man  from  near  Vincennes  ; 
John  Miller,  four  years,  1867  to  1871  ;  S.  R.  Bissell,  one  year, 
1872  ;  Geo.  F.  Davis,  three  years,  from  1873  to  1876;  Geo. 
W.  Nicolls  began  June,  1877 — ^^^^^  remains,  preaching  one 
Sabbath  in  the  month,  resides  at  Newton.  Preaches  one-half 
his  time  at  Newton,  one-fourth  at  Mt.  Olivet. 


Milton  Church,  Coles  county,  was  organized  at  Flat 
Branch,  by  Rev,  H.  I.  Venable,  May  18,  1861,  with  these 
members,  viz. :  John  W,  Payne,  Richard  W.  Hawkins,  Jane 
Hawkins,  Mary  E.  Hawkins,  Rebecca  Boyd,  Francis  A.  Boyd, 
Thomas  Danner,  Matilda  Danner,  Noble  Danner,  James  W. 
Junkin,  Catherine  Junkin,  David  S.  Junkin,  Samuel  VV.  Jun- 
kin,  Martha  E.  Junkin,  Geo.  W.  Woods,  Sallie  M.  Woods,  Ar- 


560  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

thur  J.  Boyd,  M.E.  Boyd,  O.  E.  Boyd,  Rebecca  Walker,  Re- 
becca A.  Walker,  Ellen  Junkin,  Catharine  J.  Crevistan,  Miss 
Mary  E.  Hutchinson.  Elders  :  Rich'd  W.  Hawkins,  Jas.  W. 
Junkin  and  Arthur  J.  Boyd.  Elders  since  these  three  first: 
Jesse  B.  Gray,  Smith  Nichols,  H.  L.  Stewart,  Wm.  P.  West- 
bay,  Geo.  W.  Gray,  Geo.  W.  Woods,  W.  J.  Nicholson,  W.  H. 
Wallace.  The  rotary  plan  was  adopted  August  20,  1876. 
Ministers  :  H.  I.  Venable,  J.  W.  Allison,  Ellis  Howell. 
This  congregation  has  a  large  frame  house  of  worship.  The 
post  office  is  now,  1879,  Humboldt.  The  name  of  the  church 
is  still  Milton. 

Beckwith  Prairie  Church,  Crawford  county,  was  organ- 
ized August  31,  1 861,  by  Revs.  E.  Howell,  A.  McFarland 
and  Elder  Findley  Paull,  with  these  members  :  James  H, 
Richey,  Matilda  Richey,  Wm.  Delzell,  Mary  Jane  Delzell,. 
Robert  M.  Delzell,  Wm.  M.  Richey,  Minerva  Richey,  Nancy 
Richey,  Susan  Duncan,  Wm.  Thomson,  Margaret  Thomson, 
Madison  Cawood,  Catharine  Cawood,  R.  A.  Delzell,  Emeline 
D.  Delzell,  W.  B.  Cawood,  S.  M..  Cawood,  Wm.  Stuart,  A.  C. 
Gould,  Elizabeth  Gould,  Samuel  J.  Gould,  Achsah  Gould, 
Margaret  Sherrell,  Wm.  C.  Dickson,  Caroline  V.  Dickson,. 
Mary  C.  Stuart,  Samuel  E.  Sherrell,  Mrs.  Eliza  Sherrell. 
Elders  :  James  H.  Richey,  Samuel  J.  Gould,  Wm.  Delzell, 
the  first.  Since  appointed :  David  Meskimen,  W.  B.  Ca- 
wood and  Archibald  C.  Gould,  April  23,  1870;  Morgan  M. 
Dick,  1873;  William  A.  Hope  and  Andrew  Duncan,  Nov. 
15,  1877.  Ministers:  Allen  McFarland ;  J.  C.  Thornton^ 
August  13,  1869  ;  Aaron  Thompson,  June  16,  1872  ;  Thomas 
Spencer,  November  13,  1874,  till  his  death,  August  13, 1876  ; 
John  E.  Carson,  April  28,  1877,  till  sometime  in  1879.  The 
house  of  worship — a  neat  frame  building,  painted  white,  sit- 
uated in  the  timber — was  erected  in  1859,  at  a  cost  of  ;^i,300. 
It  is  located  in  S.  E.  quarter  of  S.  23,  T.  6,  R.  12,  one"  mile 
from  Duncanville,  a  village  on  the  Paris  &  Danville  railroad. 
Whole  number  of  members  connected  with  the  church  froni. 
its  beginning,  one  hundred  and  eight. 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  met  at  Sprinfield,  April  3,. 
1861.  J.  G.  Bergen,  D.  D.,  minister,  and  Josiah  Waddell, 
elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  Assembly.  C.  P.  Jen- 
nings was  released  from  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Thrid  church. 


WEST    OKAW    CHURCH.  56I 

Springfield.  West  Okaw  church  was  received.  At  a  pro  re 
nata  meeting  at  Springfield,  May  2,  Willis  G.  Craig  received 
license.  The  fall    meeting  was   held  at   Spring- 

field, October  8.  D.  R.  Todd  was  received  from  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Saline. 


West  Okaw  Church  was  organized  October  20,  i860,  by 
Revs.  H.  R.  Lewis  and  T.  M.  Oviatt,  in  Friendship  school- 
house,  Shelby  county,  with  these  members  :  G.  M.  Thomp- 
son, Eliza  Thompson,  Margaret  Thompson,  Harriet  N. 
Thompson,  Samuel  G.  Travis,  Anna  B.  Travis,  Catherine  E. 
Travis,  Mary  Foster,  Harris  B.  Thompson,  Elizabeth  Thomp- 
son, Robert  Lay,  Alice  Lay,  J.  J.  Freeland,  Mary  B.  Free- 
land,  Mary  A.  Freeland,  Catharine  Freeland,  Sarah  G.  Free- 
land.  (These  Freelands  are  from  Hillsboro,  N.  C.)  Mary 
Wingett,  Ann  Berg,  Henry  Berg,  F.  M.  Chamberlain,  Ann 
E.  Chamberlain,  Eleanor  Gray,  Mercy  H.  Bacon,  Emily  J. 
Richardson,  James  S.  Travis.  Elders  :  Gardner  M.  Thomp- 
son, John  J.  Freeland,  Samuel  G.Travis,  Henry  Berg  and  F, 
M.  Chamberlain.  Elders  since  appointed  :  William  Bard, 
James  G.  Marshall,  James  L.  Neil,  Nelson  V.  Stine,  Wm.  Mc- 
Burney,  Frederick  Orris.  Ministers:  H.  R.  Lewis,  from 
the  first  until  September  14,  1862;  Clark  Loudon,  1863-69, 
pastor;  J.  D.  Jenkins,  December  23,  1873,  till  March  28, 
1875  ;  Julius  Spencer,  March  28,  1875,  till  beginning  of  1878  ; 
William  E.  Lincoln,  1878,  and  still  continues.  The  church 
edifice  was  dedicated  April  24,  1869.  It  is  situated  in  the 
S.  E.  corner  of  the  N.  E.  quarter  of  S.  34,  T.  14  N.,  R.  3,  E. 
of  3  P.M.  The  cemetery  connected  with  it  contains  two  acres. 
The  church  building  is  forty  by  fifty  feet.  It  cost  about 
^3,500.  The  parsonage  is  half  a  mile  south  of  the  church  ;  is 
thirty  by  forty  feet,  two  stories,  and  cost  ;^  1,050.  It  was 
built  in  1875. 

The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  New  Ducoign,  April  11, 
1861,  A.  T.  Norton  and  T.  Lippincott,  ministers,  and  D. 
H.  Brush  and  G.  S.  Smith,  elders,  were  appointed  to  attend 
the  Assembly.  W.  R.  Smith  presented  a  letter  purporting 
'to  be  from  the  Presbytery  of  Edinburg,  Scotland,  and  on  the 
ground  of  its  was  received.  Conclusive  evidence  was  after- 
wards found  showing  the  letter  to  have  been  a  forgery,  and 
the  man  was  expelled.     Thomas  Sherrard,  licentiate,  was  re- 

35 


562  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

ceived  from  the  Presbytery  of  Cayuga,  examined  and  or- 
dained Sabbath,  April  14,  sine  titido.  The  fall 
•meeting  was  held  at  Vandalia,  commencing  September  28, 
Mulberry  Grove  church  was  dissolved  and  its  members  at- 
tached to  Greenville  church.  Thomas  Reynolds,  Ezekiel 
Folsom  and  Edwin  G.  Bryant  were  ordained,  sine  tihdo. 


Thomas  Sherrard  was  born  November  25,  1829,  in  county 
Antrim,  North  of  Ireland,  and  was  Scotch-Irish.  He  gradu- 
ated at  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1857.  Studied  theol- 
ogy at  Princetonand  Auburn.  He  was  ordained  as  above. 
Supply  pastor  at  Centralia,  111.,  1861-64,  and  at  Brooklyn, 
Mich.,  1865,  till  his  death,  August  10,  1874.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Valeria  D.  Gray,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Gray,  of  Mil- 
waukee, Wis.,  June  21,  i860. 


Edwin  G.  Bryant  was  born  at  South  Bend,  Ind.,  June  15, 
1836.  He  graduated  at  Wabash  College,  Ind.,  1857.  Stud- 
ied theology  at  Princeton,  N.  J.  Ordained  by  Presbytery  of 
Alton  October,  i,  1861.  Labored  at  Vandalia  and  Durand, 
111.,  Hastings,  Mich.,  Atkinson  and  Garden  Prairie,  111.  In 
1878  he  was  supply  pastor  Plymouth  Second  church,  Ply- 
mouth, Mich.  He  was  married  in  1864,  to  Miss  E.  J.  Ca- 
pron,  of  Durand,  111.,  and  has  two  children,  Charles  H.  and 
Arthur  E.,  aged  at  present  twelve  and  eight  years  respect- 
ively. It  will  be  proper  to  add  that  Mr.  E.  Che- 
ney, who  was  ordained  an  elder  in  the  church  of  Vandalia, 
while  Mr.  Bryant  had  charge  of  it,  is  now  acting  in  the  same 
capacity  in  Calvary  Presbyterian  church  in  Detroit,  Mich. 


Ezekiel  Folsom,  was  born  at  Hebron,  N.  H..  December  22, 
1798.  He  had  only  an  ordinary  English  education,  but  much 
experience  as  a  Christian  worker,  when  at  sixty-three  years 
of  age,  he  was  ordained.  It  was,  however,  with  special  re- 
ference to  a  chaplaincy  in  the  army  hospital  at  Cairo,  111.,  a 
situation  for  which  he  was  eminently  fitted.  He  died  at 
Lake  Forest,  111.,  March  27,  1871,  a  member  of  Chicago" 
Presbytery. 

Thomas  Reynold's  was  born  in  England.     Ordained  Oc- 


JOSEPH    J.  GRAY.  563 

tober  I,  1861,  by  Presbytery  of  Alton.  He  labored  awhile 
at  Shipmaa,  111.  He  was  suspended  by  Presbytery,  April  16, 
1870.  He  was  a  conceited,  coarse,  boorish  man,  upon  whom 
the  Presbytery  most  unwisely  laid  their  hands. 


The  Presbytery  of  Hillsboro  met  with  Sugar  Creek 
church,  April  12,  1861.  Joseph  J.  Gray  was  received  from, 
the  Presbytery  of  Schuyler.  R.  M.  Roberts,  minister,  and 
.S.  A.  Paden,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  Assembly. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Jerseyville  October  4,  1861. 
St.  John's  German  Pre.sb_\'terian  church  was  received.  Hen- 
;ry  M.  Corbett  was  ordained  April  15,  si/ie  titulo.  Augustus 
JCiess  was  licensed  Oct.  7. 


Joseph  J.  Gray — Auto-biographical — was  born  August  5, 
1804,  in  Halifax  county,  N.  C.,  of  American  ancestry.  While 
yet  quite  young,  his  parents  died,  leaving  him  in  care  of  a 
guardian,  Col.  John  Lockhart  by  name.  He  was  converted 
while  in  college,  at  the  age  of  nineteen.  His  preparatory 
■education  was  received  at  Raleigh,  N.  C;  his  collegiate  at 
Union  College,  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  and  his  theological  at 
Hanover,  Ind.  He  was  licensed  and  ordained  in  1832,  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Orange  at  its  spring  session  in  Raleigh. 

He  began  his  labors  in  North  Carolina.  Came  to  Illinois 
•in  1837,  and  preached  at  Union  church,  Morgan  county,  dur- 
ing 1838.  In  1839  his  health  and  voice  failed.  Since  that 
time  he  has  not  been  able  to  engage  in  regular  ministerial 
work.  His  home  for  the  last  thirty  years  has  been  on  a 
farm  near  Greenfield,  111.  He  was  married  in  1826 

to  Elizabeth  G.  Hubbard,  niece  of  Dr.  Eliphalet  Nott,  at 
Schenectady,  N.  Y.  Dr.  Nott  performing  the  ceremony  at  his 
own  house.     She  died  in   1845.  In  1847  he  was 

married  to  Salhe  S.  Capps,  daughter  of  J.  T.  Gilman,  M.  D., 
of  Quincy,  111.  From  these  two  marriages  there 

were  sixteen  children,  ten  of  whom  arrived  at  years  of  matu- 
rity, the  others  dying  in  infancy.  One  of  the  ten — Frederick 
R.  Gray — died  of  pulmonary  consumption,  October  11.  1878, 
after  a  year's  illness.  The  other  nine  are  still  living.  One 
of  them — Charles  G.  Gray — is  an  elder  in  the  Greenfield 
church. 


564  PRE3BYTEKIANJSM  IX  ILLINOIS. 

Henry  Martyn  Corbett  was  born  at  Bristol,  R.  I.,  Dec, 
14,  1832;  of  English  descent.  His  parents  were  Congrega- 
tionalists  at  the  East,  Presbyterians  at  the  West.  His  pa- 
rents settled  at  Jerseyville,  111.,  in  the  spring  of  1838.  Re- 
sided there  until  he  was  grown.  From  his  early  boyhood  he 
had  a  strong  desire  to  be  a  minister.  Commenced  his  pre- 
paratory studies  at  twenty  years  of  age,  at  Fulton,  Mo. 
Graduated  at  the  college  there  June,  1858.  Studied  theol- 
ogy at  Princeton.  Licensed  by  Hillsboro  Presbytery  April 
7.  i860.  His  first  charge  was  the  Sugar  Creek  and  Trenton 
churches,  Clinton  county,  111.  Was  with  them  two  years 
from  September  i,  i860.  Ordained  by  Hillsboro  Presbytery 
April  15,  1861.  Married  Miss  Melinda  E.  Richmond,  March 
7,  1861,  at  Rochester,  Vt.  At  the  end  of  two  years  he  gave 
up  the  charge  of  Sugar  Creek  church,  and  devoted  his  whole 
time  for  three  years  more  to  Trenton  church.  In  the  fall  of 
1865  he  took  charge  of  the  mission  field  of  East  St.  Louis. 
Preached  the  first  sermon  by  a  Protestant  minister  on 
"  Bloody  Island."  Remained  in  charge  of  this  field  for  nine 
months.  Organized,  July,  1866,  a  Presbyterian  church  of 
fourteen  members  in  connection  with  the  Presbytery  of  Kas- 
kaskia.  In  the  fall  of  1866  took  charge  of  the  church  of 
Winfield,  Iowa,  and  continued  three  and  one-half  years.  In 
this  time  its  numbers  increased  from  sixty-five  to  one  hun- 
dred and  fourteen.  In  the  fall  of  1870  removed  to  Illinois,, 
and  took  charge  of  a  mission  field  in  Osco  and  Munson 
township,  and  organized  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Munson^. 
July,  1871.  Remained  here  five  years.  In  1875  took  charge 
of  Sharon  church,  Whiteside  county.  111.,  and  continued  for 
over  two  years.  In  1876,  from  excessive  use  of  his  voice  in 
a  protracted  meeting,  contracted  a  throat  disease,  which  has 
ever  since  disabled  him  from  ministerial  labor.  In  the  spring 
of  1878  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Nelson,  Nuckolls 
county.  Neb.,  and  engaged  in  mercantile  business.  He  has 
had  six  children — Arthur  Chestnut,  born  at  Trenton,  111.,  Jan. 
12,  1863  ;  Henry  Richmond,  born  at  the  same  place,  Oct.  3, 
1864;  Virginia  Harbert,  born  at  Winfield,  Iowa,  Feb.  13, 
1867;  Mary  Ann,  born  at  same  place,  Jan.  30,  1869;  Ellen 
Alberta,  born  at  Osco,  Henry  county.  III,  May  24,  1871  ; 
Melinda  Rachel,  born  at  Munson,  Henry  county,  111.,  Aug. 
26,  1873. 

St.  John's  German  Presbyterian  Church  was  organizec? 


BEXJAMIN    C.  SWAN.  565 

at  Ridgeley,  Madison  county,  III,  with  thirty-two  members 
and  two  elders.  The  exact  date  of  the  organization  is  not 
given.  But  it  was  between  April  and  October,  i86l.  This 
-church  has  gone  into  another  connection. 


The  Presbytery  of  Saline  met  at  Mt.  Carmel,  Wabash 
county,  April  4,  1861.  Nathan  F.  Tuck  was  dismissed  to 
the  Presbytery  of  Paducah,  and  John  Mack  to  that  of  St. 
Paul,  Minn.  J.  C.  Thornton,  licentiate,  was  received  from 
the  Presbytery  of  Upper  Missouri,  examined  and  ordained, 
April  7,  1 86 1,  sine  titido.  S.  C.  Baldridge,  minister,  and 
James  P.  McNair,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  Assem- 
bly. A  pro  re  nata  meetmg  was  held  at  Friends- 
ville,  Aug.  6,  when  L.  B.  W.  Shryock  was  dismissed  to  the 
Presbytery  of  Zanesville  ;  D.  R.  Todd  to  that  of  Sangamon, 
and  D.  M.  Williamson,  licentiate,  to  the  Presbytery  of  Lo- 
gansport.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Gol- 
.conda,  September  12. 


Benjamin  Chestnut  Swan,  son  of  Benjamin  Chestnut 
and  Hannah  (Cowgill)  Swan,  was  born,  November  27,  1823, 
near  Camden,  Preble  county,  Ohio.  The  mother 

of  Hannah  Cowgill  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
■church  and  a  very  devoted  and  exemplary  Christian.  Joseph 
Swan,  grandfather  of  B.  C.  Swan,  sr.,  and  brother  of 
Rev.  William  Swan  (noticed  in  Elliott's  life  of  McCurdy), 
came  from  Ireland  about  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  and 
was  an  elder  in  the  Rocky  Spring  Presbyterian  church,  near 
Chambersburg,  Pa.  The  various  branches  of  this  family, 
however  scattered  and  varied  in  their  surroundings,  are  kin- 
dred in  their  devotion  to  Presbyterianism. 

Benjamin  C.  Swan,  sr.,  was  a  man  worthy  of  his  godly  an- 
cestry and  for  many  years  a  ruling  elder.  As  such  he  was 
faithful  in  his  office-work  and  in  his  attendance  upon  the 
church  courts,  and  such  was  his  known  attachment  to  the 
standards  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  such  the  confi- 
dence his  Presbytery  reposed  in  him,  that  they  sent  him  to 
the  General  Assembly  in  the  tr3'ing  times  of  1835  and  1837. 
He  faithfully  endeavored  to  train  his  children  to  a  practical 
-sense  of  their  individual  responsibility  to  God,  and  carefully 
instructed  them  in  the  ti^iths  of  the  Bible,  in  all  which  he  was 


566  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

most  fitly  aided  by  his  pious  wife ;  and  their  affectionate  teach- 
ings combined  with  their  consistent  examples  made  theirs  a 
truly  Christian  home.  In  due  time  each  of  their  children- 
professed  the  faith  of  their  parents.  In  1831  he  removed  to- 
the  vicinity  of  Oxford,  Ohio,  that  the  family  might  be  nearer 
the  educational  and  religious  privileges  of  that  place. 

In  i(S4i  the  subject  of  this  sketch  united  with  the  Presby- 
terian church  at  Oxford.  From  this  time  his  fixed  purpose 
was  to  try  to  serve  the  cause  of  Christ  in  whatever  way  His 
providence  might  indicate.  The  great  wants  of  the  Church 
seemed  to  call  for  .ministers.  But  the  office  seemed  so  holy 
and  exalted  that  he  hesitated  to  enter  upon  a  calling  for 
which  he  felt  so  unworthy.  Yet  encouraged  by  the  plainly 
expressed  opinions  of  others,  in  whose  wisdom  and  piety 
he  had  confidence,  he  was  led  at  length  to  go  forward 
with  a  view  of  qualifying  himself  for  this  work,  which,  if  ac- 
ceptable to  the  Master,  he  felt  would  be  his  highest  privil- 
ege. He  graduated  at  Miami  University,  Ox- 
ford, Ohio,  in  1845  ;  attended  the  Associate  Reformed  The- 
ological Seminary  at  at  that  place  during  the  session  1846-7 
and  the  Western  Theological  Seminary,  Allegheny,  during 
the  sessions  of  1847-8  and  1848-9.  As  the  Rev.  E.  D.  Mac- 
Master,  D.  D.,  who  had  been  his  teacher  in  college,  and  for 
whom  he  cherished  an  affectionate  veneration,  was  entering 
his  theological  professorship  in  the  New  Albany  Seminary >. 
he  concluded  to  finish  his  theological  course  in  that  institu- 
tion. He  was  licensed  by  the  Oxford  Presbytery,  June,  1 850, 
and  ordained  by  the  same,  April,  185 1.  From 
the  time  of  his  licensure  to  August,  1852,  he  supplied  the 
churches  of  Salem,  New  Lexington  and  Winchester,  Oxford 
Presbytery.  Some  of  the  few  families  of  the  Winchester 
church  becoming  discouraged  in  regard  to  building  up  a 
church  there,  concluded  to  remove  West  together,  provided 
Mr.  Swan  would  go  with  them.  In  September  he,  with  the 
two  elders  of  the  church,  visited  together  several  places  in. 
Illinois,  among  which  was  Carthage,  county  seat  of  Hancock 
(the  Mormon)  county.  Having  decided  to  remove  to  that 
place  and  unite  in  the  organization  of  a  church,  they  returned 
to  Ohio  to  make  ready.  In  November,  Mr.  Swan  removed 
to  Carthage  and  entered  upon  his  work,  preaching  in  an 
"  upper  room,"  kindly  lent  by  Mr.  Artois  Hamilton,  where 
the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Carthage  was  organized, 
January  I,  1853,  ^"^'^^^  eleven  memb'ers,  having  Mr.  Swan  as. 


BENJAMIN    C.  SWAN.  5^7 

their  minister,  and  as  their  only  elder  for  some  time  Dr.  John 
Mack,  who  afterward  entered  the  ministry  and  labored  suc- 
cessfully for  some  years  in  Southern  Illinois.  The  various 
providences  leading  to  the  field,  together  with  the  numerous 
influences  favoring  the  work  were  very  encouraging,  and  yet 
great  sacrifices  and  patience  as  to  difficulties  were  required 
from  both  minister  and  people.  But  a  willingness  on  the 
part  of  both  to  work  and  sacrifice  together  with  an  affec- 
tionate union  in  the  blessed  tie  that  binds,  and  the  divine 
favor  secured  success  in  the  object  of  their  common  interest. 
The  church  secured  aid  from  the  Board  of  Home  Missions 
to  the  amount  of  one  hundred  dollars  a  year  for  three  years 
when  it  became  self-sustaining,  having  meantime  built  a 
house  of  worship  at  an  expense  of  over  four  thousand  dol- 
lars, of  which  three  hundred  dollars  were  received  from  the 
Committee  of  Church  Erection,  and  received  no  other  aid 
outside  the  community.  While  residing  in  Carthage  he  per- 
formed much  missionary  work  in  a  large  territory  around, 
having^,  beside  an  actuating  desire  to  save  souls,  a  sense  that 
the  Home  Mission  work  is  the  hope  of  our  Church  and 
land,  and  he  reahzed  in  his  relation  to  these  Boards  that  the 
assistance  they  render  to  individual  churches,  although  small 
in  the  grand  scale,  may  be,  and  often  is,  vital  to  their  estab- 
lishment. Mr.  Swan  was  installed  pastor  in  1855  and  con- 
tinued as  such  until  the  fall  of  i860.  In  October, 
i860,  he  removed  to  Shawneetown  and  began  his  work  as 
supply  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  there.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1862,  he  was  appointed  Chaplain  of  the  131st  Reg- 
iment Illinois  Infantry  Volunteers,  and  served  for  thirteen 
months,  until  that  regiment  was  consolidated  with  another. 
After  his  return  he  resumed  his  work  in  Shawneetown  and 
was  installed  pastor  in  1864.  During  his  stay  there  a  very 
desirable  parsonage  was  purchased,  and  much  of  kindness 
beside  was  done  for  him  and  his  family.  While  in  charge 
there  he  performed  much  labor  outside  of  his  own  congrega- 
tion, especially  at  Saline  mines,  and  in  the  churches  of  Equal- 
ity and  Golconda.  Within  this  time  the  community  was 
much  disturbed  by  border  troubles  on  account  of  the  civil 
war  and  the  embarrassments  arising  therefrom.  In  July,  1 868. 
the  pastoral  relation  was  dissolved,  and  in  August  he  entered 
a  neighboring  field,  combining  the  churches  of  Carmi,  Sharon 
and  Enfield.  He  had  aided  in  organizing  the 
latter  church,  and  having  frequently  preached   for  each  of 


568  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

them  during  his  residence  in  Shawneetown,  felt  an  interest 
in  them  and  hoped  that  his  labors  there  would  be  useful. 
This  work  was  somewhat  like  that  of  the  earlier  ministers — 
churches  small,  railroads  not  yet  built,  and  travel  from  one 
appointment  to  another  generally  done  on  horseback  and  at 
great  expense  of  time  and  strength.  While  dividing  his  time 
among  them,  when  the  roads  and  weather  admitted,  he  fre- 
quently preached  in  all  three  places  on  the  same  day.  After 
two  and  a  half  years  of  this  work,  he  spent  all  his  time  at 
Carmi,  where  he  had  been  installed  pastor  in  August,  1870, 
and  where  he  and  his  family  enjoyed  a  pleasant  residence 
while  he  labored  in  this  field.  The  pastoral  relation  was  dis- 
solved in  October,  1877,  when  he  began  supplying  the 
churches  of  Enfield,  Sharon  and  McLeansboro,  in  which  work 
he  has  continued  to  the  time  of  this  narrative.  Con- 

sidering his  varied  experiences,  he  still  rejoices  that  the  Lord 
has  permitted  him  to  enter  and  continue  in  the  ministry,  and 
has  given  him  reason  to  hope  that  He  has  in  some  measure 
carried  on  His  work  in  the  Church  through  so  humble  an  in- 
strumentality. Growth  in  grace  and  in  divine  knowledge  on 
the  part  of  some  of  the  Lord's  people,  and  the  increase  of 
their  numbers,  together  with  their  sympathy  and  co-opera- 
tion, are  among  the  considerations  that  have  sustained  him, 
looking  humbly  forward  meanwhile  to  the  day  when  every 
man's  work  shall  be  tried.  He  was  married,  No- 

vember 19,  1850,  to  Miss  Mary  Cassandra,  daughter  of  John 
and  Eliza  (Young)  Woolf,  then  residing  in  Camden,  but 
shortly  before  of  Newark,  Ohio,  where  Mr.  Woolf,  who  was 
a  man  of  deeply  reflective  and  mature  Christian  character, 
had  long  been  an  elder  under  the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Wylie,  D.  D.  His  wife,  whose  ancestors  were  among 
the  first  Presbyterian  settlers  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  and  after- 
ward of  Newark,  Ohio,  and  who  fully  shared  the  faith  of  her 
husband,  was  a  lovely  character,  and  well  qualified  for  her 
duties  in  training  their  covenanted  family.  The  daughter 
brought  up  under  such  parental  and  ministerial  influences 
was  qualified  in  every  way  to  be  a  helpmate  for  her  hus- 
band, wisely  sustaining  him  in  his  trials  and  discouragements, 
and  strengthening  him  in  his  ministerial  duties  and  work. 
Their  living  children  are  Mary  Chestnut  (Mrs.  Willis),  born 
September  29,  1851  ;  Walter  Sidney,  M.  D.,  born  April  15, 
1854;  Augusta  Davidson,  born  February  21,  1865. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    MEETINGS.  •  569 

Jefferson  Clay  Thornton  was  supply  pastor  at  Mt. 
'Carmel,  111.,  1861-63;  at  Lawrenceville,  111.,  1864-68;  in 
transitu,  1869-70;  supply  pastor,  ^Palestine,  111.,  1871  ;  at 
Knob  Noster,  I\Io.,  1872-73  ;  W.  C,  1874-77  at  Knob  Noster; 
same  in  1878  at  Warrensburg,  Mo. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Jacksonville,  Octo- 
ber 3,  1861.  George  C.  Wood  was  appointed  Stated  Clerk. 
Resolutions  were  passed  strongly  approving  the  action  of 
the  last  General  Assembly  in  establishing  their  Home  Mis- 
sionary Committee.  Also  of  earnest  sympathy  with  the 
Government  and  its  armies  in  their  efforts  to  put  down  con- 
spiracy and  rebellion  in  our  land;  and  recommending  fer- 
vent prayer  to  God  for  his  blessing  upon  the  President  and 
his  advisers,  and  for  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  our  armies. 
To  these  patriotic  resolutions  the  Synod  unanimously  re- 
sponded. 

The  Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s.,  met  at  Springfield,  Octo- 
•ber  9,  1861,  and  was  largely  attended.  Much  time  was  spent 
in  several  judicial  cases.  The  action  of  the  Assembl}^  upon 
the  state  of  the  country,  as  expressed  in  the  "  Spring  Reso- 
lutions," was  approved  by  a  very  decided  vote,  though  not 
without  protest  from  a  minority  consisting  of  nine  persons. 

YEAR  1862. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  Virden,  April  3, 
1862.  The  names  of  the  two  churches  of  Salem  and  Roches- 
ter were  erased  from  the  roll,  as  they  had  become  extinct. 
The  Second  Portuguese  church  of  Springfield  was  received, 
and  its  elder,  Jose  Rodrigues,  took  his  seat  as  a  mem- 
ber. W.  G.  Gallaher,  minister,  and  David  A.  Smith,  elder, 
were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Farmington,  commencing  Sep- 
tember 12.  The  name  of  String  Prairie  church  was  changed 
to  that  of  Walnut  Grove. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  with  Galum  church. 
Perry  county,  April  10,  1862.  The  Presbyterian  church  of 
Union  county,  at  Jonesboro,  was  received.  D.  A.  Wallace, 
aninister,  and  W.  H.  Mann,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend 


57©  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

the  Assembly.  The  Presbytery  this  spring  reported  to  the 
Assembly  four  ministers,  thirteen  churches  and  three  hun- 
dred and  seventy-seven  members.  The  fall  meet- 
ing was  held  at  Chester,  commencing  September  26,  1862. 
W.  H.  Templeton  was  elected  Stated  Clerk.  James  Staf- 
ford was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Rock  River.  F. 
H.  L.  Laird  was  released  from  the  pastoral  care  of  Carlyle 
church,  and  D.  A.  Wallace  from  that  of  Nashville. 


The  Presbytef;.ian  Church  of  Union  County  was  or- 
ganized at  Jonesboro,  Union  county,  in  March,  1861,  by  Rev. 
James  Stafford,  with  thirteen  members.  Never  accomplished 
anything  and  was  dissolved  by  Presbytery,  April  6,  1866. 


Wabash  Presbytery  met  with  New  Providence  church, 
April  II,  1862.  James  W.  Stark,  licentiate,  was  received 
from  the  Fourth  Presbytery  of  New  York,  examined  and 
arrangements  made  for  his  ordination  at  Danville,  111.,  on  the 
first  Sabbath  of  June  next.  William  R.  Palmer  was  dis- 
missed to  the  Presbytery  of  Fort  Wayne.  J.  C.  Campbell, 
minister,  and  J.  M.  Culbertson,  elder,  were  appointed  to  at- 
tend the  Assembly.  The  fall  meeting  was  held 
at  Mattoon,  September  12. 


James  Worthington  Stark  was  born  in  Colchester,  Conn., 
March  4,  1873.  His  mother  and  her  family — the  Worthing- 
tons — were  Episcopalians.  His  father  was  brought  up  a 
Baptist,  but  never  could  persuade  himself  to  unite  with  that 
church,  and  remained  a  non-professor,  with  great  respect  for 
religion — heart  and  mouth  full  of  its  melodies,  and  life  gov- 
erned by  its  principles.  They  early  emigrated  to  Michigan, 
settling  at  Jonesvilie,  where,  upon  a  farm,  the  boyhood  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  passed.  Baptized  in  the  Epis- 
copal Church,  he  probably  would  have  remained  there,  had  it 
not  been  for  the  arrogance  of  the  minister  at  the  time  of  the 
revival  in  which  he  was  converted,  claiming  that  going  to  the 
Presbyterian  church  through  the  week  was  disloyalty  to  the 
true  Church.  He  united  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  when 
he  was  eighteen,  the  year  after  liis  conversion,  at  Ypsilanti, 
Mich.,  where  he  attended  the  State  Normal  School,  gradu- 


JAMES    W.  STARK.  57* 

ating  at  that  institution.  For  a  year  he  taught  in  Pontiac, 
Mich,,  agreeably  to  his  purpose  of  making  teaching  a  Hfe- 
work.  He  then  concluded  to  more  fully  fit  himself,  and  en- 
tered the  sophomore  year  in  Michigan  University,  Ann  Ar- 
bor. Had  the  way  opened  at  his  graduating  in  1858  for 
teaching,  he  probably  would  have  considered  that  his  call- 
ing. As  it  did  not,  he  traveled  through  the  summer,  viewing 
the  West  with  his  father,  and  at  the  opening  of  the  term  in 
Union  Theological  Seminary,  New  York  city,  saw  his  way 
clear  to  enter  that  institution,  ^r^m  which  he  graduated  ia 
1 86 1.  Before  leaving  New  York  he  was  invited  to  the 
church  of  Danville,  111.,  the  pulpit  of  which  would  be  vacant 
in  September.  He   was  licensed  by  the  Fourth 

Presbytery  of  New  York,  and  spent  the  summer  preaching 
to  the  Congregational  church  in  East  Mathias,  Maine.  In 
September  he  entered  upon  his  labors  in  Danville,  calling  at 
Jonesville,  ]\Iich.,  by  the  way,  and  taking  with  him  from 
there  as  a  life-companion  Miss  Cynthia  M.  Buck,  daughter 
of  Rev.  E.  Buck,  who  himself  performed  the  marriage  cere- 
mony. As  a  graduate  of  the  then  flourishing 
female  college,  at  College  Hill,  Ohio,  and  preceptress  in  the 
high  schools  at  Litchfield,  Coldwater  and  Tecumseh,  Mich.,. 
— the  latter  place  for  four  years  before  her  marriage — she 
was  well  fitted  for  the  positions  she  has  since  occupied  with 
her  husband.  These  have  been :  Danville,  111., 
two  years,  1861-63,  ^^  which  place  he  was  ordained  by  Wa- 
bash Presbytery,  June  i,  1862  ;  Jefferson,  Wis.,  one  year,. 
1863-64;  Berlin,  Wis.,  two  years,  1864-66;  Centralia,  111., 
four  years,  1866-70;  Bloomfield,  Iowa,  two  years,  1871-73;. 
Jersey ville,  111.,  six  years,  1873,  to  present  date — the  field 
he  still  occupies.  One  year  after  leaving  his  work 
at  Centralia,  was  spent  on  a  farm  in  Iowa,  recruiting  his  en- 
feebled health,  yet  not  to  the  entire  giving-up  of  ministerial 
work  for  that  period.  Once  in  three  weeks  he  supplied 
Bethel  church,  near  Washington  City,  Iowa,  and  occasionally 
other  points  in  spiritually  destitute  places.  But  the  year  was 
one  of  rest,  and  he  always  counted  it  as  adding  ten  years  at 
least  to  his  years  of  gospel  labor. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  at  Paris,  Edgar  county,. 
April    10,    1862.  A.  S.   Kemper,  licentiate,  was 

received  from  Cincinnati  Presbytery,  e.camined  and  ordained,. 


;S72  PRESBYTERIAXISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

sine  titulo,  April  ii.  A.  McFarland,  minister,  and  Thomas  M. 
Brooks,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  Assembly.  S.  E. 
Vance  was  licensed.  The  fall   meeting  was  held 

at  Newton,  Jasper  county.  D.  F.  McFarland  was  received 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Peoria.  Union  church,  Clark  county, 
was  received.  John  Fox,  licentiate,  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Vincennes. 

Augustus  S.  Kemper — Auto-biographical. — I  was  born  in 
Cincinnati,  O.,  February  21,  1836.  My  parents  also  were 
both  natives  of  0hio,  and  of  Presbyterian  ancestry.  My 
grandfather  was  frequently  a  commissioner  to  the  Assembly 
in  the  early  part  of  this  century,  when  he  had  to  make  the 
trip  from  Cincinnati  to  Philadelphia  on  horseback.  I  was 
educated  at  Woodward  High  School,  Cincinnati,  and  spent 
two  years  at  Danville,  Ky.,  Theological  Seminary,  leaving 
there  at  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war.  I  was  licensed  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Cincinnati,  September  5,  i860,  and  ordained 
in  Paris,  111.,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  April  ii,  1862. 
I  ministered  to  the  Old  School  church  in  Mattoon,  111.,  for 
.a  time,  then  went  to  Chicago,  spent  a  session,  and  graduated 
.at  the  theological  seminary  there  in  1863.  I  was  always  del- 
icate in  health,  from  an  injury  to  my  spine,  and  other  causes, 
and  came  to  Minnesota,  to  see  whether  it  could  be  recruited. 
It  has  been  in  a   measure.  I   was   married  May 

31,  1855,  in  Springfield,  Ohio,  to  Miss  Mary  Bradbury,  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  that  place.  She  died 
.at  our  present  residence,  Lanesboro,  Minn.,  June  16,  1877, 
leaving  me  one  son,  Charles  W.,  now  aged  twenty-one,  and 
one  daughter,  Agnes  Grant,  now  aged  sixteen.  I  only  add, 
that  with  unabated  ardor,  I  love  the  Church  of  my  fathers — 
the  Church  of  my  infant  years,  and  the  Church  of  my  choice. 
In  her  bosom  I  have  lived — in  her  bosom  I  hope  to  die. 

Union  Church,  Clark  county,  was  organized  at  a  school 
house  called  Union  school  house,  about  four  miles  south  of 
the  present  railroad  village  of  Casey,  by  Rev.  H.  I.  Venable, 
-on  the  second  Sabbath  in  June,  1862,  with  nine  members. 
John  Scott  was  chosen  elder.  This  church  disbanded,  and 
the  members  united  with  Casey  church,  February  11,  1872. 
Among  those  who  thus  united  at  Casey  were  John  Scott,  the 
-elder  of  Union  church,  and  his  wife. 


PRESBYTERY    OF    SANGAMON.  573, 

David  F.  IMcFarland  joined  Palestine  Presbytery  from 
that  of  Peoria.  In  1871  he  was  supply  pastor  at  Santa  Fe, 
New  Mexico.  In  1875  he  was  agent  at  San  Diego,  Colo- 
rado. He  died  at  Lapwai,  Idaho  territory,  May  13,  1876,  a 
member,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  of  Los  Angelos  Presbytery. 

The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  held  ^l  pro  re  nata  meeting 
at  Springfield,  Jan.  16,  1862,  at  which  Geo.  W.  F.  Birch  was 
ordained  pastor  of  the  Third  Presbyterian  church,  Spring- 
field, on  the  17th.  The  spring  meeting  was  held  at  Jackson- 
ville, commencing  April  i,  1862.  John  Dale,  minister,  and 
John  S.  Vredenberg,  elder,  were  elected  Commissioners  to 
the  Assembly.  An  adjourned  meeting  was  held  July  15,  at 
Springfield,  at  which  Robert  Lemington  was  received  from 
the  Presbytery  of  Logansport,  examined,  and  ordained  pas- 
tor of  the  First  Portuguese  church  at  Springfield.  In  con- 
nection with  this  charge,  he  was  also,  on  the  first  Sabbath  in 
August,  1862,  installed  over  the  Portuguese  church  at  Jack- 
sonville. The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Jackson- 
ville, commencing  October  6.  J.  V.  Dodge  was  dismissed^ 
to  the  Presbytery  of  Vincennes. 

Geo.  W.  F.  Birch  was  pastor  of  Third  church,  Springfield,. 
1862-69  5  i'^  1870.  W.  C. ;  pastor  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  1871-73;. 
pastor  Indianapolis  Third  church  1874-76 ;  in  transitu,  1877-78. 

The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Collinsville,  April  3, 
1862.  Edward  Hollister  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of 
Schuyler,  and  A,  G.  Martin  to  that  of  St.  Joseph.  C.  H. 
Foote  and  Andrew  Luce,  ministers,  and  Samuel  Wade  and 
L.  A.  Parks,  elders,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the 
Assembly.  The  Presbytery  memorialized  the  Assembly  on 
the  subject  of  establishing  an  Itinerating  ]\Iissionary  System. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Shipman,  Macoupin  county, 
commencing  September  26.  Pinckneyville  church  was  dis- 
solved. Theron  Baldwin  was  dismissed  to  the  Congrega- 
tional Association  of  Southern  Illinois.  The  church  of  No- 
komis  was  received. 

NoKOMis  Church  was  organized,  June  21,  1862,  by  Rev, 
Joseph  Gordon,  with  these  members;  Thomas  Derr,  David 


574  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Nickey,  Wilson  Silsbee,  Jane  Nickey,  Rebecca  Matkin,  Eg- 
lantine Strider,  Rebecca  Jane  Silsbee,  Phcebe  D.  Derr,  Irene 
B.  Derr,  Nelly  A.  Derr,  Amanda  E.  Matkin,  Nancy  Yarnell. 
Ministers:  Joseph  Gordon,  till  April,  1869;  G.  C.  Clark, 
August  20,  1869,  to  January  20,  1870 ;  C.  K.  Smoyer,  licen- 
iate,  January  28,  1871,  to  June  7,  1873  ;  Joseph  Gordon,  sec- 
ond time,  June,  1874,  to  June,  1875  ;  John  Payson  Mills,  No- 
vember, 1875,  to  April,  1878;  James  Lafferty,  August,  1878, 
still  continues.  Elders  :  David  Nickey,  at  the  organiza- 
tion;  Thomas  Derr,  March  25,  1865;  Benajah  Mundy, 
March  21,  1868;  Martin  Harkey  and  John  Johns,  January 
22,  1870;  H.  S.  S'train,  M.  D.,  August  8,  1874;  James  Bryce, 
November  3,  1878.  The  church  edifice  was  dedicated  No- 
vember 3,  1867,  and  cost  about  four  thousand  dollars.  From 
Church  Erection  five  hundred  dollars  were  received.  About 
one  hundred  persons  in  all  have  been  connected  with  this 
■church. 

The  Presbytery  of  Hillsboro  met  at  Litchfield,  April 
II,  1862.  Alfred  N.  Denny,  minister,  and  George  Donnell, 
-elder,  were  appoinred  to  attend  the  next  meeting  of  the  As- 
sembly. The  patriotic  spirit  of  this  Presbytery  was  man- 
ifested by  the  adoption  of  this  resolution :  "  That  we  ap- 
prove the  preamble  and  resolutions  adopted  by  the  General 
Assembly  of  186 1  on  the  state  of  the  country,  and  rejoice 
that  the  Assembly  took  ground  so  timely  and  so  nobly  in 
these  resolutions — breathing,  as  we  believe  they  do,  a  Christ- 
ian and  loyal  spirit  becoming  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
United  States  of  America."  The  ayes  and  nays  on  this 
resolution  were  these  :  Ayes — Thomas  W.  Hynes,  P.  Has- 
singer,  R.  M.  Roberts,  Henry  Blanke,  Alfred  N.  Denny, 
Henry  M.  Corbett,  W.  L.  Mitchell,  George  Donnell,  J. 
A.  A.  McNeeley,  Samuel  A.  Paden,  S.  M.  Hedges,  Joseph 
T.  Eccles,  W.  H.  Edwards,  Ludwig  Pape,  Hugh  Smith. 
Nays — W.  Hamilton,  S.  Lynn,  A.  A.  McReynolds. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Hillsboro,  commencing  Oc- 
tober 3.  Henry  M.  Corbett  was  dismissed  to  the  Presby- 
tery of  Kaskaskia.  This  was  the  last  meeting  of  Hillsboro 
Presbytery  as  such.     It  had  an  existence  of  four  years. 


The  Presbytery  of  Saline  met  at    Grayville,    April  3, 
1862.     J.  C.  Thornton,  minister,  and  James  E.  Bell,  eider, 


ROBERT    L.  m'cUNE.  575 

were  appointed  to  attend  the  naxt  meeting  of  the  Assembh'. 
At  an  adjourned  meeting  held  at  Lawrenceville,  June  5, 
John  Mack  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  St,  Paul. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Salem,  Marion  county,  com- 
mencing October  2.  R.  Lewis  McCune  was  received  on  tes- 
timony as  a  member  from  the  Presbytery  of  Winchester,  now 
dispersed  by  the  war.  J.  S.  Howell  was  dismissed  to  the 
Presbytery  of  Hillsboro.  The  patriotic  spirit  of  the  Presby- 
tery was  manifested  by  their  hearty  approval  of  the  resolu- 
tions of  the  Assembly  on  the  state  of  the  country.  John 
B.  Saye  was,  after  trial,  deposed  from  the  ministry  for 
falsehood,  double-dealing  and  other  unministerial  conduct. 
He  appealed  to  Synod. 


Robert  Lewis  McCune  was  born  in  Mercersburg,  Frank- 
lin county,  Pa.  His  father  was  of  Scotch-Irish,  his  mother 
of  English  and  Dutch  descent.  He  graduated  from  Mar- 
shall College,  Mercersburg,  Pa.,  in  1848,  and  at  Allegheny 
Seminary  in  1855.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Carlisle  in  June,  1855.  In  the  spring  of  1862  he  came  to 
Illinois  and  took  charge  of  the  churches  of  Carmi,  Gray- 
ville  and  Sharon,  White  county.  His  labors  in  Southeast- 
ern Illinois  were  abundant  and  successful.  Since  then  he 
has  labored  in  Pennsylvania,  Northeastern  New  York  and 
Iowa.  He  is  now — 1879 — residing  in  Mercersburg,  Pa.,  in 
the  old  homestead  where  he  and  his  father  were  born.  He 
married  Miss  Lizzie  H.  Wallace,  daughter  of  Dr.  Wallace, 
of  Philadelphia,  April  4,  1877. 


The  Church  at  Grayville,  where  the  Presbytery  held  its 
session,  noticed  above,  was  never  fully  organized.  June  4, 
1859,  Revs,  John  Crozier  and  J.  S,  Howell  visited  the  place 
by  direction  of  the  Presbytery,  and  enrolled  the  following 
names:  Mrs,  Frances  A.  Spring,  Mrs,  Eliza  Sinvell,  Mrs, 
Margaret  Spring,  Mrs,  S.  E.  St.  Albans,  Mrs.  E.  M,  Webb, 
George  Gilbert,  Mrs,  Harriet  Gilbert  and  Mrs.  Mary  B.  Ri- 
gall.  No  elder  was  appointed  then  or  ever.  It  seems  to 
have  been  received  by  Presbytery,  but  had  so  little  care  that 
it  never  came  to  anything.  It  is  another  example  of  the  folly 
of  bringing  into  life  without  furnishing  any  adequate  means 
for  sustenance  and  growth. 


5/6  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS, 

The  Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s.,  met  at  Quincy,  October  2, 
1862.  Rev.  Henry  Kendall,  D.  D.,  was  present,  and  made 
deeply  interesting  statements  on  the  subject  of  home  mis- 
sions. Strong  patriotic  resolutions  were  adopted,  in  which 
it  was  said  that,  in  order  to  bring  the  pending  conflict  to  a 
righteous  issue,  they  would,  were  it  needful,  speitd  the  last 
ounce  of  gold  and  pour  out  the  last  drop  of  blood  !  This  was 
the  spirit  of  1776  !  The  Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s., 

met  at  Jacksonville  October  8,  i852.     The  Presbyteries  of 
Hillsboro  and  Kaskaskia,  were  united  under  the  name  of  Kas- 

KASKIA. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

MEETINGS  OF  PRESBYTERIES  AND  SYNODS  FROM  1 863  TO 
1865,  INCLUDING  SKETCHES  OF  THE  CHURCHES  ORGANIZED 
AND  THE  MINISTERS  COMMENCING  THEIR  LABORS  WITHIN 
THE  PERIOD. 

Authorities:    Original    Records;    Auto-biograpliies ;    General    Catalogues; 
Presbytery  Reporter. 

YEAR  1863. 

Illinois  Pbesbytery  met  with  Pisgah  church,  April  lo, 
1863.  Antonio  De  Mattos  was  received.  J.  E.  McMurray 
was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Wabash.  Rufus  Nutt- 
ing, minister,  and  D.  A.  Smith,  elder,  were  appointed  Com- 
missioners to  the  Assemby.  Morgan  L.  Wood  was  received 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Peoria.  The  fall  meeting 

was  held  at  Shelbyville,  commencing  September  10.  Cyrus 
L.  Watson  was  dismissed  to  the  East  Central  Association  of 
Illinois.  Geo.  C,  Wood  was  appointed  Stated  Clerk,  and 
also  re-appointed  Presbyterial  Missionary. 


Morgan  L.  Wood,  was  born  at  Amsterdam,  N.  Y.,  May  8, 
1820.  His  ancestors  were  English  and  Presbyterian.  He 
was  educated  at  Union  College  and  Auburn  Seminary.  Li- 
censed by  Presbytery  of  Tioga,  October,  1848,  at  Bingham- 
ton,  N.  Y.,  and  ordained  by  the  same  at  Conklin,  N.  Y.,  April 
24,  1850.  He  has  labored  at  Conklin,  Ludlowville  and  Tri- 
bus  Hill,  N.  Y.,  at  Carrollton  and  Greenfield,  111.,  and  is  now 
at  Marion  Centre,  Kan.  He  has  suffered  greatly 

from  ill  health,  twelve  years  of  constant  neuralgia  and  ten  of 
aphonia.  He  has  been  twice  married,  and  had  ten  children 
— eight  daughters  and  two  sons.  His  eldest  daughter,  x\lice 
M.,  died  at  Oxford,  Ohio,  while  a  member  of  the  Western 
Female  Seminary. 

Kaskaskia  Presbytery  met  at  Greenville,  Bond  county, 
April  10,  1863.     By  act  of  the  Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s.,  the 

36 


5/8  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Presbyteries  of  Kaskaskia  and  Hillsboro  were  thrown  to- 
gether, under  the  name  of  Kaskaskia.  This  was  the  first 
meeting  of  the  united  body.  John  Howell  was  received  from 
the  Presbytery  of  Saline.  William  Barnes  was  received  from 
the  Mendon  Congregational  Association.  W.  H.  Templeton 
resigned  the  office  of  Stated  Clerk,  and  Alfred  N.  Denny 
was  appointed  in  his  place.  D.  A.  Wallace  was  dismissed 
to  the  Presbytery  of  Saline.  Henry  M.  Corbett,  minister, 
and  Joseph  T.  Eccles,  elder  were  appointed  to  attend  the 
meeting  of  the  Assembly.  Arrangements  were  made  for  the 
installation  of  R.  M.  Roberts  pastor  of  Litchfield  church  on 
May  ly.  The  fall  meeting    was    held  with  the 

Waveland  church,  Montgomery  county,  Oct.  9. 


William  Barnes  —  Auto-biographical. — I  was  born  at 
Portsmouth,  Ohio,  February  8,  18 14.  My  parents  were  of 
Scotch  blood  and  Methodists.  When  nine  years  of  age,  I 
removed  with  my  family  to  Marion  county,  Ohio.  Professed 
religion  in  Milan,  Ohio,  in  1833.  Graduated  at  Yale  in  1839, 
and  at  the  East  Windsor  Theological  Seminary  in  1842. 
Had  been  licensed  to  preach  by  the  New  London  (Conn.) 
Association  September  i,  1841.  Was  married  at  Manches- 
ter, Conn.,  August  18,  1842,  to  Eunice  A.  Hubbard.  Was 
ordained  and  installed  at  Hampton,  Conn.,  September  21, 
1842.  Was  installed  at  Foxboro,  Mass.,  December  15,  1847. 
I   came  West  in   1852.  In   Illinois    I   have   had 

charge  of  churches  in  Upper  Alton,  Chandlerville  and  Sugar 
Creek,  though  not  installed  in  either.  I  was  with  the  latter 
church  thirteen  years,  and  with  the  others,  both  East  and 
West,  about  five  years  each.  The  mother  of  my 

children  died  at  Jacksonville,  111.,  on  May  18,  1874,  and  I 
was  married  again  at  Chandlerville,  to  Mrs.  S.  E.  Sewall 
Fry,  August    i,  1878.  I  have  had  four  children, 

William  Henry,  born  at  Hampton,  Conn.,  May  14,  1843; 
Nathan  Hale,  born  at  the  same  place,  July  12,  1845  ;  Mary 
Elizabeth,  also  born  at  Hampton,  June  30,  1846,  and  Charles 
Albert,  born  at  Upper  Alton,  III,  July  4,  1855. 

Jacksonville  has  been  my  family  residence  for  eighteen 
years,  on  account  of  its  educational  advantages,  and  I  con- 
sider myself  as  now,  for  the  most  part,  eineriUis. 

William  Barnes. 


NATHANIEL    WILLIAMS.  579 

The  Presbytery  of  Wabash  met  at  Tuscola,  April  24, 
1S63.  Enoch  Kingsbury,  minister,  and  Eben  H.  Palmer, 
•elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  next  Assembly. 
Pliny  S.  Smith  was  licensed.  The   fall   meeting 

was  held  at  Cerro  Gordo,  Piatt  county,  September  28.  Rob- 
•ert  Rutherford  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Ripley, 
and  William  M.  Taylor  from  the  Cumberland  Presbytery  of 
Decatur.  Against  this  last  act  William  M.  Allison  entered 
his  protest,  on  the  ground  that  Presbytery  did  not  receive 
•evidence  of  the  proper  literary  qualifications. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  at  Marshall,  Clark 
-county,  April  9,  1863.  Nathaniel  Williams  was  received 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Chillicothe.  J.  M.  Alexander,  min- 
ister, and  William  Redick,  elder,  were  appointed  Commis- 
sioners to  the  Assembly,  and  distinctly  instructed  to  take 
ground  there  on  the  question  of  loyalty  to  the  Government, 
which  shall  accord  with  the  "  Spring  Resolutions."  They  also 
strongly  indorsed  the  President's  Proclamation  of  a  fast  on 
the  30th  of  April,  inst.  John  Fox  was  ordained,  sine  titulo,  on 
the  nth.     Henry  F.  Nelson  was  licensed  the  same  day. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Kansas,  Edgar  county,  com- 
mencing October  9.  A.  S.  Kemper  was  dismissed  to  the 
Presbytery  of  Chippewa.  A.  Hamilton,  D.  D.,  was  received 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Chicago.  Samuel  E.  Vance  was  or- 
dained, sine  titulo,  October  11,  and  dismissed  to  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Schuyler. 


Nathaniel  Williams  was  born,  November  16,  18 16,  in 
Adams  county,  Ohio,  in  a  log  house  surrounded  by  Indian 
trails.  Col.  John  Morrison,  his  maternal  grandfather,  re- 
moved from  New  York  to  Kentucky  and  settled  at  Bryant's 
Station,  1789,  and  with  his  wife  helped  to  form  the  Presby- 
terian church  of  Paris,  Ky.  His  father,  William  Williams, 
was  one  of  three  brothers  who  came  from  Wales  and  settled 
one  in  Massachusetts,  one  in  New  Jersey,  and  one  in  Vir- 
ginia. His  father  was  the  brother  who  went  to  Virginia, 
but  married  in  Kentucky.  Both  his  parents  hated  slavery 
and  pitied  the  slaves.  There  were  slaves  in  the  family,  but 
none  were  bought  or  sold  and  all  were  freed  as  soon  as  pos- 
ble.     His  father  was  of  the  Methodist  Church  bv  birth,   but 


580  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Calvinistic  in  faith.  When  in  a  backshden  state  he  would 
read  the  Bible  and  say,  "  If  this  be  true  I  shall  be  restored." 
He  was  restored  and  died  in  the  Lord.  Mr.  Wil- 

liams obtained  an  education  by  dint  of  perseverance  through 
great  difficulties.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Chillicothe  at  Greenfield,  April  7,  1853.  For  nine  years  he 
labored  at  New  Market.  In  1862  he  removed  to  Illinois  and 
took  charge  of  Kansas  church,  Coles  county.  He  labored 
in  the  bounds  of  Mattoon  Presbytery  until  1874,  when  he 
went  to  Iowa  and  was  installed  pastor  of  Hermon  church  at 
Melpine,  where  he^  still  remains.  In  June,   1848, 

he  married  Ann  Baskin,  of  Hillsboro,  Ohio.  They  have  had 
five  daughters,  only  three  of  whom  are  living. 


Samuel  E.  Vance  was  born  in  Paris,  Edgar  county,  111.,.. 
July  29,  1835,  His  grandfather  and  father  were  natives  of 
Virsfinia,  and  removed  to  Paris  from  East  Tennessee  in  1822. 
The  family  were  originally  Scotch-Irish  and  Presbyterian.. 
His  preparatory  education  was  received  at  Edgar  Academy 
of  Paris,  111.  His  college  course  was  taken  at  Jefferson  Col- 
lege, Cannonsburg,  Pa.,  where  he  graduated  in  i860.  His 
three  years'  theological  course  was  taken  at  the  Seminary  of 
the  Northwest,  graduating  in  1863.  The  Presbytery  of  Pal- 
estine licensed  him,  April  lO,  1 862.  In  the  summer  of  1862- 
he  supplied  the  church  of  Pleasant  Prairie.  Within  a  few 
weeks  after  graduation  he  was  invited  to  supply  the  churches 
of  Altona  and  John  Knox  in  Knox  county.  111.  Before  the 
year  closed  he  received  a  call  to  become  pastor  of  John 
Knox  and  Oneida  churches  and  and  was  installed  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Schuyler.  On  this  field  he  labored  for  six 
years.  In  the  spring  of  1869  he  accepted  a  call  from  the 
church  of  Farm  Ridge,  La  Salle  county,  111.,  where  he 
labored  for  two  years.  After  which  he  became  pastor 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Granville,  Putnam  county.  111. 
In  October,  1872,  he  accepted  a  call  from  the  church  of 
Lexington,  McLean  county.  111.,  and  was  pastor  of  that  church 
for  more  than  five  years.  In  January,  1878,  he  received  a 
call  from  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Stevens'  Point,  Wis. 
To  this  field  he  removed  February  i,  1878,  and  was  installed 
pastor  May  7.  In  this  field  he  is  still  laboring.  On  Decem- 
ber 23,  1863,  he  was  married  to  Kate  Frame,  daughter  of 
Rev.  Reuben  Frame,  at  Morris,  111.     They  have  four  children. 


ELI    \V.  TAYLOR.  5^1 

Selby  F.,  was  born  Nov.  17,  1864;  Hattie  Shelledy,  born 
March  18,  1S67;  Edward  Elbridge,  July  23,  1872;  James 
Milton,  May  21,  1875. 


Alfred  Hamilton,  D.  D.,  was  installed  over  Mattoon 
•church  April  13,  1864.  He  remained  there  that  year  and 
the  next.  In  1866-67  he  was  in  Chicago  in  infirm  health. 
In  1 868  his  name  disappeared  from  the  minutes  of  the  As- 
sembly. 

The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  met  at  Decatur,  April  i, 
1863.  C.  P.  Jennings  resigned  his  office  as  Stated  Clerk, 
-and  G.  W.  F.  Birch  was  elected  in  his  place.  T.  M.  Oviatt, 
minister,  and  S.  G.  Malone,  elder,  were  elected  Commission- 
ers to  the  Assembly.  T.  M.  Oviatt  was  released  from  the 
pastoral  care  of  the  Decatur  church.  C.  P.  Jennings  was 
dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Logansport.  The 

fall  meeting  was  held  with  Centre  church,  commencing  Sep- 
tember 29.  David  C.  Marquis,  hcentiate,  was  received  from 
ithe  Presbytery  of  Beaver.  Geo.  K.  Scott  was  received  from 
the  Presbytery  of  Wooster,  Ohio.  An  adjourned  meeting 
was  held  at  Decatur,  commencing  November  7,  and  on  Sab- 
bath, the  9th.  D,  C.  Marquis  was  ordained  paster  of  the 
Decatur  church. 

The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Cairo,  April  2,  1863. 
Eli  W.  Taylor,  from  Lake  Presbytery,  and  Elijah  Buck,  from 
Coldwater  Presbytery,  were  received.  W.  R.  Smith,  who 
united  with  the  Presbytery  on  a  forged  certificate,  was  de- 
posed. J.  R.  Johnson  was  licensed.  A.  T.  Norton  and  Jo- 
seph Gordon,  ministers,  and  M.  Fehren  and  Samuel  Wade, 
elders,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Alton,  Sept.  28. 


Eli  W.  Taylor — Auto-biographical. — I  was  born  in  Chit- 
tenden county,  Vt.,  December  ii,  1806.  My  ancestors  were 
.among  the  early  emigrants  to  this  country  from  England. 
On  my  father's  side  they  were  of  the  Church  of  England.  In 
Cromwell's  time,  some  of  them  affiliated  with  the  Puritans, 
and  coming  to  this  country,  settled  at  New  Haven,  Ct.  My 
smother  belonged  to  the  Lawrence  family  in    Massachusetts. 


582  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Her  grandfather  was  one  of  the  colony  from  Massachusetts 
which  settled  in  and  around  Hartford,  Ct.,  making  his  home 
finally  in  Canaan.  The  house  he  built  still  stands,  with  the 
names  of  himself,  Isaac  Lawrence,  and  all  his  family  cut  in 
the    stone  step  of  the  front  door.  My  parents 

emigrated  to  Vermont  soon  after  the  revolution.  They  had 
six  children,  who  lived  to  profess  their  faith  in  Christ.  Two 
sons  and  a  grandson  entered  the  ministry.  The  eldest  son 
was  an  eminently  useful  physician  in  Morgan  county.  111. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen  I  made  a  profession  of  religion, 
x^lmost  from  the  first,  my  thoughts  were  turned  towards  the 
ministry.  "'        I  entered  the  University  of  Vermont 

at  Burlington  and  continued  for  three  years,  when  my  course- 
was  interrupted  by  protracted  illness  and  the  death  of  my 
father.  The  university  subsequently  conferred  on  me  the 
degree  of  A.  M.  My  theological  studies  were  pursued  with 
private  instructors.  In  the  spring  of  1830  I  was  licensed, 
and  in  December  following  ordained  by  Rutland  Asso- 
ciation, Vt.  After  spending  about  three  years  as  a  Home 
Missionary  in  Western  Vermont,  I  accepted  a  call  from 
the  Congregational  church  in  Croydon,  Sullivan  county, 
N.  H.  Here  I  was  permitted  to  witness  a  striking  display  of 
the  power  of  Divine  grace.  The  church  had  become  re- 
duced to  a  small  number,  and  the  whole  region  was  overrun 
with  Universalism  and  kindred  systems.  Their  most  bold 
and  blatant  advocates  were  men  who  had  once  professed  to- 
be  Christians.  Within  a  year,  however,  the  Spirit  of  God 
was  evidently  at  work  among  us,  and  this  influence  increased 
and  extended  gradually  till  it  seemed  to  pervade  the  great 
mass  of  the  people.  The  work  thus  begun  continued 
about  two  years.  Nearly  one  hundred  were  added  to  the 
church.  Opposition,  for  the  time,  was  silenced  and  the  moral 
aspect  of  .the  whole  community  changed.  While  for  a  short 
time  in  charge  of  another  church,  about  thirty  were  received 
as  the  fruits  of  a  revival,  I  was  frequently  called  ten,  and 
sometimes  twenty,  miles  to  attend  funerals  and  perform  other 
services  in  mid-winter,  the  cold  intense  and  the  snow  very 
deep.  The  work  was  beyond  my  strength,  and  I  was  forced 
to  resign  my  charge  and  seek  relief  in  a  southern  latitude. 
On  my  return  I  accepted  a  call  from  the  Congregational 
church  in  Williamstown,  Orange  county,  Vt.  With  that  peo- 
ple I  spent  about  ten  pleasant  years.  Again 
prostrated,  I  accepted  an  agency  for  the  American  Tract  So- 


ELIJAH    BUCK.  5^3 

ciety,  and  spent  most  of  two  years  in  Mississippi  and  Ala- 
bama. Instead  of  returning  to  New  England,  I  accepted  a 
pastoral  charge  in  Cass  county,  Mich.,  where  I  remained 
seven  years.  I  had  previously  connected  with  Presby- 
tery. In  i86i  I  came  to  Illinois,  and  for  three  years  minis- 
tered to  the  church  in  Pana.  In  1865  I  took  charge  of  the 
churches  of  Shipman  and  Plainview,  Both  churches  were 
small  and  their  houses  of  worship  in  an  unfinished  state.  At 
the  end  of  four  years  both  houses  were  finished  and  neatly 
furnished.  The  accessions  to  the  membership  amounted  to 
sixty-one.  Subsequently  I  labored  for  a  time  with  the 
church  at  Walnut  Grove,  in  Greene  county.  In 

August,  1830,  I  was  married  to  Laura,  daughter  of  Deacon 
Lyman  King,  of  Burlington,  Vt.  Our  children  all  died  in 
infancy.  My  wife  still  survives.  For  forty-eight  years  we 
have  walked  and  labored  together  in  this  blessed  work.  A 
considerable  portion  of  our  time  has  been  spent  in  Home 
Mission  fields,  where  a  full  share  of  the  toil  and  privation 
falls  upon  the  minister's  wife.  This  she  has  cheerfully  borne — 
a  faithful  and  efficient  helper.  Together  we  have  labored — 
together  we  wait  the  call  of  the  blessed  Master  to  enter  into 
rest. 

E.  W.  Taylor. 

Shipman,  III.,  October,  1878. 

This  beloved  brother  died  at  his  residence  in  Shipman,  III.,  February  13,  1879. 
His  widow  survives. 

Elijah  Buck  was  born  at  Great  Bend,  Susquehanna 
county,  Pa.,  March  i,  1799.  He  was  educated  at  Hamilton 
College,  N.  Y.,  and  at  Auburn  Seminary.  Licensed  in  1826. 
Ordained  April  28,  1830,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Susquehanna. 
United,  first  time,  with  Alton  Presbytery  April  3,  1863.  Dis- 
missed to  Kaskaskia  Presbytery,  April  17,  1868.  United 
second  time  with  Alton  Presbytery  October  8,  1869,  from 
Kaskaskia  Presbytery.  By  the  reunion  and  re-construction, 
he  was  throw  into  Cairo  Presbytery,  with  which  he  is  still — 
1879 — connected,  with  his  residence  near  Centralia.  Mrs. 
J.  W.  Stark,  of  Jerseyville,  111.,  is  his  daughter. 

He  labored  for  years  in  Michigan.  In  Illinois  he  has 
preached  at  Kinmundy,  Odin,  Centralia  and  Richview. 

The  Presbytery  of  Saline  met  at  Olney,  April  2,  1863. 
Arrangements  were  made  for  the   installation  of  S.  C.   Bald- 


584  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

ridge,  pastor  of  Wabash  and  Friendsville  churches  on  the  last 
Sabbath  of  April,  inst.  John  Mack,  minister,  and  Harley 
Kingsbury,  elder,  were  chosen  to  attend  the  Assembly. 
William  G.  Thomas,  licentiate,  was  received  from  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Logansport.  A  pro  re  nata  meeting  was  held 
June  30,  with  the  Wabash  church,  and  adjourned  to  Pisgah 
church  August  4.  Their  object  was  principally  to  consider 
the  case  of  John  B.  Saye.  He  had  been  deposed  by  the 
Presbytery,  and  had  appealed  to  the  Synod.  The  Synod 
had  sustained  the  appeal  so  far  as  to  pronounce  the  sentence 
of  deposition  as  too  severe,  and  that  it  should  have  been  "  sol- 
emn admonition."--  The  Presbytery  had  appealed  the  case  to 
the  Assembly,  where  the  appeal  was  lost  by  one  vote.  This 
restored  Mr.  Saye  to  the  ministry,  but  obliged  the  Presbytery 
to  inflict  the  sentence  which  the  Synod  had  declared  proper, 
viz.:  "solemn  admonition."  The  Presbytery  summoned 
Mr.  Saye  to  receive  this  admonition.  He  refused,  with  ex- 
pressions of  contempt  for  the  Presbytery  and  its  proceed- 
ings; whereupon  Presbytery  deposed  him  for  contumacy. 
Saye  appealed  to  the  Synod  of  1863,  and  his  appeal  was  not 
sustained.  In  all  this  tedious  process  the  temper  of  Presby- 
tery was  most  admirable,  and  their  adherence  to  rules  exact. 
At  last  justice  ivas  secured.  Such  is  ever  the  operation  of  the 
Presbyterian  system,  when  its  rules  are  rigidly  adhered  to. 
The  case  was  so  protracted  simply  because  the  Assembly,  in 
a  fit  of  impatience,  rushed  to  a  conclusion  without  proper 
consideration.  The  fall  session  was    held    with 

Sharon  church  September  24.  On  Sabbath,  the  24th,  Wil- 
liam G.  Thomas  was  ordained,  sine  titulo.  A.  R.  Naylor  was 
received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Chillicothe. 


Arthur  Ralph  Naylor  was  born  at  Cynthiana,  Harrison 
county,  Ky.,  December  20,  18 12.  His  parents  were  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  belonged  to  the  Associate  Re- 
formed Presbyterian  Church.  He  was  early  left  an  orphan. 
He  was  converted  in  early  youth.  He  graduated  at  Miami 
University,  at  Oxford,  Ohio,  August,  1841.  He  waslicensed 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Oxford,  at  Brookville,  Ind.,  in  the  spring 
of  1842.  Pie  was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Cincinnati 
pastor  of  Treesburg  and  Ebenezer  churches  June  12,  1844. 

He  was  married  at  Oxford,  Ohio,  December  i,  1841,  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Montgomery,  daughter  of  Major  James  Mont- 


SYNOD    OF    ILLINOIS.  585 

■gomery.  They  have  had  three  sons,  who  have  reached  ma- 
turity :  Francis  M.,  a  professional  teacher  and  an  elder  in 
the  First  Presbyterian  church,  Terre  Haute,  Ind.;  Thomas  E., 
a  business  man  and  an  elder  in  Providence  church,  Solomon 
Presbytery,  Kan.,  and  Arthur  W.,  who  is  a  member  of  one  of 
the  churches  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.  His  sons  are  all  business 
men,  but  exemplary  Christians,  with  God-fearing  wives. 

He  has  been  laboring  as  a  minister  about  thirty-eight  years, 
■divided  as  to  time  and  place  thus  :  eighteen  years  in  pastoral 
labor  in  Ohio  ;  twelve  years  in  Indiana  ;  four  years  in  Illinois, 
and  now  about  four  years  of  pioneer  labor  on  the  frontier 
of  Northwestern  Kansas. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Jerseyville,  October 
I,  1863.  That  portion  of  Illinois  Presbytery  lying  east  of 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  and  including  the  churches  of 
Shelbyville  and  Prairie  Bird,  was  set  off  to  the  Presbytery 
of  Wabash.  The  former  declarations  of  this  Synod,  with 
regard  to  the  rebellion  raging  against  the  Government,  were 
.repeated  and  emphasized  in  the  strongest  manner. 

The  Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s.,  met  at  Bloomington,  Octo- 
■ber  14,  1863.  Their  declarations  in  regard  to  the  wickedness 
•of  the  existing  rebellion  against  the  Government  were  equally 
as  decided  as  those  of  the  New  School  Synod.  Their  in- 
dorsement also  of  the  efforts  of  the  Christian  Commission, 
and  their  urging  of  its  claims  upon  the  churches,  were  all  the 
most  earnest  Christian  patriot  could  desire.  It  is  interesting 
to  note,  as  the  years  of  the  rebellion  rolled  on,  the  rising 
tone  of  patriotism  and  the  utter  disappearance  of  disloyal 
manifestations  in  all  our  Ecclesiastical  bodies,  except  on  the 
part  of  a  very  few  individuals  in  the  Presbytery  of  Sangamon. 

YEAR  1864. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  Springfield,  April  7, 
1864.  Morgan  L.  Wood,  minister,  and  R.  E.  Wilder,  elder, 
were  appointed  to  attend  the  next  Assembly.  T.  H.  New- 
ton was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Missouri.  Wm.  R. 
Adams  was  ordained,  April  9,  sine  titulo.  The  fall  meeting 
was  held    at  Carrollton,  commencing  August  30. 


5^6  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Thomas  Henry  Newton,  D.  D.  This  article  is  made  up 
of  extracts  from  a  letter  of  his  to  me,  written  in  1879: 

"  Your  conception  of  the  history  of  Presbyterianism  in 
middle  and  south  Illinois  is  entirely  just.  I  have  often  won- 
dered why  such  a  history  was  not  undertaken  by  all  localities 
in  the  United  States,  so  that  material  might  be  furnished 
for  a  correct  general  history  of  the  whole  Church.  *  *  * 
I  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  June  25,  1821.  *  *  * 
It  is  with  no  small  degree  of  interest  that  I  look  back  to 
my  residence  in  Illinois,  whose  growth  has  been  so  marvel- 
ous and  whose  political  position  is  so  commanding.  *  * 
As  my  name  indicates,  I  am  of  English  stock.  The  Newtons 
are-  an  old  family  in  England,  and  with  very  similar  charac- 
teristics. Newtons  are  not  politicians.  I  never  knew  one  of 
the  name  a  rebel,  a  regicide  or  a  seditionist.  They  keep  quiet 
and  mind  their  own  business.  If  political  affairs  don't  suit 
them  they  simply  withdraw,  as  did  Sir  Isaac  Newton  when 
he  shut  himself  up  in  his  observatory  rather  than  become 
member  of  a  cabal.  My  parents  were  staunch  Protestants 
from  the  Church  of  England.  My  father  affiliated  with  the 
Methodists ;  my  mother  with  Presbyterians.  They  trained 
me  with  great  care.  My  general  education    was 

obtained  in  ordinary  schools.  I  graduated  at  La  Fayette 
College  in  1846.  My  theological  course  was  taken  at  Prince- 
ton, N.  J.  I  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Philadel- 
phia in  April,  1848,  The  same  Presbytery  ordained  me  to 
labor  as  a  chaplain  in  St.  Thomas,  W.  I.,  in  November,  1850. 
Besides  labonng  in  the  West  Indies,  I  was  supply  pastor  at 
Berwick,  Pa.,  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  Southwest  Missouri  and  in 
Carlinville,  111.,  from  1862  to  1864.  Since  my  labors  in  Car- 
linville  I  have  had  no  regular  field.  I  have  preached  a  good 
deal,  but  been  in  too  feeble  health  to  do  much.  I  now  re- 
side in  Virginia  and  have  preached  for  four  months  for  two 
small  churches.  That  is  the  most  continuous  labor  I  have 
done  for  years.  While  I  write  this  I  am  visiting  in  Camden, 
N.  J.  I  was  once  married  and  have  one  child — 

George  Junkin  Newton — born  in  St.  Louis,  July  15,  1858.  I 
wish  thus  to  go  on  record  :  /  never  ivroiiged  any  one,  Jior 
preached  for  filthy  lucre.     My  address  is  Richmond,  Va, 

"Thomas  H.  Newton." 

William  R.  Adams  was  born  of  pious  parents,  August  i, 
1830,  at  New  Boston,  N.  H.     United  with  the   Presbyterian- 


WILLIAM    R.  ADAMS.  587 

church  of  that  place  October,  1848.  Completed  his  prepar- 
atory course  in  New  Ipswich  and  Francestown  academies. 
Entered  Dartmouth  College  in  August,  1855,  and  graduated 
from  that  institution  July  28,  1859.  In  the  autumn  of  the 
same  year  he  came  to  Illinois,  and  located  at  Carlinville,  be- 
ing engaged  as  an  instructor  in  the  public  school.  During 
his  stay  there  he  studied  theology  with  Rev.  John  C.  Downer,, 
then  at  the  head  of  Blackburn  Seminary.  In  May,  1861,. 
was  licensed  by  Illinois  Presbytery.  In  September  of  that 
year  was  called  to  take  charge  of  the  high  school  at  Alton, 
as  its  principal.  At  the  same  date  began  to  supply  the  pul- 
pit of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Upper  Alton.  September 
9,  1861,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ellen  D.  Rich- 
mond, formerly  of  Rochester,  Vt.;  subsequently  a  teacher 
in  the  Alton  schools,  but  more  recently  principal  of  a  young 
ladies  seminary  at  Carlinville.  He  continued  in  School  at 
Alton  till  1865,  but  remained  as  supply  pastor  at  Upper  Al- 
ton till  September  i,  1867,  a  period  of  six  years.  He  was 
ordained  April,  1864,  by  Illinois  Presbytery.  Served  as 
chaplain  of  the  133d  regiment  Illinois  volunteers  during  its 
term  of  enlistment.  United  with  Alton  Presbytery  in  the 
autumn  of  1865.  In  September,  1867,  he  removed  to  Brigh- 
ton, and  took  charge  of  Brighton  and  Spring  Cove  churches. 
At  these  points  he  labored  until  September  1870,  Thence 
he  removed  to  Shipman,  and  became  supply  pastor  of  the 
churches  of  Shipman  and  Spring  Cove,  preaching  more  or 
less  for  the  church  at  Plainview.  During  his  stay  at  Ship- 
man,  he  acted  as  pastor  of  that  church  for  three  years,  being 
installed  by  a  committee  of  Presbytery  in  the  fall  of  1871. 
In  September,  1874,  he  removed  to  Plainview,  and  undertook 
the  supply  of  that  and  Spring  Cove  church.  At  this  time — 
1879 — he  ministers  to  Plainview,  Spring  Cove  and  Shipman 
churches.  To  the  first,  one-half  the  time,  to  each  of  the  oth- 
ers, one-fourth.  In  June,  1875,  he  was  honored 
with  the  degree  of  A.  M.,  by  Blackburn  University. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adams  are  Anna  Trible, 
born  August  31,  1864;  James  Henry,  born  April  3,  1868;. 
Fannie  P.,  born  October  13,  1872. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  with  Pleasant  Ridge 
church,  Randolph  county,  April  7,  1864.  T.  W.  Hynes, 
minister,  and  Augustus  Alvord,  elder,  were  chosen  to  attend 


^88  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

the    Assembly.  The  fall   meeting  was    held  at 

Trenton,  commencing  October  8.  A.  R.  Naylor  was  received 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Saline,  and  S.  D.  Loughead  from 
that  of  St.  Louis.  Lively's  Prairie  church  was  dissolved.  R. 
G.  Williams,  licentiate,  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
■Ohio. 

Samuel  D.  Loughead.  His  name  first  appears  in  the 
minutes  in  1858,  when  his  address  was  Jefferson  City,  Mo. 
In  1862-73  he  was  pastor  elect  at  Montgomery  City,  Mo.  In 
1866  he  was  supply  pastor  at  Carlyle,  111.  In  1871  he  was 
at  Thayer,  Kansas.  His  name  then  disappears.  His  name 
is  spelled  hougkead  and  houg/ieed. 


The  Presbytery  of  Wabash  met  with  New  Providence 
church  in  Edgar  county,  April  15,  1S64.  Timothy  Hill  was 
received  from  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis.  James  W.  Stark 
was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Milwaukee.  R.  Ruther- 
ford, minister,  and  Alex.  McKinney,  elder,  were  chosen  to 
-attend  the  Assembly,  Pliny  S.  Smith  was  ordained,  sine 
titido.     With  1865  his  name  disappears  from  the  minutes. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  with  Prairie  Bird  church,  Shelby 
county,  September  2.  J.  B,  Sheldon  was  received  from  Hu- 
ron Presbytery. 

Timothy  Hill,  D.  D.,  was  born  in  Mason,  N.  H.,  June  30, 
1 8 19.  His  father  was  Rev.  Ebenezer  Hill,  who  was  ordained 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Mason,  N.  H.,  in  No- 
vember, 1790.  He  remained  pastor  of  that  church  until  his 
death  in  1 854.  His  ancestors  were  English  Puritans,  and 
emigrated  to  this  country  about  1630.  Mr.  Hill  graduated 
at  Dartmouth  College  1842,  and  at  Union  Seminary,  N.  Y,, 
1845.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Third  Presbytery  of  New 
York,  April  18,  1845,  and  ordained  at  St.  Louis  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  St.  Louis,  October  22,  1846.  He  came  to  Missouri 
under  the  direction  of  the  A.  H.  M.  Society  in  October,  1845. 
Labored  in  Monroe  county  until  July,  1846.  Was  supply 
pastor  of  St.  Charles  church.  Mo.,  1846-59;  at  St.  Louis, 
North  church,  1859-60;  at  Rosemond,  111.,  1861-63  ;  at  Shel- 
byville.  111.,  1863-65;  at  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  1865-68.  He  was 
appointed  District  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Home  Missions 
in  1868,  and  is  still  acting  in  that  capacity.      For  the  last  ten 


PALESTINE    AND    SANGAMON    PRESBYTERIES.  589- 

years  he  has  traveled  in  that  work  about  one  thousand  miles 
per  month.  In  1873,  he  received  from  Highland  University 
the  degree  of  D.  D.  He  married,  at  St.  Louis,  Miss  Frances 
A.  Hall,  November  2,  1854.  They  have  two  living  children  : 
John  Boynton,  born  November  3,  i860,  and  Henry  Edward, 
born  February  9,  1863.  Dr.  Hill's  residence  is  in  Kansas 
City,  Mo. 

James  B.  Sheldon  resided  in  Lawrence  and  then  in  Troy, 
Kansas,  and  died  at  the  latter  place,  October  7,  1872,  aged 
fifty-one  years,  being  at  his  death  a  member  of  Highland 
Presbytery. 

The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  at  Mattoon  April  12, 
1864.  Alfred  Hamilton,  D.  D.,  was  installed  pastor  of  Mat- 
toon  church,  o.  s.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at 
Charleston,  September  13,  1864.  Samuel  B.  Taggart  was  re- 
ceived at  an  adjourned  meeting  held  at  Kansas,  October  29,. 
and  installed  pastor  of  that  church  on  the  30th.  H.  L  Ven- 
able  was  appointed  Stated  Clerk. 


Samuel  B.  Taggart  was  born  atCannonsburg,  Pa.,  March 
31,  1833.  Graduated  at  Jefferson  College,  August  i,  1856. 
Had  united  with  the  Covenanter  Church  at  an  early  age. 
Began  the  study  of  theology  at  Reformed  Presbyterian  Sem- 
inary, Allegheny,  Pa.,  and  finished  at  Princeton,  N.  J.,  in  1861. 
Licensed  by  Presbyteiy  of  New  Brunswick,  and  ordained  in 
1862  by  Presbytery  ofVincennes.  Has  labored  at  Sullivan, 
Ind.,  at  Kansas,  111.,  and  is  now — 1879 — at  Upper  Alton  and 
Moro,  with  residence  at  former  place. 


Sagamon  Presbytery  met  at  Springfield,  April  8,  1864, 
Clark  Loudon  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Phila- 
delphia. J.  A.  Pinkerton,  minister,  and  Stephen  Sutton, 
elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  assembly.  At  a 
pro  re  nata  meeting  held  at  Springfild,  June  29,  J.  H.  Brown, 
D.  D.,  was  released  from  the  pastoral  care  of  the  First  Pres- 
byterian church  of  Springfield.  The  fall  meeting; 
was  held  with  North  Sagamon  church  Sept.  13,  1864. 


590  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Clark  Loudon  was  born  in  County  Armagh,  Ireland, 
October  19,  1823,  and  educated  at  Belfast.  Came  to  this 
country  in  185 1 ;  was  licensed  in  Ireland.  The  first  ten  years 
of  his  ministry  in  this  country  were  spent  in  Philadelphia,  in 
charge  of  the  Fifteenth  Presbyterian  church  in  that  city, 
over  which  he  was  ordained  early  in  1853.  He  came  to  Illi- 
nois about  1862,  and  labored  until  1S75  in  Marrowbone 
township,  in  Moultrie  county,  and  in  the  Prairie  Home 
parish  in  Shelby  county.  He  organized,  in  that  general 
field,  two  churches — Sullivan  and  Dalton — and  assisted  in 
erecting  two  gooci church  buildings.  He  married  December 
15,  1864,  Miss  Mary  A.  Freeland.  In  1875  their  children 
were  three  little  girls.  In  1876  he  removed  with  his  family 
to  Minnesota,  and  has  labored  since  at  Shetek  and  Tracy. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Carbondale,  April  14, 
1864.  J.  J.  Ward,  of  Dayton,  William  Ellers,  of  Coldwater, 
and  M.  B.  Ormsby,  of  Galena  Presbyteries,  were  received. 
C.  H.  Foote  and  E.  B.  Olmsted,  ministers,  and  F.  A.  Sabin, 
M.  D.,  and  David  Beatty,  elders,  were  appointed  Commis- 
sioners to  the  Assembly.  The  license  of  J.  Russell  John- 
son was  recalled.  N.  A.  Hunt  was  dismissed  to  the  Minne- 
sota Congregational  Association.  The  fall  ses- 
sion was  held  at  Old  Ducoign,  October  3  and  4.  Charles  F. 
Beach  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Chicago.  C.  H. 
Taylor  resigned  as  Stated  Clerk,  and  A.  T.  Norton  was  ap- 
pointed in  his  place.  At  an  adjourned  meeting,  held  at  Cen- 
tralia,  Charles  F.  Beach  was  installed  pastor  of  Centralia 
church,  and  S.  R.  Bissell  was  received  from  the  Presbytery 
of  Washtenaw. 

J.  Jerome  Ward  was  born  at  Bloomfield,  N.  J.,  March  9, 
1813.  Educated  at  Lane  Seminary  from  1830  to  1834.  Or- 
dained, February  10,  i84i,by  Presbytery  of  Onondaga,  over 
the  church  of  Camillus.  Spent  ten  years  in  Onondaga 
Presbytery,  ten  in  that  of  Niagara  and  three  years  in  that  of 
Dayton.  United  with  Alton  Presbytery  as  above.  Labored 
one  year  in  New  Ducoign.  Dismissed  in  the  spring  of  1865. 
Labored  then  two  years  in  Decatur,  Mich.,  and  three  and 
one-half  years  in  Michigan  City.  He  is  now — 1879 — at 
Kasson,  Minn. 


WILLIAM    ELLERS.  59 1 

Charles  F.  Beach  was  born  at  Jewett,  Greene  county,  N. 
Y.,  Sept.  5,  1827.  Educated  at  Auburn  Seminary.  Received 
the  degree  of  A.  M.  from  Knox  College,  June  23,  1859.  Or- 
dained by  Chicago  Presbytery,  Jan.  10,  1856.  United  with 
Alton  Presbytery  and  was  installed  as  above.  Was  dis- 
missed from  that  charge  July  19,  1866,  Dismissed  from 
Alton  to  St.  Lous  Presbytery  same  date.  Has  since  la- 
bored at  Portage  City,  Wis.,  at  Warsaw,  Ind.,  and  has  been 
for  several  years  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  acting  as  editor  and  evan- 
gelist. He  is  the  author  of  several  small  works  of  much 
merit.  He  is  a  member  at  this  J;ime — 1879 — o^  the  Louis- 
ville Presbytery,  connected  with  the  Northern  Assembly. 


William  Ellers  was  born  March  5,  18 11,  in  Rendsburg, 
Dutchy  of  Schleswig,  then  in  Denmark,  now  Prussia.  Edu- 
cated in  Rendsburg,  and  in  the  University  of  Keil  in  Hol- 
stein,  where  he  spent  several  years,  and  then  came  to  this 
Western  world.  He  landed  at  New  York  in  September, 
1836,  with  the  intention  of  traveling  through  the  country, 
rgaining  all  possible  information,  and  then  of  returning  to 
Hamburg  and  establishing  a  bureau  of  information  fur  Ger- 
man emigrants  to  America.  He  became,  however,  so  much 
interested  in  the  country  that  he  abandoned  his  first  de- 
sign and  determined  to  remain.  October  i,  1856,  he  was 
ordained  in  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  by  the  classis  of  St.  Joseph 
of  the  German  Reformed  church,  and  ministered  to  a  charge 
in  the  town  and  vicinity  of  Goshen,  Elkhart  county,  Lid. 
This  charge  he  resigned  in  the  spring  of  1858  to  minister 
to  two  German  congregations  in  ]\nchigan.  While  thus  em- 
ployed he  became  acquainted  with  the  Burr  Oak  Presbyte- 
rian church  and  became  their  pastor,  through  the  Presbytery 
of  Coldwater,  in  November,  1858.  After  a  ministry  of  five 
years  this  pastorate  was  dissolved  and  he  came  to  Illinois. 
From  1863  to  1865  he  served  the  churches  of  Troy  and 
Marine  in  Madison  county.  For  one  year  from  January, 
1865,  he  was  Bible  agent  in  Michigan.  He  then  became 
city  Missionary  in  New  Albany,  Ind.  There  he  labored  for 
one  and  a  half  years,  being  connected  with  Salem  Presby- 
tery. His  next  field  was  as  missionary  among  the  Germans 
in  ]\Iilwaukee,  Wis.  There  he  remained  till  January  i,  1870. 
His  next  field  was  Mine  La  Motte,  Mo.  He  has  labored 
since  in  Watson  and  Edgewood,  111.,  and  is  now — 1879 — in 
Olney  with  a  German  congregation. 


592  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Sandford  R.  Bissell  was  born  May  ii,  1818,  at  East 
Windsor,  Ct.  He  was  educated  at  Western  Reserve  College 
and  Lane  Seminary.  He  was  ordained  June  30,  1847,  by 
the  Genesee  Association.  He  united  with  Alton  Presbytery 
as  above  and  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Wabash, 
April  13,  1866.  He  has  labored  since  as  minister  at  Effing- 
ham, Greenup,  New  Hope  and  with  other  churches  in  that 
section  of  the  State.  He  has  been  principally  occupied, 
however,  as  teacher  of  a  private  school  in  Effingham.  His- 
wife  is  a  lady  of  superior  education,  much  firmness  of  Christ- 
ian principle  and  perfect  consistency  of  conduct — a  good- 
wife,  mother  and  i^liable  m'ember  of  the  church. 


Saline  Presbytery  met  with  Richland  church,  April  8, 
1864.  D.  A.  Wallace  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of 
Bloomington.  S.  C.  Baldridge,  minister,  and  R.  W.  Pratt, 
M.  D.,  elder,  were  elected  Commissioners  to  the  next  Assem- 
bly. The  church  of  Odin  was  received.  The 
fall  session  was  held  at  Equality,  commencing  September 
15.  William  C.  Thomas  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of 
Logansport.     Bridgeport  church  was  received. 


Odin  Church,  Marion  county,  was  organized  by  Revs. 
John  Crozier  and  Wm.  G.  Thomas,  March  26,  1864,  with 
thirteen  members.  Elder  Joseph  M.  Wilson.  Revs.  Wm.  E. 
Thomas  and  Elijah  Buck  ministered  to  the  church  until  1865. 
Nine  persons  were  received,  and  A.  C.  Davis  was  elected 
elder.  R.  C.  Galbraith  was  installed  on  the  first  Sabbath  in 
October,  1865.  A  church  edifice  of  brick,  erected  at  a  cost 
of  $3,000,  was  dedicated  June  3,  1866.  The  church  grew 
with  the  growth  of  the  town  in  the  rush  of  travel  during  the 
war,  and  for  a  year  or  two  subsequent.  But  the  close  of  the 
war  and  the  opening  of  a  direct  route  from  St.  Louis  to^ 
Cairo,  acted  adversely  both  upon  town  and  church.  Mr. 
Galbraith  resigned  and  left.  The  church  became  reduced 
almost  to  extinction.  But  a  few  praying  ones  were  left  and. 
better  prospects  have  begun  to  open. 

Bridgeport  Church,  Lawrence  county,  was  organized  by 
Revs.  John  Crozier  and  John  Mack  and  Elder  Thos.  Buchanan, 
May  7  and  8,  1864,  in  the  Methodist  house,  with  these  mem- 


BRIDGEPORT    CHURCH.  593 

bers:  Diana  Douglas,  James  Crooks,  Alvira  Crooks,  Alex. 
Bell,  Margaret  Bell,  Hiram  W.  Cooper,  Mahulda  A.  New- 
ell, James  H,  Martin,  Mary  R.  Martin,  Louisa  Martin,  Mary- 
Martin,  Salina  Douglas,  Charles  Douglas,  Eusebia  Martin, 
Martha  Martin,  Alney  L.  Martin,  John  A.  Newell,  Margaret 
A.  Newell,  Cyrus  Culbertson,  Susan  Culbertson,  Alfred  Har- 
ris, Mary  Harris,  James  Johnson,  Martha  Johnson.  Elders  : 
Alex.  Bell  and  John  A.  Newell.  Alex.  Bell  was  an  elder  of 
the  Hopewell  church,  which  was  gradually  merged  in  this  at 
Bridgeport.  Rev.  John  Mack  was  the  first  minister  of  the 
church.  He  was  supply  pastor,  and  continued  until  1868 
or  perhaps  longer.  Cyrus  Culbertson  and  Hiram  Cooper 
were  chosen  elders,  August  19,  1865.  Other  Ministers: 
R.  G.  Ross,  September  i,  1870,  and  continued  till  spring  of 
1876.  Thomas  Smith  commenced  May  i,  1876,  and  is 
supply  pastor  of  this  church  and  Union,  and  pastor  of  Pis- 
gah.     Good  church  building,  cost  $2,700. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Centralia,  October  6, 
1864.  The  Synod  of  Illinois,  .0.  s.,  met  at  Olney,  October  12, 
1864.  Dr.  Alfred  Hamilton  was  made  Stated  Clerk.  Both 
Synods  began  to  agitate  the  subject  of  re-union. 


37 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

MEETINGS  OF  PRESBYTERIES  AND  SYNODS  FROM  1 865  TO 
1868,  INCLUDING  SKETCHES  OF  THE  CHURCHES  ORGANIZED 
AND  THE  MINISTERS  COMMENCING  THEIR  LABORS  WITHIN 
THE  PERIOD. 

Authorities:    Origfnal    Records;    Auto-biographies;    General    Catalogues; 
Presbytery  Reporter. 

YEAR   1865. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  Chatham,  April  6, 
1865.  David  H.  Hamilton,  D.  D.,  minister,  and  A.  C.  Hin- 
ton,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  meeting  of  the 
Assembly.  William  R.  Adams  was  dismissed  to  the  Presby- 
tery of  Alton.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  with 
the  Westminster  church,  Jacksonville,  commencing  Septem- 
ber 5.  William  A.  Hendrickson  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Schuyler ;  Geo.  C.  Wood  was  reappointed 
Presbyterial  Missionary. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskasi/.ia  met  at  Moro,  Madison 
county,  April  6,  1865.  The  church  of  Richview  was  re- 
ceived. The  name  of  August  Ki(|:ss,  a  licentiate,  was  dropped 
from  the  roll  of  Presbytery.  The  name  of  Rattan's  Prairie 
church  was  changed  to  Moro.  S.  D.  Longhead,  minister, 
and  Hugh  Smith,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to 
the  next  Assembly.  The  fall  meeting  was  held 

at    Carlyle,    Clinton  county,  commencing  October   2.     The 
name  of  the  Liberty  church  was  changed  to  Rockwood. 


The  Presbytery  of  Wabash  held  a  called  meeting  at 
Mattoon,  January  7,  1865,  received  John  L.  Jones  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Schuyler  and  installed  him  pastor  of  the  Mat- 
toon  church.  The  spring  meeting  was  held  at 
Neoga,  April  14,  and  the  fall  meeting  at  Shelbyville,  Octo- 
ber 4.     David  R.  Love,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Logansport, 


DAVIU    R.    LOVE.  595 

and  Thomas  H.  Spencer,  from  Salem  Presbytery,  were  re- 
<:eived.  Timothy  Hill  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of 
Lexington.  Watson  and  Effingham  churches  belong  to  this 
year,  but  through  some  error  their  names  were  not  entered 
•on  the  roll  of  Presbytery. 


John  L.  Jones  was  preaching  to  the  New  Providence 
•church,  Emerson,  Mo.,  postofifice,  in  1 860-61 — a  member  of 
the  Presbytery  of  Northern  Missouri,  N.  S.  The  war  drove 
him  out  of  Missouri.  In  1864  he  was  Presbyterial  Mission- 
ary of  Schuyler  Presbytery,  and  resided  at  Brooklyn,  Schuy- 
ler county.  111.  Installed  at  Mattoon  as  above.  He  remained 
about  two  years  and  went  to  Kansas.  He  organized  a  Pres- 
byterian church  at  Salina,  Kan.,  in  November,  1867,  and 
preached  there  and  at  Solomon  City  until  his  death,  which 
took  place  May  3,  1871.  He  was  forty-five  years  of  age,  and 
at  the  time  of  his  death  a  member  of  the  Presbytery  of  To- 
peka. 

David  R.  Love  was  born  in  Tollcross,  a  suburb  of  Glas- 
gow, Scotland,  May,  183 1.  His  parents,  x'llexander  and 
Jean  Rankin  Love,  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
In  1842  he  migrated  with  them  to  Nova  Scotia,  sojourned 
there  four  years,  and  on  June  27,  1846,  was  shipwrecked 
near  the  coast  of  Massachusetts ;  twenty-nine  persons  were 
drowned,  and  among  whom  were  his  mother,  brother  and 
sister.  His  father,  sister  and  himself  made  their  home  in 
Pennsylvania.  In  his  twentieth  year,  when  teaching  school, 
he  was  converted  and  the  following  summer  united  with  the 
O.  S.  Presbyterian  church.  He  prepared  for  college  at  Lu- 
zerne Presbyterial  Institute,  Wyoming  valley,  Pa. ;  entered 
the  freshman  class  in  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  and  was 
graduated  in  1S58;  entered  Princeton  Theological  Seminary 
in  September  following,  and  was  graduated  April,  1861.  He 
was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Luzerne,  O.  S.,  at  King- 
ston, Wyoming  valley.  Pa.,  April  17,  i860.  His  first  field  of 
labor  was  Rossville,  Ind.  He  began  to  supply  that  church 
June  7,  1861 ;  was  ordained  over  it,  October  3,  1861 ;  labored 
there  three  years;  ministered  to  the  N.  S.  Presbyterian 
church,  Danville,  111.,  fifteen  months  ;  was  pastor  of  the  church 
.at  Lexington  seven  years,  Tolono  two  years,  Farmer  City 
iiiearly  two  years,  and  has  labored  in  Fowler,  Ind.,  since  July 


596  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

I,  1877.  During  these  eighteen  years  he  has  preached' 
two  thousand,  six  hundred  and  seventy-four  sermons,  re- 
ceived three  hundred  and  ninety-six  persons  to  church  mem- 
bership and  in  his  own  charges  has  enjoyed  nine  precious 
revivals.  Mr.  Love  has  been  married  twice.     First, 

on  June  23,  i(S64,  to  Lida,  daughter  of  Rev.  James  A.  Car- 
nahan,  of  Dayton,  Ind.  They  had  tv/o  children — Flora, 
born  August,  1865,  and  Nillie,  born  May,  1867.  In  March,. 
1874,  his  first  wife  died,  and  in  June,  1876,  at  Aurora,  III,  he 
married  Henrietta,  daughter  of  Dr.  R.  B.  Landon,  of  Fre- 
donia,  N.  Y.  They  have  one  child — Lida  Landon — born 
May  5,  1877. 

Thomas  Spencer  was  born  in  Wilmington,  Vt.,  April  25, 
181 2.  He  was  one  of  a  family  of  eight  children.  His  grand- 
father removed  from  East  Haddam,  Ct.,  when  Abner,  father 
of  Thomas,  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age.  Thomas  la- 
bored upon  the  farm  with  his  father  until  his  sixteenth  year. 
His  early  education  was  at  the  common  school  and  the  acad- 
emy of  Barre,  Mass.  While  in  the  academy  he  was  con- 
verted to  Christ.  He  graduated  at  Union  College,  N.  Y.,  in 
1837.  Having  to  depend  largely  upon  his  own  resources 
in  procuring  an  education,  his  energies  were  taxed  to  the 
utmost.  While  in  college  he  fell  a  victim  to  the  small-pox,, 
in  its  most  malignant  form.  For  many  weeks  his  life  trembled 
in  the  balance.  He  bore  the  traces  of  this  fell  disease  to  his 
grave.  After  leaving  college,  a  great  part  of  his  life  was 
spent  in  teaching.  In  1840  he  was  appointed  professor  of 
languages  in  the  Western  University,  of  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  at 
the  same  time  he  edited  a  literary  paper.  This  year,  1840, 
he  married  Miss  Eliza  Kelly  of  Pittsburg.  Soon  after  he- 
studied  theology,  in  part  at  Allegheny  City,  Pa.  His  first 
field  of  labor  in  the  ministry  was  at  Marlboro,  Vt.,  where  he 
was  pastor  from  1844  to  1846.  He  then  took  charge,  for  a 
time,  of  a  church  in  West  Brattleboro,  Vt,  About  1852  he 
went  to  Indiana  under  the  auspices  of  the  A.  H.  M.  Society, 
and  labored  in  Blackford  and  Franklin  counties.  He  was 
principal  of  the  Female  College  of  New  Albany  from  1857 
to  1859.  From  thence  he  removed  to  Glendale,  Ohio,  near 
Cincinnati,  and  was  engaged  in  the  Female  College  there 
for  four  or  five  years.  He  next  came  to  Terre  Haute,  Ind., 
and  became  Professor  of  Natural  Sciences,  Moral  Philosophy 
and  Logic  in  the  Terre  Haute  Female  College.      It  was  while 


THOMAS    SPExN'CER  59/ 

thus  engaged  that  he  united  with  Wabash  Presbytery,  and  in 
addition  to  his  teaching,  took  charge  of  the  New  Providence 
church,  eight  miles  west  of  Terre  Haute.  In  1869  he  re- 
moved his  relation  to  Green  Castle  Presbytery,  but  con- 
tinued to  teach  in  Terre  Haute.  In  that  city  he  buried  his 
first  wife,  October  6,  1870.  In  1871  he  united  with  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Mattoon  and.  took  charge  of  the  churches  of 
York,  Walnut  Prairie,  and  Marshall,  in  Clark  county.  In 
that  field  he  remained  four  years.  November  2,  1872,  he 
married  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Besser,  widow  of  Nathan  Besser,  and 
daughter  of  Robert  Williamson,  an  elder  in  Walnut  Prairie 
church.  She  had  two  sons,  aged  twelve  and  fourteen  years. 
]\Ir.  Spencer's  last  field  of  labor  was  Palestine,  Robinson  and 
Beckwith  Prairie  churches,  with  his  residence  at  Palestine. 
For  the  greater  part  of  the  time  he  preached  one  sermon  to 
each  of  these  places  on  each  Sabbath.  Only  once  did  he 
fail  of  meeting  an  appointment,  and  then  on  account  of  a 
terrible  storm.  The  churches  were  all  enlarged  and  strength- 
ened under  his  care.  He  secured  their  entire  confidence  and 
warmest  attachment.  He  was  removed  in  the  midst,  not  only 
of  his  ministerial  usefulness,  but  while  maturing  plans  for 
establishing  an  academy  among  his  people.  On  Sabbath, 
August  5,  1876,  he  preached  his  last  sermon  to  his  church  in 
Palestine  from  the  words :  "  Come  unto  me  all  ye  that 
labor,"  etc.,  and  with  great  power.  At  3  o'clock,  p.  m.,  he 
heard  his  Sabbath-school  class.  At  9  o'clock  the  same  even- 
ing he  died.  His  funeral  was  attended  at  the  parsonage  in 
Palestine,  and  his  remains  conveyed  for  interment  to  the 
cemetery    of  the     Walnut    Prairie  church.  His 

education  was  a  very  finished  one.  He  ranked  high  as  an 
instructor  of  youth,  and  was  enthusiastic  in  that  calling. 
But  his  chosen  work  was  that  of  the  ministry.  As  a  preacher 
he  was  evangelical,  earnest  and  instructive.  In  his  family  he 
was  an  affectionate  husband,  courteous  and  kind  to  domes- 
tics— a  priest  in  his  own  house.  His  wife's  sons  he  regarded 
and  treated  as  his  own.  He  was  very  industrious — through 
life  an  early  riser  and  regarding  the  morning  hours  as  the 
best  for  study.  In  New  England  he  was  a  Congregationalist ; 
.at  the  West  a  New  School  Presb3''terian — always  and  every- 
where non-partisan  and  catholic.  All  who  new  him  loved 
him.  The  widow  resides  with  her  sons  and  sister  in  Terre 
Haute,  Indiana. 


598  PRESBYIERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Watson  Church,  Effingham  county,  was  organized  by  Rev, 
S.  R.  Bissell,  April  15,  1865,  with  these  members:  Jacob 
Covert,  Martha  Covert,  WilHam  Wilson,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Wil- 
son, P.  H.  Humes,  Mrs.  Mary  Humes,  Mrs.  Maria  Humes, 
I\Irs.  Bridget  Larew  and  Mrs.  Anna  Bail.  Elders  :  P.  H. 
Humes,  Jacob  Covert,  appointed  July  i,  1865  ;  James  Rus- 
sell, September  7,  1873;  Francis  Cooper,  sr.,  August  i,  1874;. 
Charles  M.  Service,  July  18,  1875.  Ministers: 

S.  R.  Bissell,  the  first,  Joseph  Wilson  preached  and  adminis- 
tered the  supper,  December  13,  1865.  Adam  Johnson,  G. 
A.  Pollock,  Enoch  Kingsbury  and  A.  T.  Norton  preached 
here  on  a  few  irregular  occasions.  From  1867  to  1873  this 
church  had  no  preaching.  Wm.  EUers  was  employed  May 
4,  1873,  and  remained  until  1877.  This  church  has  no 
property. 


Effingham  Church  was  organized  by  Revs.  A.  T.  Norton 
and  S.  R.  Bissell,  in  the  court-nouse  at  Effingham,  Novem- 
ber 13,  1864,  with  these  members:  Solomon  Swingle,  Mrs. 
M.  E.  Swingle,  Mrs.  S.  P.  Bissell,  Isaac  Bates,  Mrs.  Jane 
Bates.  Elders:  Isaac  Austin,  Henry  Thompson,  February 
2,  1868;  Samuel  F.  Gilmore,  Virgil  Wood,  November,  1870; 
limited  eldership  adopted  August,  1877,  when  A.  Stewart 
was  chosen  for  five  years,  G.  Ogden  for  four  years  and  Vir- 
gil Wood  for  three  ye:irs.  IMixisters:  S.  R.  Bissell,  G.  A. 
Pollock  began  here  December,  1869,  and  resigned  in  Decem- 
ber, 1877.  He  was  pastor.  William  C.  Cort,  1878.  The 
house  of  worship — a  substantial  brick  building — was  dedi- 
cated October  23,  1870,  free  of  debt.  It  cost  ^4,300.  Before 
its  erection  the  places  of  meeting  were,  (i)  the  court-house, 
about  one  year;  (2)  Mr.  Bissell's  school  house;  (3)  the  Bap- 
tist church  for  one-half  the  time.  Mr.  Pollock's  pastorate 
continued  eight  years.  When  he  commenced,  the  church 
had  fifteen  members.  He  left  it  with  one  hundred  and 
seventy.  The  whole  number  received  in  those  eight  years 
was  two  hundred  and  twenty-seven.  Of  these  by  letter, 
fifty,  by  examination,  one  hundred  seventy-seven.  Baptisms 
in  the  period,  seventy-seven  adults  and  forty-four  children. 
Marriages,  fifty-one.  Deaths  of  members,  four,  and  one 
baptized  child.  The  amount  of  money  raised  and  expended 
in  those  eight  years  was  $14,800,  being  an  average  of  $1,850' 
per  year. 


STEPHEN    J.    BOVELL.  599 

Palestine  Presbytery  met  at  Grandview,  April  ii,  1865. 
Stephen  J.  Bovell  was  ordained  on  the  I2th.  C.  P.  Spining, 
minister,  and  Findley  Paull,  elder,  were  appointed  to  the  As- 
sembly. H.  A.  Newell  was  licensed,  and  at  the  fall  meeting 
dismissed  to  ]\Iiami  Presbytery.  H.  I.  Venable  was  dis- 
missed from  the  pastoral  care  of  Oakland  church.  The  fall 
meeting  was  held  at  Areola,  October  2. 


Stephen  J.\y  Bovell  was  born  May  27,  1827,  near  the 
old  Salem  church,  Washington  county,  Tenn.  He  is  the 
third  son  and  fourth  child  of  Rev.  John  V.  Bovell,  who  was 
president  of  Washington  College,  East  Tenn.,  during  the 
years  1827  and  1828,  and  who  died  in  Paris,  Edgar  county, 
111.,  in  November,  1829.  His  grandfather  was  the  Rev.  Ste- 
phen Bovell,  D.  D.,  who  preached  for  nearly  forty  years  to 
the  Presbyterian  church  in  Abingdon,  Va.,  and  who  died  in 
the  beginning  of  the  year  1840  in  Coles  county.  111.,  having 
lived  the  three  previous  years  in  Hannibal  and  Palmyra,  Mo. 
The  grandfather  traced  his  ancestry  back  to  the  old  Hugue- 
not stock  of  France.  The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  Christiana  Gray,  whose  father 
was  an  old  Scotch  Presbyterian  of  the  blue-stocking  type. 

After  the  death  of  the  father  in  Paris,  1829,  the  mother  re- 
mained there  till  the  year  1835,  when  she,  with  her  four 
children,  removed  to  the  southern  part  of  Coles  county.  111., 
near  the  Pleasant  Prairie  church,  and  where  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  worked  on  a  farm  until  he  was  twenty  years  of 
age.  In  the  month  of  April,  1847,  he  became  a  student  in 
Edgar  Academy,  then  under  the  control  of  Rev.  H.  I.  Ven- 
able, where  he  remained  until  October,  1849.  Leaving  the 
academy  he  went  to  Hanover  College,  Indiana,  and  entered 
the  sophomore  class  of  that  institution  and  remained  there 
three  years,  graduating  with  the  class  of  1852.  After  spend- 
ing two  years  in  teaching  he  entered  the  Theological  Sem- 
inary at  New  Albany,  Ind.,  October,  1854,  where  he  spent 
one  year,  at  the  end  of  which  his  health  failing  from  the  en- 
tire paralysis  of  both  lower  and  upper  extremities,  he  was 
compelled  to  abandon  his  preparation  for  the  ministry  for  the 
time  and  engage  in  other  pursuits.  In  March,  1856,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  ]\Iiss  IMartha  J.  Howe,  to  whom  he 
had  been  engaged  for  four  years,  in  the  vicinit}'  of  Flemings- 
burg,  Ky.,  and  for  two  seasons  thereafter  engaged  in  farming 


600  PRESBYTERIANISM   IN  ILLINOIS. 

in  Edgar  county,  111.  In  the  autumn  of  1857  he  removed  to 
Palestine,  111.,  and  in  conjunction  with  another  gentleman 
took  charge  of  a  literary  institution  known  as  Palestine 
Academy,  where  he  continued  to  teach  during  the  following 
eight  years.  Pursuing  as  best  he  could  in  the  meantime  his 
theological  studies,  he  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Pal- 
estine, in  the  town  of  Palestine,  111.,  April  16,  1859.  The  same 
Presbytery  ordained  him  April  16,  1865,  at  Graadview,  111. 

The  six  years  intervening  between  the  time  of  his  licen- 
sure and  ordination  were  spent  in  teaching  through  the 
week  and  preaching  on  Sabbath  tc  vacant  churches  in  the 
surrounding  towns,  among  which  were  Carlisle,  Ind.,  and 
Palestine,  Hutsonville,  Robinson  and  Beckwith  Prairie,  111. 
In  October,  1865,  he  removed  to  Ashmore,  Coles  county, 
111.,  and  took  charge  of  the  Hebron  and  Oakland  churches 
as  supply  pastor,  which  relation  he  sustained  to  both  churches 
until  the  close  of  the  year  1878,  at  which  time  he  severed  his 
connection  with  the  Oakland  church.  He  still  resides  in 
Ashmore  and  continues  his  relation  as  supply  pastor  with 
the  Hebron  church.  He  was  elected  County  Superintend- 
ent of  Schools  of  Coles  county  md  held  the  office  for  a  term 
of  four  years,  beginning  December  i,  1869. 

Three  children  have  been  given  to  him  and  his  devoted 
wife — John  Howe,  born  April  10,  1859;  Henry  Paull,  born 
November  20,  i860,  and  Louella,  born  Decembe.  7,  1863. 
The  first  of  these  gladdened  the  hearts  and  home  of  his 
parents  for  two  and  one-half  short  years,  and  then  was  not, 
for  God  took  him.  The  other  two  still  live,  and  together 
with  the  parents  and  the  aged  mother  of  Mr.  Bovell,  now  in 
her  eightieth  year,  and  an  orphan  niece  of  Mrs.  B.'s,  in  her 
twenty-third  year,  constitute  the  present  household. 


Sangamon  Presbytery  met  at  Williamsville,  April  21, 
1865.  W.  B.  Spence  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Sidney.  Noah  Bishop,  minister,  and  S.  H.  Jamison,  elder, 
were  elected  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Decatur,  October  2.  F.  H. 
Wines,  licentiate,  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  New 
Brunswick,  examined  and  arrangements  made  for  his  ordi- 
nation over  the  First  church  of  Springfield,  October  28.  F. 
N.  Ewing  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Chicago. 
Macon  church  was  received. 


FKEDEKICK    h'.    WINES.  60I 

Frederick  H.  Wines.  I  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  April 
9,  1838.  My  father'.^  family  are  of  Welsh  origin,  and  we 
-suppose  our  name  to  have  been  formerly  spelled  Wynnes. 
On  my  mother's  side  I  am  of  English  descent,  with  some 
mixture  of  Huguenot  blood.  I  was  prepared  for  coUeg  eby 
my  father^  Rev.  Dr.  E.  C.  Wines,  who  was  a  teacher,  and 
graduated  in  1857  at  Washington  College,  Pa.,  of  which  he 
was  at  that  time  a  professor.  I  was  educated  for  the  minis- 
try at  Princeton,  N.  J.,  and  graduated  at  the  seminary  in 
the  class  of  1865.  I  had  been  a  member  of  three  classes, 
my  studies  having  been  interrupted  the  first  time  by  an  affec- 
tion of  the  eyes,  and  the  second  timeby  my  enlistm.ent  in  the 
regular  army  of  the  United  States  as  a  hospital  chaplain.  I 
served  in  the  army  in  the  war  for  between  two  and  three  years, 
and  was  stationed  at  Springfield,  Mo.  I  was  licensed,  before 
the  war,  by  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis,  in  the  fall  of  i860, 
and  had  acted  as  stated  supply  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at 
Springfield,  Mo.,  where  I  was  when  the  war  broke  out.  After 
graduating  at  the  seminary  I  accepted  a  call  from  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  of  Springfield,  111.,  and  entered  this  field 
in  June,  1865,  and  was  ordained  and  installed  October  29  of 
the  same  year.  In  June,  1869,  I  commenced  my 

labors  as  Secretary  of  the   State  Board  of  Public  Charities, 
and  resigned  my  pastoral  office,  June  14,  1869. 

I  was  married,  in  1865,  to  Miss  Mary  Frances  Hackney, 
daughter  of  Wilson  Hackney,  of  Springfield,  Mo.,  and  have 
four  children  living,  whose  names  are  Emma  Stansbury,  Ar- 
thur St.  John,  William  Frederick  and  Charles  Alfred.  The 
•oldest  is  now  ten  years  of  age. 

Fred.  H.  Wines. 

William  B.  Spence. — Auto-biographical. — I  was  born  in 
Warren  county,  Ohio,  in  1806.  My  ancestors  on  both  sides 
were  of  the  Scotch-Irish,  who,  in  the  eighteenth  century, 
settled  the  Cumberland  valley,  Pa.  I  graduated  at  Miami 
University,  Oxford,  Ohio.  I  was  licensed  in  1838  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Salem.  In  1841  I  was  ordained  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Sidney  pastor  of  th^  church  of  Troy,  Ohio.  In 
1842  I  became  pastor  of  the  church  of  Sidney,  Ohio,  and 
continued  in  that  pastorate  twenty-three  years.  In  the  spring 
of  1865  I  removed  with  my  family  to  Chatham,  Sangamon 
county,  111.,  and  became  supply  pastor  for  the  church  of  that 
place  for  three  years.     I  am  now  in  the  eleventh  year  of  my 


602  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

pastorate  in  the  church  of  Pleasant  Run,  Hamilton  county,. 
Ohio.  I  have  been  fifty-four  years  in  full  membership  in  the 
Presbyterian  church,  am  in  the  forty-second  year  of  my  min- 
istry and  in  the  seventy-fourth  year  of  my  age. 


Fielding  Nathaniel  Ewing  was  born  in  North  Carolina. 
Graduated  at  the  University  of  Nashville,  Nashville,  Tenn., 
in  1838  and  at  Princeton  Seminary.  Ordained,  sine  titulo,  in 
Kentucky,  April,  1846.  Supply  pastor  at  Morganfield  and 
Caseyville,  Ky.,  1.844.  Supply  pastor  at  Bloomington,  111., 
1850 — pastor  1857  to  1859.'  Agent  of  Chicago  Seminary 
1863.     Resides  at  Decatur,  111. 


Macon  Church  was  organized  in  1865  by  Rev.  D.  C.  Mar- 
quis, with  twenty-seven  members  and  two  elders — Dr.  W.  W. 
Johnston  and  William  Gibson.  Their  first  minister  was  Sam- 
uel W.  Mitchell,  their  present  one  Samuel  J.  Bogle.  They 
have  a  house  of  worship  and  a  membership  of  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Alton  April  13,  1865. 
W.  R.  Adams,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Illinois,  George  L. 
Little,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Chicago,  and  C.  F.  Halsey, 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Fox  River,  were  received.  Sandoval 
church  was  received.  Charles  F.  Beach  and  C.  J.  Pitkin, 
ministers,  and  Isaac  Scarrit  and  D.  W.  Munn,  elders,  were 
elected  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  Andrew  Luce  was 
released  from  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Belleville  church. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Pana,  commencing  October 
2.  J,  J.  Ward  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Kalama- 
zoo, Mich.,  and  George  W.  Goodale  to  that  of  Lexington, 
Mo.  Hiram  P.  Roberts  was  received  as  an  ordained  minis- 
ter. Ezekiel  Folsom  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of 
Chicago.  Kinmundy  church  was  received.  David  Dimond 
was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Wabash. 


Charles  F.  Halsey  was  born  in  Plattsburg,  Clinton  coun- 
ty, N.  Y.,  November  16,  1803.  His  father.  Rev,  Frederick 
Halsey,  was   born  on   Long   Island,  graduated  at   Columbia. 


GEORGE    L.  LITTLE.  603. 

College,  settled  at  Plattsburg,  gathered  a  church  and  was  its 
pastor  until  181 3,  and  taught  many  years.  Charles  F.  pur- 
sued his  literary  course  at  Plattsburg  Academy,  and  gradu- 
ated at  Auburn  Seminary,  1835.  He  was  head  clerk  and 
book-keeper  in  an  importing  hardware  store  at  Troy,  N.  Y., 
but  resigned  that  place  in  1831  and  prepared  for  the  minis- 
try. He  was  licensed  by  Champlain  Presbytery  in  1835,  and 
ordained  by  the  same  body  in  February,  1836.  His  first  field 
of  labor  was  Russelltown,  district  of  Montreal,  Canada. 
Was  there  two  years.  His  next  field  was  Stockholm,  Law- 
rence county,  N.  Y.  His  labors  in  both  these  fields  were 
successful.  He  was  then  laid  aside  one  year  with  bronchitis 
and  general  prostration.  He  occupied  several  other  fields  in 
Northeastern  New  York,  Canada  and  Vermont.  He  removed 
West  in  May,  1858,  and  labored  at  Wausau,  Wis.,  until  the 
close  of  1 863.  j  anuary  3,  1 864,  he  removed  his  family  to  Col- 
linsville,  Madison  county.  111.,  and  served  that  church  be- 
tween three  and  four  years.  Since  that  time  he  has  labored 
at  Tamaroa,  Old  Ducoign,  Dongola,  Dubois,  Brownstown 
and   Marine.     He  is  still  residing  at  the  latter  place. 

He  was  married  January  4,  1837,  to  Miss  Sylvic  Ann 
Morse,  daughter  of  Dr.  Stephen  F.  Morse,  Chateaugay,. 
Franklin  county,  N.  Y.,  a  descendant  of  the  Morses  who 
came  over  in  the  Mayflower.  They  have  seven  children : 
Sarah  Letitia,  born  February  25,  1838  ;  Caroline  Piatt,  borni 
May  18,  1840;  Catharine  Maria,  born  February  6,  1842; 
Ann  Eliza,  born  October  il,  1844;  Gertrude  Amelia,  born 
July  17,  1849;  Frederick  Stephen,  born  November  12,  1S53  5 
Mary  Isabella,  born  October  i,  1857. 


Geo.  L.  Little — Auto-biographical — was  born  in  Somer- 
set county,  Pa.,  March  25,  1828.  Ancestors  were  of  Ger- 
manic stock,  and  of  the  Lutheran  faith.  After  preparatory 
studies  under  the  direction  of  a  Lutheran  minister,  entered 
Allegheny  College  in  the  Sophomore  class,  1846,  and  gradu- 
ated as  Valedictorian  in  1849.  During  a  pun- 
gent revival  of  religion  in  the  Methodist  church,  in  my 
senior  year,  I  consecrated  myself  to  Christ  and  felt  impelled 
to  the  work  of  the  gospel  ministry.  After  gradu- 
ation and  some  study  of  theology,  was  licensed  and  received 
into  the  Erie  Conference  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  After  filling 
several  responsible  appointments,  and   at   the    close    of  my 


604  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

second  year  as  pastor  of  the  First  M.  E.  church,  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  beheving  that  my  views  of  Christian  doctrine  were  more 
in  harmony  with  the  Calvinistic  standards  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  having  a  decided  preference  for  the  government 
and  disciphne  of  that  Church,  1  appHed  for  admission  and 
was  received  into  the  Presbytery  of  Cleveland,  n.  s.  After 
a  year  spent  in  city  mission  work  in  Cleveland,  I  received  a 
call  to  the  First  Presbyterian  church,  Waukegan,  111.,  which 
call  I  accepted  and  was  duly  installed,  1857,  ^Y  the  Presby- 
tery of  Chicago.  After  six  years  of  labor  with  this  church, 
I  transferred  my  ecclesiastical  relations  to  the  Presbytery  of 
Alton,  and  took  charge  of  the  Monticello  church,  Godfrey, 
111.  I  remained  here  four  years,  and  then  removed  to  Coun- 
cil Bluffs,  Iowa,  and  projected  a  seminary  for  young  ladies, 
which  I  conducted  until  failing  health  compelled  me  to  give 
up  the  enterprise.  Removing  to  Omaha  in  1872,  and  re- 
maining "  out  of  the  harness  "  for  a  time,  to  recruit  my 
health,  I  was  appointed  by  the  Board  of  Home  Missions 
Synodical  Missionary  for  the  State  of  Nebraska,  and  entered 
upon  that  work   July   i,    1878.  In   1850  I  was 

married  to  Miss  Felicia  H.  Wick,  of  Greenville,  Pa.  Four 
children,  two  daughters  and  two  sons,  all  of  whom  are  living, 
are  the  fruit  of  this  auspicious  marriage.  Coming 

into  the  Presbyterian  Church  "  on  conviction,"  my  attach- 
ment to  the  Church  of  my  adoption  has  grown  stronger  and 
more  tender  with  the  lapse  of  years,  as  has  also  my  faith  in 
•'ts  distinctive  doctrines. 


Hiram  P.  Roberts. — Auto-biographical. — I  was  born  at 

Plymouth  Hollow,  Ct.,  September  22,  1831.  Was  educated  at 
Wesleyan  University,  Middletown,  Ct.  Am  not  a  graduate 
of  a  theological  seminary.  Was  ordained  as  chaplain  of  the 
.84th  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  April  19,  1S63,  which 
regiment  I  entered  as  First  Lieutenant,  and  was  wounded  at 
Murfreesboro,  December  31,  1862.  Being  disabled  for  fur- 
ther service  in  the  line,  and  having  some  practice  in  the  way 
of  lay  preaching,  the  regiment  elected  me  chaplain,  and  I 
served  as  such  until  March,  1864.  My  wound  reopening  I 
was  obliged  to  resign.  After  resting  awhile  I  re-entered  the 
army  as  chaplain  of  137th  Illinois — Col.  John  Wood's  one 
hundred  days  men — in  June,  1864,  and  served  till  mustered 
out  in  September  of  same  year.     I  commenced  preaching  in 


ROBERT    C.  GALBRAITH.  605. 

Cairo,  January  I,  1865,  and  left  May,  1867.  July  14,  1867, 
I  commenced  in  Peru,  111.,  Congregational  ciiurch,  and  re- 
mained until  November  i,  1868.  From  November  i,  1868, 
until  the  present,  have  been  pastor  of  Congregational  church 
Council  Bluff,  Iowa,  connected  with  Council  Bluff's  Associa- 
tion. 

Sandoval  Church  was  organized  by  Revs.  A.  T.  Norton 
and  W.  H.  Bird  on  the  4th  and  5th  of  March,  1865,  with 
eight  members,  Frederick  E.  Robinson,  elder.  It  had  some 
success  and  fair  prospects  for  a  time,  and  was  ministered  to 
for  one  year  by  Rev.  W.  H.  Bird  ;  but  the  members  nearly  all 
moved  away,  and  the  church  was  dissolved  by  Presbytery 
October  10,  1868. 


KiNMUNDY  Church,  n.  s.,  was  organized  by  Revs.  Elijah 
Buck,  A.  T.  Norton  and  C.  F.  Beach  on  the  19th  and  20th  of 
Aug.,  1865,  with  ten  members.  The  term  tenure  of  eldership 
was  adopted.  Adna  Colburn  was  elected  for  two  years  and 
Elias  Neil  for  one  year.  Other  elders  are  Dr.  L.  D.  Skilling  and 
John  King.  Ministers  :  Adam  Johnston  preached  here  for 
several  years ;  M.  M.  Cooper,  one  year.  The  church  owns  a 
commodious  house  of  worship.  An  Old  School  church  had 
been  established  here  several  years  before,  but  had  gone  en- 
tirely down. 

The  Presbytery  of  Saline  met  with  Pisgah  church, 
Lawrence  county,  March  30,  1865.  B.  C.  Swan,  minister,, 
and  Thomas  S.  Ridgway,  elder,  were  chosen  to  attend  the 
Assembly.  John  Mack  was  installed  pastor  of  Pisgah 
church  April  2.  The    fall    meeting   was  held   at 

Odin,  commencing  September  29.  R.  C.  Galbraith  was  re- 
ceived from  the  Presbytery  of  Baltimore  and  installed  pastor 
of  Odin  church,  Sabbath,  October  i. 


Robert  Craig  Galbraith  was  born  in  Indiana  county,. 
Pa.,  February  26,  1811.  He  was  son  of  Rev.  James  Gal- 
braith, of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  grandson  of  Rev. 
Joseph  Henderson  of  the  Seceder  Church — all  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent.  He  learned  to  "read,  write  and  cypher"  in 
an  old  log  school  house  on  the   banks  of  the  Juniata,  at. 


6o6  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Hollidaysburg,  Pa.,  and  was  taught  Ross'  Latin  grammar  so 
thoroughly  by  his  father  that  when  he  went  to  the  prepara- 
tory school,  at  Jefferson  College  in  1828,  he  soon   overtook 
the  class  that  was  six  months  in  advance.      Though  he  had 
never  seen  a  geography  till  he  went  to  college,  yet  his  father's 
library,  and  the  books  of  the  neighborhood  and  the  conver- 
sation of   the    ministers    who    stopped    at    the    "  Minister's 
Hotel"  in  those  days,  had  supplied  the  want  of  what  we 
now   call   academic  education.     At  that  time  Dr.  McMillan 
was  still  living,  and   Dr.   Matthew  Brown    was  principal  of 
Jefferson  College,  and  Rev.  William  Smith  was  Professor  of 
Languages.     Under  their  instruction  he  graduated  in  1834, 
and  went  to  Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  where   he  re- 
mained till  1837.     His  call  to  the  ministry  was  "the  love  of 
God  constraining  us,  the  desire  to  win  souls  to  that  Saviour 
who  had  done  so  much  for  him."     Mr.   G.   was  licensed  by 
the   Presbytery   of  Huntington  in  the  fall  of  1836,  and  was 
ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  East  Hanover,  at  Jerusalem, 
Va.,  in  the  spring  of  1844.      Chronic  bronchitis   caused  his 
removal  south  to  engage  in  teaching  in  the  fall  of  1837.    But 
his  health    improving    he  took  charge  of  the   Presbyterian 
church  in  Brunswick  county,  Va.,  in  the  fall  of  1844,     Being 
prevented  by  ill  health  from  fulfilling  the  long  cherished  de- 
sign of  going  to  India,  he  turned  his  attention  to  Africa  as 
it  was  found  at  home,  and  devoted  much   attention  both  to 
preaching  to  the  negroes  and  to  their  instruction  in  Sabbath 
school.     In  1849  he  was  invited  by  the  Presbytery  of  Balti- 
more to  take  charge  of  the  Madison  street  (colored)  church, 
Baltimore.     To  that  people  he  ministered  till  1857,  when  it 
was  deemed  best  that  Rev.  Mr.  Revels  (since  Senator  Rev- 
els)   should   take    his   place.     Pastor    of  Govane  chapel  till 
1865,  he  preached  on  Saturday  nights  to  the  colored  people 
on  the  Hampton  estate  and  on   Sabbath  afternoons   at  the 
factories   and  other  destitute  places  around.     At  the  close 
of  the  war  the  illness   of  a   son,  who  had  been  in  the  army, 
caused  him  to  "  Go  West;"  and  the  fact  that  Odin,   Marion 
county.  111.,  had  six  or  eight  saloons  and  gambling  houses  and 
neither  church  building  or  minister  caused  him  to  settle  there. 
But  the  cessation  of  business  and  travel  after  the  war  closed, 
and  the  consequent  decline  of  the  town  and  removal  of  the 
church  members,  resulted  first,  in  adding  the  church  of  Flora 
to  that  of  Odin,  and  second,  in  substituting  Fairfield,  Wayne 
county,   for   Odin,   leading,   finally,  to  a   removal    to    Fair- 


SMITH    H.  HYDE.  607 

field  in  1873,  where  he  still — 1879 — remains.  Mr. 

G.  was  married  in  September,  1837,  to  Miss  May  Cade,  of 
Lawrenceville,  New  Jersey,  by  whom  he  had  five  children, 
■only  one  of  whom — Mr.  J.  C.  Galbraith,  of  Chicago,  111. — 
survives.  Mrs.  G.  died  in  1854,  and  1856  Mr.  G.  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Olivia  Gill,  of  Baltimore,  who  deceased  in  1859. 
After  his  removal  West,  Mr.  G.  was  married  at  Vincennes, 
Ind.,  to  Miss  Ellen  B.  Love,  who,  with  two  children,  R.  C. 
Galbraith,  jr.,  and  Joseph  H.  Galbraith,  still  survives. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  met  at  Shelbyville,  October 
5,  1865.  Rev.  Henry  Kendall,  D.  D.,  Secretary  of  Home 
Missions,  was  present.  Also  Rev.  T.  W.  Hynes,  of  the  Old 
School  Synod  of  Illinois,  to  present  their  fraternal  greetings. 

The  Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s.,  met  at  Champaign,  Oct.,  4. 

YEAR  1866. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  Winchester,  April  6, 
1866.  Smith  H.  Hyde  and  J.  Rogers  Armstrong,  were  re- 
ceived from  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis.  Wm.  L.  Tarbet, 
minister,  and  Joshua  Moore,  elder,  were  elected  Commis- 
sioners to  the  Assembly.  The  church  of  Buffalo  was  re- 
ceived. The  fall  meeting  was  held  with  Walnut 
Grove  church,  commencing  September  21.  At  an  adjourned 
meeting  at  Jacksonville,  October  5,  Rev.  Albert  Hale  was 
released  from  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  Second  Presbyte- 
rian church  of  Springfield. 

Smith  Harris  Hyde  was  born  in  Youngstown,  Niagara 
county,  N.  Y.,  September  28,  1834.  His  parents  had  emi- 
grated from  Vermont  in  the  year  18 19,  and  settled  in  this 
place.  His  father,  John  A.  Hyde,  was  a  physician  and  an 
elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  His  mother,  Sarah  Hyde, 
was  a  woman  of  sterling  character  and  devoted  piety.  It 
was  the  desire  and  prayer  of  his  parents  that  he  should  be  a 
minister  of  the  gospel,  while  yet  he  was  left  to  his  own  un- 
trammeled  choice.  At  the   age  of  fourteen    he 

entered  into  full  communion  with  the  church,  having  been 
baptized  in  infancy.  His  pastor  was  Rev.  R.  L.  Hurlburt,  to 
whom  he  was  greatly  indebted  for  wise  and  affectionate  coun- 
sels.    His  mind  then    received  a  strong  bent  toward    the 


608  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

ministry,  which  during  his  college  course,  became  a  fixed  de- 
termination under  the  conviction  that  this  was  the  Lord's 
will  concerning  him.  After  leaving  the  public  school,  in  his 
native  place,  his  literary  education  was  pursued  in  the  Col- 
legiate Institute  at  Wilson,  N.  Y.,  in  the  Courtland  Acad- 
emy at  Homer,  N.  Y.,  and  in  Yale  College,  New  Haven,. 
Ct.,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1857.  In  professional  studies 
he  was  graduated  at  Auburn  Theological  Seminary,  May, 
i860.  During  the  vacation  of  1859,  he  preached  for  the- 
church  in  Somerset,  N.  Y.,  and  for  the  church  at  Owasco 
Lake  during  his  senior  year.  Near  the  close  of  this  year  he 
was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Niagara  at  Albion,  New 
York.  Immediately  upon  graduation,  having  ac- 

cepted a  call  to  the  Rock  Hill  church,  St.  Louis  county.  Mo., 
he  made  a  brief  visit  to  his  native  place,  and  set  out  for  his- 
distant  field  of  labor,  where  he  arrived  June  2,  and  entered 
at  once  upon  his  work.  April  24,  1861,  he  was  ordained 
pastor  of  the  church  by  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis. 

In  September,  1862,  he  was  happily  married  to  Miss  Lu- 
cinda  T.  Davis  of  Youngstown,  N.  Y.,  and  a  graduate  of  Ohio 
Female  College.  In  the  autumn  of  1864,  he  re- 

signed the  charge  of  the  Rock  Hill  church,  and  accepted  a 
call  to  the  church  at  Carrollton,  111.,  entering  upon  his  labors 
there  in  November,  and  continuing  them  to  the  present  time, 
1879.  His  installment  as  pastor  of  this  church  took  place 
the  last  Sabbath  in  April,  1866.  He  has  served  the  cause  of 
the  Master  also  as  President  of  Green  county  Bible  Society, 
for  a  number  of  years,  as  Stated  Clerk  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Alton,  and  the  Synod  of  Illinois  South,  and  as  member  of 
the  General  Assembly,  on  three  different  occasions. 


J.  Rogers  Armstrong. — Auto-biographical. — I  was  born 
April  9,  1827,  in  Rogersville,  East  Tenn.  I  am  of  Scotch- 
Irish  Presbyterian  and  French  Huguenot  descent.  Was  ed- 
ucated at  Marietta  College,  Ohio,  Lane  and  Union  Theolog- 
ical Seminaries.  Was  licensed,  September,  1855,  by  St. 
Louis  Presbytery,  at  the  last  meeting  which  Dr.  Artemas 
Bullard  attended.  Was  ordained  by  North  Missouri  Presby- 
tery October,  1857.  My  first  charge  was  at  West  Ely,  Mo. 
(the  seat  of  the  theological  department  of  Marion  College, 
where  David  Nelson  taught,  preached  and  was  mobbed.  Dr. 
Ezra  Styles  Ely  had  also  been  their  minister).     Health  failed,. 


KASKASKIA    PRESBYTERY.  609 

and  for  two  years  taught  and  preached  most  of  the  time  in 
in  Kirkwood,  Mo.,  and  CarroUton,  111.  My  next  field  was 
De  Soto,  Mo.  At  present — 1879 — it  is  Walnut  Grove  and 
Rockbridge  churches.  111.  I  was  married,  Janu- 

ary I,  1856,  to  Anna  Eliza  Whipple  in  Lacon,  111.  Again  in 
Springfield,  111.,  to  Mary  Annie  Yates,  September  30,  1875. 
Children — Augusta  Jesse,  born  October  i,  1856;  Frederick 
Stockley,  January  20,  1863  ;  Anna  Whipple,  August  6,  1865 — 
two  children  of  my  first  wife  have  gone  before — John  Hin- 
ton,  born  September  i,  1876.  After  I  became  a  Christian  it 
was  my  earnest  desire  to  go  as  a  foreign  missionary  to  Tur- 
key ;  but  having  been  born  at  the  South  my  friends  all  urged 
me  to  give  this  up.  I  yielded  to  them,  and  then  made  my 
greatest  mistake.  My  next  mistake  has  been  in  striving  to 
teach  school  in  connection  with  preaching.  I  never  had 
brains  enough  for  both.     (In  this  he  is  not  singular. — N.) 


Buffalo  Church  was  organized,  December  20,  1865,  by  a 
Committee  of  Presbytery,  with  nine  members,  Samuel  Pleas- 
ant and  Jacob  Lewis  elders.  From  December  to  April  the 
church  had  increased  to  twenty  members.  It  is  still  reported 
on  the  minutes,  but  has  diminished  to  ten  members,  or  less. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Chester,  April  3, 
1866.  S.  P.  Smith  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Car- 
lisle, Pa.  The  First  church  of  Union  county  was  dissolved. 
William  Bridgman  was  received  from  Fox  River  Presbytery. 
T.  W,  Hynes,  minister,  and  Hugh  Adams,  elder,  were  ap- 
pointed to  attend  the  next  meeting  of  the  Assembly.  Cor- 
nelius V.  H.  Monfort  was  ordained  April  8.  A  church  was 
partially  organized  at  East  St.  Louis,  April  i,  1866.  The 
names  of  eleven  persons  were  taken,  and  the  church  was  en- 
rolled by  Presbytery,  but  no  officers  were  appointed  and  the 
enterprise  was  abandoned.  James  R.  Brown  was  received 
from  Presbytery  of  Schuyler.  The  fall  meeting 

was  held  at  Nashville,  commencing  September  13.  The 
First  German  church  of  Jerseyville  was  dissolved.  Mul- 
berry Grove  church  was  received.  The  name  of  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Hamilton  was  stricken  from  the  roll.  An  adjourned 
meeting  was  held  at  Richview,  September  17,  at  which  R. 
G.  Williams  was  ordained,  sine  titiilo.  The  church  of  Poca- 
hontas was  dissolved.  38 


6lO  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

William  Bridgman  was  at  Trenton,  111.,  in  1866,  and  at 
Richview,  111.,  in  1867,  a  member  of  Kaskaskia  Presbytery  at 
Streator,  111.,  from  1873  to  1875,  a  member  of  Ottowa  Presby- 
tery and  H.  R.  He  died  at  Streator,  III,  May,  1875.  His 
widow  is  said  to  be  in  Oberlin,  Ohio.  His  daughter — Mrs. 
Plumb — at  Streator,  111. 


Cornelius  Van  Houtten  MoNFORXwas  ordained  at  Ches- 
ter, 111.,  by  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia,  April  8,  1866.  The 
same  year  he  was.  laboring  at  Butler,  111.  In  1868  he  was  at 
Otterville,  Mo.  In  1867,  1870  and  1871  he  was  at  Oswego, 
Kan.,  in  1872  he  was  at  Labette,  Kan.,  and  died  there, 
August  10,  1872,  aged  thirty-seven.  He  was  a  member  at 
the  time  of  his  death  of  the  Presbytery  of  Neosho.  He  was 
the  son  of  Rev.  David  Monfort,  D.  D.,  and  was  born  at  Frank- 
lin, Ind.,  in  1835. 


Mulberry  Grove  Church,  o.  s.,  was  organized  by  T.  W. 
Hynes,  August  12,  1866,  with  twenty-one  members  and  two 
elders  It  took  the  place  of  the  n.  s.  church  formed  in  1845, 
and  dissolved  September  30,  1861.  It  has  become  merged 
in  the  Greenville  church.  Thus,  in  the  case  of  Mulberry 
Grove,  twenty-five  years  have  demonstrated  the  futility  of 
attempting  to  establish  and  permanently  maintain  a  church 
organization  without  a  house  of  worship.  A  church  is  not  a 
tramp  or  a  gypsy.     It  can't  live  without  a  home. 


Wabash  Presbytery  met  at  Tuscola,  April  29,  1866.  Da- 
vid R.  Love  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Blooming- 
ton,  and  Pliny  S.  Smith  to  the  Congregational  Conference  of 
Missouri.  Samuel  Ward,  minister,  and  David  Ewing,  elder, 
were  appointed  to  attend  the  next  meeting  of  the  Assembly. 
John  B.  Brandt  was  ordained  April  3,  sine  titulo.  S.  R.  Bis- 
sell  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Alton.  Arrange- 
ments were  made  for  the  ordination  of  G.  A.  Pollock  over  the 
Prairie  Bird  church  on  the  third  of  June,  1866.  The 

fall  meeting  was  held  at  Cerro-Gordo,  commencing  October  i. 
David  Dimond  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Alton. 
Samuel  Ward  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Greencastle. 
C.  P.   Felch   was  installed  pastor  of  Danville  church   by  a 


GARNETT  A,  POLLOCK.  6ll 

committee  of  Presbytery,  June  6,  1866.  The  church  of 
"Noble  Township"  was  received.  C.  J.  Pitkin  was  received 
from  the  Paesbytery  of  Alton. 

John  B.  Brandt  was  born  August  29,  1838,  near  Lancas- 
ter, Ohio.  He  is  Dutch  on  his  father's  side  and  German  on 
his  mother's.  His  literary  education  was  obtained  at  Whit- 
tenberg  College,  Springfield,  Ohio.  His  theological  mostly 
with  private  instructors.  Was  licensed  by  the  Miami  Synod 
of  Ohio,  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church.  Ordained  by 
Presbytery  of  Wabash,  April  3,  1866.  His  early  church  re- 
lati©n  and  licensure  were  in  the  Lutheran  Church,  for  conve- 
nience sake.  The  Presbyterian  was  always  the  Church  of  his 
preference.  He  labored  at  Neoga,  111.,  for  two  years,  from 
Sept.,  1865.  Commenced  at  Indianapolis  in  1867,  and  has  re- 
mained there  ever  since.  He  married  Miss  Emily  A.  Green  at 
Neoga,  111.,  September  28,  1868.  He  has  four  children,  Sadie 
J.,  Lillian  E.,  Geneveve  G.,  and  Henry  J,  He  went  to 
■college  at  eighteen.  His  father  gave  him  sixty  dollars,  of 
which  fifty  dollars  were  stolen  before  he  reached  the  Insti- 
tution. Was  two  hundred  dollars  in  debt  when  he  graduated, 
which  he  paid  in  eighteen  months.  He  served  three  years  in 
the  army  in  our  civil  war,  first  as  private,  then  as  captain. 
His  experience  in  the  army  has  been  of  great  benefit  to  him 
in  all  his  labors  since.  These  have  been  abundant,  varied 
.and  successful. 

Garnett  Adrl\n  Pollock  was  born  the  8th  of  June, 
1834,  in  Harrison  county,  Ohio.  When  about  a  3^ear  and  a 
half  old,  his  parents  emigrated  to  Logan  county,  Ohio.  His 
boyhood  was  spent  on  a  farm  with  his  father,  until  his 
fifteenth  year,"  when  he  entered  a  graded  school,  where  he 
remained  one  year.  His  parents  then  sent  him  to  Geneva 
Hall,  where  he  studied  until  his  junior  year.  This  college 
was  founded  by  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  (or  Covenanter) 
Church,  and  had  also  a  theological  department.  To  this 
church  young  Pollock's  parents,  who  were  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent,  belonged,  and  they  sent  their  son  to  this  school  of 
the  prophets.  The  association  at  this  school  with  theologi- 
cal students,  had  much  to  do  with  the  formation  of  char- 
•acter  that  took  shape  in  after  life,  but  it  was  not  until 
.after  September,  1857,  when  he  consecrated  himself  to  the 
Lord,  that  he  felt  called  to   the  ministry.     At  this  time  he 


6l2  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

was  pursuing  his  studies  at  Miami  University,  where  he  united 
with  the  O.  S.  Presbyterian  church.  After  graduating  he 
pursued  his  theological  course  at  the  Western  Theological 
Seminary,  and  was  licensed  in  June,  1861,  at  Fletcher,  Ohio, 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Sidney.  When  licensed  he  held  a  pro- 
fessorship in  Augusta  College,  Ky.,  preaching  only  occasion- 
ally. In  1865  he  removed  to  Illinois,  and  became  stated 
supply  of  the  church  at  Prairie  Bird  in  connection  with  the 
principalship  of  a  male  and  female  seminary  at  Shelbyville. 
In  June,  1866,  he  was  ordained  by  the  Wabash  Presbytery 
pastor  of  that  churph.  He  ministered  unto  this  church  and 
a  new  organization  at  Tower  Hill  until  December,  1869 — 
seeing  them  both  strengthened  spiritually  and  financially — 
when  he  was  called  to  Effingham,  a  mission  church  of  fifteen 
members.  Here  the  Lord  blessed  his  labors  with  several 
precious  revivals — the  ingathering  being  at  one  time  sixty- 
six  souls.  This  pastorate  continued  for  eight  years — the 
last  four  the  church  was  entirely  self-sustaining,  ranking 
fourth  in  the  Presbytery  in  membership  and  amount  of 
money  contributed.  This  pastorate  he  resigned  to  accept 
a  call  from  the  church  at  Mendota,  which  is  his  present 
field  of  labor.  On  the  25th  of  December,  i860, 

he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Gertrude  M.  De  Courcy,  of 
Newport,  Ky.  There  have  been  born  to  them  seven  child- 
ren, two  of  whom  were  "  caught  away "  in  their  infancy. 
James  Earl,  the  eldest  and  only  son,  with  four  girls  living, 
viz.:  Minnie  B.,  Gertrude  G.,  Mary  and  Ella  Lou.  The  two- 
eldest  are  members  of  the  church. 


Charles  Patterson  Felch  was  born  in  Michigan.  Grad- 
uated at  Michigan  University  1849,  ^^^  3-t  Andover  1852. 
Stated  supply  at  Houlton,  Maine,  1853-4.  Ordained  April, 
1857.  Was  at  Amboy,  III,  1857-59;  at  Naperville,  111.,  1860- 
64.  Supply  pastor  Presbyterian  church,  Lacon,  111.,  1864-65. 
Pastor  at  Danville,  III.,  1866-68.  Was  without  charge  at  Au- 
rora, III.,  1868-69.  H^is  name  disappears  from  the  minutes- 
in  1870. 

Noble  Township  Church,  Richland  county.  III.,  was  or- 
ganized by  Rev.  A.  T.  Norton,  July  8,  1866,  with  twelve 
members.  Col.  Andrew  Flesher,  elder.  The  organization 
took  place  at  Col.  Flesher's  house,  about  six   miles  north  of 


MEETING    OF    PRESBYTERIES.  613 

•the  village  of  Noble.  Its  center  was  afterwards  made  at 
Noble.  It  has  had  but  very  little  ministerial  care,  and  is  now 
— 1879 — virtually  extinct. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  at  Paris,  April  lo, 
1866.  R.  A.  Mitchell,  minister,  and  R.  M.  Tate,  elder, 
'were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  Prairie 
City  church  was  received.  A.  Carroll,  Wm.  C.  Magner  and 
W.  M.  Crozier  were  licensed.  Alfred  Hamilton,  D.  D.,  was 
dismissed  from  the  pastoral  care  of  Mattoon  church. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Palestine,  Crawford  county, 
-commencing  September  13.  J.  P.  Fox  was  dismissed  to  the 
Presbytery  of  Upper  Missouri. 


Prairie  City  Church,  Cumberland  county,  was  organized 
-October  22,  1865,  by  D.  F.  McFarland  and  N.  Williams, 
■ministers,  and  J.  Gibson,  elder,  with  ten  members.  Elders  : 
N.  C.  Green  and  Mark  Sperry, 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  met  at  Jacksonville,  May 
2,  1866.  S.  W.  Mitchell  was  received  from  the  Presbytery 
•of  LaFayette.  R.  W.  Allen,  minister,  and  D.  C.  Brown, 
elder,  were  chosen  to  attend  the  next  Assembly.  G.  S.  Mc- 
Clung,  T.  E.  Spilman,  and  Emanuel  N.  Pirez  were  licensed, 
and  the  latter  ordained  to  the  foreign  missionary  work. 
The  church  at  Pana  was  dissolved  and  its  members  granted 
letters  to  the  New  School  church  of  that  place.  At  a  called 
meeting  held  at  Virginia,  June  19,  D.  C.  Marquis  was  re- 
leased from  the  pastoral  care  of  Decatur  church,  and  dis- 
missed to  the  Presbytery  of  Chicago.  Harristown  church 
was  received.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  Vir- 

ginia, October  15. 

Samuel  W.  Mitchell  was  born  in  Memphis,  Tenn.,  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1833.  He  was  educated  at  Centre  College  and 
Seminary  at  Danville,  Ky.  He  was  licensed  by  La  Fayette 
Presbytery  at  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  in  April,  1859,  and  ordained 
hy  same  Presbytery  at  Dover,  Mo.,  September,  i860.  From 
that  time  to  this,  his  life  has  been  spent  almost  wholly  in  the 
'home    missionary    work   in    Missouri,    although  he    labored 


6l4  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

awhile  in  Macon,  Sangamon  county,  111.  He  was.  for  a 
time,  chaplain  in  the  rebel  army.  He  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried, and  is  now  at  Leesville,  Henry  county,  Mo. 


Harristown  Church  was  organized  on  the  first  Monday 
in  May,  1866,  by  Revs.  D.  C.  Marquis  and  F.  N.  Ewing,. 
with  twenty-two  members  and  three  elders.  It  has  gone  out 
of  existence,  or  been  merged  into  something  else. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Jersey ville,  April  12, 
1866.  James  Brownlee  and  H.  N,  Wilbur  were  received. 
W.  S.  Post  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis, 
and  S.  R.  Bissell  to  that  of  Wabash.  C.  H.  Taylor  and 
Josiah  Wood,  ministers,  and  William  Storer  and  Samuel 
Wade,  elders,  were  chosen  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly. 
K  pro  re  nata  meeting  was  held  at  Centralia,  July  17.  C.  F. 
Beach  was  released  from  the  pastoral  care  of  the  church  of 
Centralia,  and  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  with  the  Bethel  church,  Bond 
county,  commencing  September  13.  John  H.  Dillingham, 
was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Bloomington.  Edward 
Hollister  from  that  of  Schuyler,  Joseph  D.  Barstow  from 
that  of  Erie.  Willard  P.  Gibson,  licentiate,  was  received 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Cayuga,  examined  and  ordained 
October  3,  pastor  of  Pana  church.  Wm.  M.  Stewart,  licen- 
tiate, was  received  from  the  United  Brethren  Conference  of 
Iowa.  The  churches  of  Anna  and  Mason  were  received. 
C.  J.  Pitkin  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Wabash. 
The  church  of  Lebanon  was  received. 


John  Henry  Dillingham  was  born  in  the  town  of  One- 
onta,  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  October  26,  1830.  His  parents 
were  of  English  extraction.  From  New  England  they 
came  to  New  York,  then  to  Illinois  in  1856.  He  graduated'' 
at  Hamilton  College  in  1857,  and  at  Auburn  Seminary  in 
i860.  He  was  licensed  by  Cayuga  Presbytery  May  4,  i860, 
and  ordained  the  20th  of  June  following,  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Milwaukee.  He  was  supply  pastor  of  the 
church  of  Manitowoc,  Wis.,  for  three  years.  He  then  came 
to  Illinois  and  supplied  Wenona  church  till  May,  1866,  when. 


MASON  CHURCH.  615 

he  removed  to  Belleville,  St.  Clair  county,  where  he  re- 
mained three  years.  He  then  went  to  St.  Louis  and  labored 
in  connection  with  Fairmount  mission  and  church  until  1873. 
Then  he  spent  a  year  in  Kansas  with  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Paoli.  In  1874  he  came  to  his  present  field, 
Rossville,  111.  He  was  married  March  10,  1861,  to  Miss  M. 
L,  White,  of  Chautauoua  county,  N.Y.  He  has  three  child- 
ren— daughters. 

Mason  Church.  April  25,  1858,  Rev.  P.  R.  Vanatta,  of 
Kaskaskia  Presbytery,  organized  a  church  at  Mason,  Effing- 
ham county,  consisting  of  these  members,  from  the  church  of 
Ewington,  N.  S. — Jacob  Covert,  Martha  Covert,  Susannah 
Covert,  Hosea  Barron,  Sarah  H.  Barron,  John  Trapp,  Mary 
Ann  Trapp,  Jesse  Parkhurst,  Mary  Parkhurst,  William  Wilson 
and  Elizabeth  Wilson.  Other  members  :  William  F.  White, 
Agnes  White,  Thomas  Winteringer,  Catharine  Winteringer, 
Abraham  Covert,  Anna  Wilkinson.  This  church  was  re- 
ceived by  Kaskaskia  Presbytery.  It  had  some  preaching, 
but  never  flourished  at  all.  Part  of  its  members  are  now 
in  Watson  church,  part  dead.  March  22,  1866,  Rev.  Josiah 
Wood,  of  Alton  Presbytery,  organized  a  n.  s.  church 
here  with  thirteen  members.  Elders  :  T.  L.  Sexton  and  P. 
B,  Odear.  This  church  connected  temporarily  with  Alton 
Presbytery  ;  but  being  in  the  bounds  of  Wabash  it  was  finally 
and  properly  enrolled  there.  April  15,  1869,  it  was  repre- 
sented in  that  Presbytery  by  J.  S.  Covert.  This  part  of  Ef- 
fingham county  in  which  Ewington  church,  n.  s.,  was  formed 
in  1850,  and  to  which  John  H.  Russ  and  Joseph  Butler 
preached,  and  in  which  Mason  church,  o.  s.,  and  Mason 
church,  n.  s.,  Watson,  n.  s.,  and  Edgewood,  n.  s.,  were 
planted,  has  had  very  little  suitable  labor  and  been  most 
atrociously  mismanaged.  Of  all  these  churches  the  only  or- 
ganization now  left  is  that  at  Watson. 


Horatio  N.  Wilbur  was  born  July  10,  1804,  at  Fairfield, 
N.  Y.  He  was  educated  at  Rome,  N.  Y.,  in  the  common 
school.  Ordained  by  Methodist  Episcopal  church  October 
10,  1840.  Joined  Alton  Presbytery  from  that  of  Keokuk, 
April  13,  1866.  He  labored  awhile  with  Hardin  church, 
Calhoun  county,  but  with  little  success.  He  went  back  to 
the  Methodists  in  1868. 


6l6  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

James  Brownlee  was  born  in  County  Down,  Ireland, 
March,  i8i2.  His  ancestors  were  Scotch.  He  came  to  this 
country  in  183 1,  landing  at  Philadelphia  July  5th.  He 
united  with  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  the  Northern 
Liberties  of  that  city  in  1832.  His  classical  education  was 
obtained  at  La  Fayette  College,  Pa.,  and  South  Hanover  Col- 
lege, Ind.  He  studied  theology  with  John  McE.  Dickey. 
He  was  licensed  by  Madison  Presbytery  at  Jacksonville. 
Switzerland  county,  Ind.,  October,  1841,  and  ordained  by  the 
same,  October,  1842,  six  miles  back  of  Madison  on  Indian 
Creek.  His  time  since  has  been  spent  in  Rising-Sun,  Co- 
lumbus, Connersvllle  and  Southport,  Ind.,  at  Auburn  and 
Baldwin  City,  Kan.,  and  at  Lebanon,  Belleville,  Villa-Ridge, 
Newton  and  Walnut  Grove,  111.  He  has  been  three  times 
married,  (i)  To  a  daughter  of  James  McClung,  of  Livonia, 
Ind.,  April  28,  1839.  She  was  the  mother  of  five  children, 
and  died  near  Auburn,  Kan.  Four  of  her  children  survive — 
Mary  Jane,  Anna  Maria,  Addison  McClung  and  James 
Henry.  (2)  To  the  widow  of  Dr.  T.  B.  McCewen,  of  West 
Pennsylvania.  He  married  her  at  Bainbridge,  Ind.,  1866. 
She  died  July,  1868,  at  Lebanon,  St.  Clair  county,  111.  (3) 
To  the  daughter  of  Leonard  Cutler,  now  living  in  Fulton 
county.  111,  July  6,  1870.  By  her  he  has  one  child — Vilona 
Cora,  born  near  Caledonia,  Pulaski  county.  111. 


Joseph  D.  Barstow  was  born  January  i,  1834,  at  Ches- 
ter, Meigs  county,  Ohio.  His  parents  were  from  the  State 
of  Massachusetts  and  were  staunch  Presbyterians.  He  was 
■educated  at  Marietta  and  Wabash  Colleges  and  Lane  and 
Allegheny  Seminaries.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbyter}' 
of  Pittsburg,  April  17,  1861,  and  ordained  the  following  year 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Erie.  His  first  field  of  labor  after  li- 
censure was  at  Quincy,  Adams  county.  111.,  with  the  Second 
Presbyterian  church ;  then  at  Birmingham,  Pa.,  and  next  at 
East  Springfield,  Pa.  He  then  took  charge  for  two  years  of 
Ducoign  church,  Perry  county.  111.  He  also  assisted  in  or- 
ganizing the  church  at  Grand  Tower,  111.,  and  preached  to 
them  for  several  months.  August  24,  1864,  he  married  Miss 
Emma  C.  Barr,  oi^  Quincy,  III.  He  has  two  children  living — 
Adelaide  Louisa  and  Le  Roy  Plumer. 


WILLIAM   P.  TEITSWORTH.  617 

WiLLARD  P.  Gibson  was  born  at  Charleston,  Orleans 
icounty,  Vt.,  June  24,  1829.  His  father  was  the  son  of  a 
Scotch-Irishman  from  Cork.  In  1838  the  family  removed  to 
Tioga  county,  Pa.  Very  early  in  life  the  young  man  en- 
gaged in  teaching  and  followed  that  calling  mostly  for  sev- 
enteen years.  He  studied  theology  at  Auburn,  and  was 
licensed  by  Cayuga  Presbytery  in  May,  1865.  One  year  later 
he  took  charge  of  Pana  church.  111.,  and  was  ordained  its 
.pastor  September  25,  1866.  He  here  expended  four  years  of 
successful  labor.  In  May,  1871,  he  became  pastor  of  the 
church  of  Kingston,  Pa.  (Wyoming  valley).  Here  he  re- 
mained until  May,  1875.  He  then  for  a  year  supplied  the 
church  of  New  Milford,  Pa.  In  the  fall  of  1876  he  took 
-charge  of  the  church  of  Greenville,  Greene  county,  N.  Y., 
where    he    still    remains.  He    married,    March, 

1854,  Miss  Mary  M.  Root,  of  Susquehanna  county.  Pa. 
They  have  had  seven  children,  five  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
The  surviving  two  are  Grace,  born  January  25,  1863,  and 
William  E.  Dodge,  born  May  23,  1867. 


William  P.  Teitsworth  was  born  near  the  village  of 
Elysburg,  Northumberland  county.  Pa.,  July  ii,  1829,  the 
third  of  a  family  of  thirteen  children.  At  an  early  age  his 
father's  ancestors  fled  from  Holland.  They  found  a  home 
in  what  is  now  New  Jersey.  His  mother's  ancestors  came 
from  Germany,  fleeing  likewise  from  persecution.  Mr. 
Teitsworth  graduated  at  Jefferson  College,  Pa.,  and  studied 
theology  at  Princeton.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery 
of  Northumberland  in  the  fall  of  1858.  His  first  charge  was 
in  Columbia  county.  Pa.  His  next  at  Stroudsburg,  Monroe 
■county.  He  then  was  colporteur  for  six  months  in  Eastern 
Wisconsin,  with  Milwaukee  as  his  center.  He  next  took 
•charge  of  the  church  in  Allegheny,  Catteraugus  county,  N. 
Y.,  and  united  with  the  N.  S.  Assembly.  He  afterwards  la- 
bored with  great  success  in  Gillespie,  Staunton  and  Leb- 
.anon.  111.,  in  Northeast  Missouri  and  for  several  years  last 
past  in  Colorado.  His  present  field  is  Rosita,  Custar 
■county.  Col.  September    12,    1865,    he    married 

Miss  Isabella  S.  Farr  at  Arkport,  Steuben  county,  N.  Y. 


The  First  Presbyterian   Church  of  Anna  was  orean- 


6l8  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

ized  by  A.  T.  Norton,  D,  D.,  April  29,  1866,  with  these 
members :  Mrs.  Ellen  D.  Willard,  Mrs.  Mary  Dodds,  Mrs. 
Jennie  S.  Slick,  Mrs.  Rachel  J.  Phillis,  Samuel  B.  Marks,. 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Marks,  Mrs.  Mary  V.  Readen,  Virgil  Beale, 
Mrs.  Kate  Beale,  Mrs.  L.  Foster,  Mrs.  Mary  Slater,  Dr.  J. 
G.  Underwood,  Mrs.  Sarah  A,  Underwood,  Mrs.  Sarah  Ann 
Finch,  Mrs.  Mary  Jane  Short,  Dr.  Ford  S.  Dodds,  and  Mrs. 
Almira  Davidson.  The  organization  took  place  in  the 
Methodist  church  at  Anna.  Elders  :  Virgil  Beale,  Claudius- 
W,  Collins,  John  D.  Newbegin,  James  I.  Hale,  Harlan 
Page  Tuthill,  E.  L.  Stocking,  Jonathan  H.  Ryder,  E.  R.  Jin- 
nette.  Ministers:  David  Dimond,  1867-70;  E.  L.  Davies, 
January,  1872,  to  June  26,  1874;  Wilham  B.  Minton, 
licentiate,  January,  1875,  to  October,  1877,  ordained  pastor 
April,  1874;  E.  L.  Davies,  second  time,  December  9,  1877, 
and  is  still  there.  Places  of  meeting  have  been,  (i)  Method- 
ist church,  (2)  store  room  fitted  up  for  a  chapel,  (3)  the  pres- 
ent church  edifice,  which  was  dedicated  June  28,  1868,  and 
cost  ;^3,56o.  From  church  erection  seven  hundred  dollars- 
were  received.  It  is  a  substantial,  convenient  house,  and 
occupies  a  most  eligible  site. 


Lebanon  Church  was  organized  by  Rev.  A.  T.  Norton,. 
April  8,  1866,  with  nine  members,  viz.:  Dr.  F.  W.  Lytle, 
Mrs.  F,  M.  Lytle,  Miss  Amanda  M.  Johnson,  Mrs.  Margaret 
H.  Woodworth,  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Seaman,  Mrs.  Ruth  Danforth, 
Mrs.  Helen  M.  Atwood,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Wheeler,  Mrs.  Hel- 
en M.  Horner.  Elders:  Dr.  F.  W.  Lytle,  Charles  Sager, 
James  H.  Patterson,  Robert  Mills,  Elmore  W.  Elethorpe. 
Ministers  :  James  Brownlee,  William  P.  Teitsworth,  Ly- 
man Marshall,  who  still  continues  and  is  pastor.  The  house 
of  worship  was  dedicated  November  10,  1867,  and  cost 
14,500.  Received  from  church  erection  two  hundred  and 
fifty. 

The  Presbytery  of  Saline  rtiet  with  Wabash  church,  in 
Wabash  county,  March  29,  1866.  R.  Lewis  McCune  was 
dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Huntingdon,  Pa. 

John  Crozier,  minister,  and  Thomas  Buchanan,  elder,  were 
appointed  to  attend  the  meeting  of  the  next  Assembly. 
John  Crozier  v/as  released  from  the  pastoral  care  of  the  01- 
ney  church,  and  appointed  Presbyterial    Missionary.     S.  C^ 


JOHN    B.  L.  SOULE.  6l^ 

Baldridge  was  released  from  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Wa- 
bash church.  The  fall  meeting  was  held  at 
Shawneetown,  commencing  September  20.  Blackburn 
Leffler  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia.  Solo- 
mon Cook  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Western 
Reserve,  and  John  Huston  from  the  Presbytery  of  Bloom- 
ington. 

The  Two  Synods  of  Illinois  met — the  n.  s.  at  Jackson- 
ville, October  4,  1866 — the  o.  s.  at  Henry,  Marshall  county, 
October  17,  1866. 

YEAR  1867. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  Springfield,  April  19, 
1867.  J.  B.  L.  Soule  was  received  from  the  Beloit  District 
Convention.  John  C.  Downer  was  dismissed  to  the  Presby- 
tery of  St.  Louis.  G.  H.  Robertson  was  installed  pastor  of 
the  Second  Presbyterian  church,  Springfield,  April  20. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  at  IManchester,  September  20. 
Rufus  Nutting  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Indian- 
apolis.    L.  C.  Boynton  was  licensed  on  the  twenty-first. 


John  B.  L.  Soule  was  born  in  Freeport,  Me.,  April  4,. 
181 5.  He  is  the  son  of  Moses,  who  was  the  son  of  Moses, 
the  son  of  Barnabas,  the  son  of  Closes,  the  son  of  John,  the 
son  of  George,  who  sailed  in  the  Mayflower  in  1620.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Maine  and  his  mother  of  Massachusetts. 
His  father  was  for  more  than  half  a  century  a  deacon  in  the 
Congregational  church  at    Freeport.  Mr.    Soule 

was  fitted  for  college  at  Phillips  Exeter  Academy,  and  gradu- 
ated at  Bowdoin  College  in  1840.  On  leaving  college  he 
was  appointed  preceptor  of  the  old  "  Hampton  Academy," 
in  Hampton,  N.  H.,  a  town  settled  in  1638.  He  came  to- 
the  West  in  1845,  and  taught  a  private  classical  school  for 
several  years  in  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  till  elected  professor  of 
Greek  and  Belles  Lettres  by  the  trustees  of  the  Collegiate 
Institute,  in  that  city,  which  afterwards  grew  into  the  State 
Normal   School.  In   September,    1849,    he   was 

licensed  by  the  Crawfordsville  Presbytery,  but  did  not  at 
once  enter  on  an  active  ministry.  From  the  school-room  he 
went  to  the  tripod,  and  was  the  first  editor  of  the  first  sue- 


■620  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

cessful  daily  paper  in  Terre  Haute,  the  "  Terre  Haute  Ex- 
press." In  1855,  engaging  temporarily  to  supply 
a  church  in  Belvidere,  111.,  he  contained  through  a  year,  and 
then  accepted  a  call  to  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Plymouth, 
Ind.  In  1859  he  was  called  to  the  Congregational  church  in 
Elkhorn,  Wis.,  having  been  ordained  in  June,  1858,  by  the 
Milwaukee  Convention  of  Presbyterian  and  Congregational 
churches,  in  session  at  Waterford,  Wis.  He  was  pastor  of 
the  church  in  Elkhorn  five  years,  and  in  the  winter  of  1 865 
was  invited  to  the  charge  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Car- 
linville,  111.,  whiph,  after  four  years  of  labor,  he  resigned, 
and  was  engaged  as  professor  in  Blackburn  University  till 
1876,  when  he  again  had  charge  of  the  Carlinviile  church  for 
two  years.  Resigning  in  1878,  he  removed  to  Highland 
Park,  111,  Mr.  Soule  was  married  in  1840  to  Miss 
Mary  L.  Stevens,  daughter  of  Rev.  Ethan  Stevens,  of  Hal- 
lowell,  Maine,  who  died  in  Terre  Haute,  June  19,  1848. 
Two  children  of  this  marriage  died  in  early  childhood.  He 
was  married  again,  August  i,  1849,  to  Miss  Caroline  E.  Gook- 
ins,  daughter  of  Seymour  Gookins,  Esq.,  of  Terre  Haute. 
Of  this  marriage  there  are  five  children  :  William  L.,  born 
May  18,  1853  ;  Charles  B.,  born  June  21,  1856;  Frank,  born 
March  17,  1858  ;  May,  born  April  7,  i860;  and  Helen,  born 
June  27,  1866.  The  three  sons  are  all  graduates  of  Black- 
burn University. 

Gilbert  H.  Robertson.  I  have  not  investigated  his  early 
history.  From  the  Second  church,  Springfield,  he  was  called 
to  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  was  soon  after  expelled  from  the  min- 
istry and  from  the  communion  of  the  church  for  grossly  im- 
moral conduct.  He  has,  however,  succeeded  in  obtaining 
some  sort  of  license  in  the  Methodist  church,  under  cover  of 
which  he  was,  in  1879,  seeking  access  to  some  of  our  pulpits 
in  Northern  Illinois. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Hillsboro,  April 
1 1,  1867.  B.  LefiEIer  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Sa- 
line. R.  M.  Roberts  was  elected  Stated  Clerk.  H.  M.  Cor- 
bett  was  dismissed  to  the  Presb\'tery  of  Iowa.  R.  M.  Rob- 
erts, minister,  and  George  Donnell,  elder,  were  chosen  to  at- 
tend the  next  meeting  of  the  Assembly.  The 
fall  meeting  was  held  with  Dry  Point  church,  commencing 


THOMAS   D.  DAVIS.  621 

October  5.  B.  H.  Charles  was  released  from  the  pastorate 
of  Chester  church.  The  church  of  Edwardsville,  being  re- 
duced to  four  members,  was  dissolved.  T.  D.  Davis  was  re- 
ceived from  the  U.  P.  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis.  A.  J.  Clark 
was  doubtless  received  at  this  meeting  from  the  Presbytery 
of  Bloomington,  though  the  records  fail  to  show  it. 


Thomas  D.  Davis. — Auto-biographical. — I  was  born  in 
Chester  District,  S.  C,  December  26,  1832.  My  ancestry 
on  my  father's  side  is  Welch  and  English.  Thomas  Davis 
came  from  Wales  and  married  a  Connecticut  girl  whose  an- 
cestors came  from  England.  On  my  mother's  side  I  am 
Scotch  and  Scotch-Irish.  My  ancestors  have  been  Presby- 
terians as  far  back  as  I  know — four  generations.  I  received 
my  academical  education  in  Tipton  county,  Tenn.,  my  colle- 
giate at  Erskine  College,  Abbyville  District,  S.  C,  and  my 
theological  at  Oxford,  Ohio.  I  was  licensed  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  Memphis — Associate  Reformed  Church — April,  1858, 
and  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Kansas  i860.  My  fields 
of  labor  have  been  Kansas,  Pinckneyville,  Perry  county,  111., 
Nashville,  111.,  Union  church,  Morgan  county,  111.,  Ironton,. 
Mo.,  Providence  church,  Cass  county,  III,  and  Camp-Point 
111.,  where  I  am  now  located.  I  was  married  to  Miss  Ella 
W.  Harrington,  March  21,  1876.  We  have  two  children — 
Alfred  C,  born  January  13,  1877,  and  Edith  A.,  born  Febru- 
ary 5,  1879.  My  wife  is  a  daughter  of  Rev.  A.  L.  Harring- 
ton, and  granddaughter  of  Frederick  Collins,  late  of  Quincy,. 
Illinois. 

A.  J.  Clark  was  born  September  22,  1834,  in  Champaign 
county,  Ohio.  Of  Scotch  and  Welsh  descent.  Religiously 
trained.  Graduated  in  1859  at  Delaware,  Ohio.  Subse- 
quently received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  from  the  same  institu- 
tion. Married  Miss  A.  E.  Williams,  of  Mechan- 
icsburgh.  Champaign  county,  Ohio,  December  28,  1859. 

Believing  that  he  could  best  promote  the  cause  of  Christ 
in  the  ministry  he  studied  theology.  Having  studied  He- 
brew in  college  he  made  his  further  preparation  for  this  sa- 
cred calling  privately.  September  22,  1863,  the  Presbytery 
of  New  Albany  gave  him  license.  He  at  once  began  to  sup- 
ply the  church  of  New  Philadelphia.  In  March  following  he 
was  invited   to  preach   to   the   congregation  at   Clinton,  111... 


•622  PRE5BYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

This  he  accepted  and  began  his  work  among  them.  In  the 
fall  of  the  same  year,  1864,  he  accepted  their  call  and  was 
ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Bloomington.  In  1867  he  re- 
signed this  charge.  During  this  pastorate  a  church  debt  was 
paid  and  about  one  hundred  communicants  added  to  the 
church.  Having  a  call  from  Chester,  111,  he  began  his  labors 
there  in  July,  1867,  supplying  also  Pleasant  Ridge  church. 
In  the  following  spring  was  installed  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Kaskaskia.  Owing  to  the  large  number  of  Germans  there 
the  field  was  limited;  but  the  Lord  favored  him  with  several 
revivals.  The  congregation  in  the  country  built  a  new  frame 
house  of  worship.  ■  In  town  they  repaired  and  remodeled  the 
stone  church  at  considerable  expense.  He  labored  not 
only  in  his  own  churches,  but  in  the  regions  beyond.  At 
Pinckneyville  he  organized  a  church  in  May  or  June  of 
1868.  In  June,  1869,  one  in  Sparta.  July  7,  1870,  his 
only  children.  Homer  Clifton,  aged  five  years,  and  Winfred 
Williams,  aged  twenty  months,  died  of  dysentery  following 
the  measles,  leaving  a  desolate  home  and  sad  hearts.  But 
these  stricken  parents  found  true  Deut.,  32:25,  and  2  Cor., 
12:9,  "As  thy  days  so  shall  thy  strength  be,"  "My  grace  is 
sufficient    for    thee  "  December,   1871,  he    was 

so  afflicted  with  rheumatism  that  he  was  able  to  do  but  little 
until  the  followmg  summer.  During  the  remainder  of  his 
stay  in  Chester,  his  labors  were  greatly  hindred  by  this  afflic- 
tion. But  in  February,  1875,  he  bore  a  part  in  a  series  of 
meetings  at  Steeleville,  resulting  in  the  reorganization  of  the 
scattered  and  discouraged  fragments  of  the  little  band,  and 
in  increasing  the  number  of  communicants  to  nearly  eighty. 
During  the  following  summer  he  preached  for  them,  and 
assisted  in  building  their  church  house.  In  Octo- 

ber of  the  same  year,  he  removed  to  Litchfield  and  began 
work  as  supply  pastor.  On  account  of  Mrs.  Clark's  failing 
health,  he  resigned  in  July,  1877,  and  removed  his  family  to 
Mechanicsburgh,  Ohio,  that  she  might  be  with  her  people. 
She  died  November  24,  of  the  same  year,  after  protracted 
and  great  suffering.  She  was  of  a  quiet,  gentle,  and  sweet 
disposition,  resigned,  cheerful  and  hopeful.  She  lived  in 
daily  communion  with  her  Savior,  died  in  faith,  loved  and 
lamented  by  all  who  knew  her.  Two  little  girls  still  remain, 
Wilmett  and  Bessie,  who  find  a  home  at  Mechanicsburg  with 
their   uncle,  Dr.  J.    H.    Clark.  Unwilling  to  be 

idle,  Mr.   C.  took  charge   of  the   churches  of   Belle    Centre 


RUSSELL  D.  VAN  DEURSEN.  023 

and  Huntsville,  the  ist  of  August,  1877,  and  was  soon  in- 
stalled by  the  Presbytery  of  Bellefountaine.  Here  he  still 
remains,  laboring  as  best  he  can.  But  to  him  there  is  no 
place  but  heaven  so  dear  as  the  Presbytery  of  Alton  and  the 
Synod  of  Illinois  South. 

The  Presbytery  of  Wabash  met  at  Shelby  villa,  April  11, 
1867.  Joseph  Butler  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of 
Winona,  and  David  Dmiond  to  that  of  Alton.  R.  D.  Van 
Deursen  was  received  from  Athens  Presbytery,  Ohio.  J.  L. 
Jones,  minister,  and  Samuel  Daggy,  elder,  were  appointed  to 
attend  the  next  Assembly.  The  fall  meeting  was 

held  at  Danville,  September  10.  E.  Kingsbury  resigned  his 
office  of  Stated  Clerk,  after  having  served  for  thirty  years, 
and  Edwin  Black  was  appointed  in  his  place. 


Russell  D.  Van  Deursen. — Auto-biographical. — I  was 
born  in  Richmond,  Va.,  March  5,  1832.  Baptized  by  Rev. 
William  J.  Armstrong,  D.  D.,  June,  1832.  Father  a  descend- 
ant of  Dutch  settlers  of  Manhattan  Island;  born  in  Albany, 
N.  Y.  Mother  born  in   Connecticut,    descended 

from  Baldwin  family.  Father  for  many  years  an  elder  in  the 
Presbyterian  church,  and  both  parents  devotedly  prayerful 
children  of  God.  Father  died  1872.  Mother  living,  aged 
eighty-one — blind.  Lives  here.  I  attended  school  in  Rich- 
mond, Va.,  and  entered  sophomore  class  in  Hampden  Sid- 
ney College  in  1850.  In  the  middle  of  the  junior  year  health 
failed,  and  I  was  compelled  to  quit  study  spring  of  1852. 
Took  certificate  of  scholarship  from  professors  of  college. 
Entered  junior  class  in  Union  Theological  Seminary,  N.  Y., 
and  remained  the  year  1852-3.  Health  failed  again,  and  re- 
turned to  Richmond,  Va.,  and  entered  the  profession  of  civil 
engineering  in  surveys  for  Richmond  and  Danville,  North 
Carolina,  Central  and  other  railways.  Went  to  Cincinnati 
in  1857  ^^  service  of  Ohio  &  Mississippi  Railway.  Resumed 
theological  study  at  Lane  Seminary  and  was  licensed  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Cincinnati,   April   3,    1861.  Sup- 

plied church  in  Gallipolis,  Ohio,  from  May  to  September, 
1861.  Ordained  by  Presbytery  of  Cincinnati,  August  29, 
1861,  and  left  Gallipolis  to  enter  the  army  as  chaplain  of  12th 
Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  In  service  in  West 
Virginia.     In  the   battle  of  Carnifex  Ferry — our  Col.  Lowe 


624  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

was  killed.  I  took  his  remains  to  his  family  at  Xenia,  Ohio^ 
and  preached  funeral  sermon.  Was  with  regiment  till 
September,  1862,  when  I  resigned  and  returned  to  former 
charge — Gallipolis,  Ohio — remaining  there  till  April,  1867, 
when  I  accepted  a  call  to  Shelbyville,  111.,  where  I  was  in- 
stalled May  5,  1867.  Remained  there  till  September  i,  1871, 
when,  having  accepted  call  to  church  in  Paris,  111.,  I  removed 
and  was  installed  pastor  of  this  church  April  21,  1872,  and 
I  remain.  I  united  with  the  Presbyterian  Church 

first  in  1847,  i^  Richmond,  Va. — Rev.  Joseph  C.  Stiles,  D, 
D.,  pastor.  My  mother  informs  me  that  at  my  birth  she 
"  lent  me  to  the  L'ord  "  and  prayed  that  I  might  be  a  minis- 
ter of  "the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed  God,"  and  trained 
me  to  think  of  it  from  earliest  childhood. 

I  have  been  twice  married  and  have  had  four   children — 
all  of  them  living — three  daughters  and  one  son. 


Homer  Church,  Champaign  county,  was  organized  by 
Revs.  Enoch  Kingsbury  and  C.  P.  Felch,  March  7,  1857,  with 
these  members :  Phoebe  King,  Carrie  Linkham,  Mary  A. 
Conkey,  Julia  A.  Smith,  Ellen  H.  Oilman,  Nancy  Gibson^ 
Mary  Sullivant,  Harriet  Long,  Miss  Lois  Ann  Smith,  Alice 
Howe,  Matilda  Riley,  Livia  Riley,  James  H.  Rayhill,  William 
H.  H.  Smith,  John  Summers,  E.  W.  Taylor  and  Mrs.  E.  W. 
Taylor.  Elders  :  William  H.  H.  Smith,  E.  C.  Taylor, 
James  H.  Rayhill,  S.  W.  Thompson.  Ministers:  Enoch 
Kingsbury,  J.  L.  McNair,  A.  L.  Knox,  J.  D.  Jenkins.  Fine 
frame  house  of  worship  erected  in  1873  at  a  cost  of  four 
thousand  dollars. 

Palestine  Presbytery  met  at  Charleston,  April  11,  1867. 
James  E.  Lapsley  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  West- 
ern Reserve,  and  Henry  A.  Newell,  licentiate,  from  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Miami.  N.  Williams  was  dismissed  to  the  Presby- 
tery of  Crawfordsville.  S.  B.  Taggart,  minister,  and  Richard 
Roberts,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend  the  next  meeting  of 
the  Assembly.  C.  P.  Spining  was  relieved  of  the  pastoral 
care  of  the  Grandview  church.  W.  C.  Magner,  A.  C.  Car- 
roll and  H.  A.  Newell  were  ordained,  sine  titido,  April  13th.. 
H.  A.  Newell  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Miami  and 
W.  C.  Magner  to  that  of  Bureau.  The  fall  meet- 

ing was  held  with  Pleasant    Prairie  church,  Coles  county,. 


PRESBYTERY  OF  SANGAMON.  62$ 

commencing  October  7.  H.  I.  Venable  resigned  as  Stated 
Clerk,  and  S.  B.  Taggart  was  elected  in  his  place.  A,  C. 
Carroll  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  La  Fayette, 
H.  I.  Venable  to  thatof  Vincennes,  and  C.  P.  Spining  to  that 
of  Fort  Wayne.  Arrangements  were  made  for  the  ordina- 
tion of  John  Miller,  on  the  22d  of  October  inst.  The  com- 
mittee to  install  J.  VV.  Allison  pastor  of  Areola  church,  re- 
ported that  duty  performed  on  the  I2th  of  May. 


James  Erasmus  Lapsley  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  grad- 
uated at  Ohio  University,  1861  ;  studied  theology  at  Alle- 
gheny Seminary;  ordained  sine  titido,  June  28,  1864;  was 
missionary  in  Cleveland,  O.,  and  supply  pastor  at  Tiffin,  O., 
1865;  at  Mattoon,  111.,  iS66;  Pastor  of  First  Presbyterian 
church,  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  1870;  pastor  elect  in  Baltimore, 
Md.,  1872;  died  in  that  city,  July,  5,  1872,  aged  thirty-three 
years. 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  met  at  Assumption,  April 
9,  1867.  B.  E.  Mayo,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Whitewater, 
and  E.  D.  Barrett  from  the  Presbytery  of  Saltsburg,  were 
received.  Samuel  Conn,  licentiate,  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick,  examined  and  ordained  over 
the  church  at  Decatur,  July  21,  1867.  G.  W.  F.  Birch,  min- 
ister, and  J.  S.  Moore,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners 
to  the  next  Assembly.  T.  E.  Spilman,  licentiate,  was  dis- 
missed to  the  Presbytery  of  Rock  River.  H.  R.  Lewis  was 
dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Fairfield.  The  name  of 
"Tacusa"  church  was  changed  to  that  of  "Assumption." 
Arrangements  were  made  for  the  installation  of  B.  E.  IMayo 
over  Assumption  church  on  the  third  Sabbath  of  June.  A  pro 
re  nata  meeting  was  held  in  Decatur,  July  19.  R.  W.  Allen 
was  released  from  the  care  of  the  Second  church,  Jacksonville. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  with  Irish  Grove  church,  Sep- 
tember 10.  J.  S.  McClung  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery 
of  Bureau.  D.  R.  Todd  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of 
Logansport,  S.  W.  Miller  to  that  of  Vincennes,  and  R.  A. 
Criswell  to  that  of  Bloomington.  The  church  of  Moawequa 
was  received.  An  adjourned  meeting  was  held  at  Charles- 
ton, October  10,  at  which  R.  J.  L.  Matthews  was  received. 

39 


626  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Elisha  D.  Barrett  was  born  in  Montgomery,  Hampshire 
county,  Mass.,  January  19,  1790.  His  grand-father  was  from 
London,  Eng.  He  was  a  gospel  minister  and  settled 
in  Connecticut.  After  his  death  his  widow,  Mary  Dow 
Barrett,  removed  with  her  four  children  to  Montgomery, 
Mass.,  where  her  son  Daniel  married  and  became  the  father 
of  seven  sons  and  six  daughters.  Of  these  children,  Elisha 
D.  was  the  fifth.  He  graduated  at  Williams  College,  Massa- 
chusetts, in  1813.  He  first  studied  medicine  and  became  an 
M.  D.  He  then  took  a  theological  course  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Rev.  A.  G.  Fairchild,  and  was  licensed  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Redstone,  April  10,  1827.  He  labored  for  a  short 
time  in  Monongahela  county,  West  Virginia,  then  as  a  mis- 
sionary in  Ohio.  In  the  ^utumn  of  1829  he  was  ordained 
pastor  of  Plum  Creek  and  Glade  Run  churches  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Blairsville.  He  remained  in  this  charge  about 
fifteen  years.  He  then  organized  a  church  in  an  adjoining 
county,  became  its  pastor,  and  left  it  with  more  than 
one  hundred  members  and  a  good  house  of  worship.  Hav- 
ing contracted  a  bronchial  affection,  which  unfitted  him  for 
pulpit  labor,  he  removed  to  Granville,  Ohio,  and  practiced 
medicine  there  for  four  years.  He  then  took  charge  of  an 
academy  in  Kittanning,  Armstrong  county,  Pa.  After  continu- 
ing there  for  some  years  he  accepted  an  appointment  as 
ph3'sician  to  the  Yankton  Sioux  Indians,  Dakota  territory. 
With  them  he  remained  two  years.  Then  came  to  Assump- 
tion, 111.,  and  settled  down  to  the  practice  of  medicine  till  the 
infirmities  of  age  compelled  him  to  retire.  He  has 

been  three  times  married,  and  three  times  the  marriage  tie 
has  been  broken  by  death.  By  the  first  marriage  he  had 
three  children,  by  the  second  four,  and  by  the  third  nine. 
Of  these  fifteen  children  six  have  deceased.  He  now  re- 
sides at  Sedalia,  Mo.,  with  one  of  his  children,  having  reached 
the  age  of  nearly  ninety  years. 

Samuel  Conn  was  born  in  Steubenville,  O.,  March  4,  1838. 
He  graduated  at  Washington  College,  Pennsylvania,  1857. 
Studied  theology  at  Princeton,  New  Jersey.  Chaplain  in 
U.  S.  army  in  1862.  Ordained  at  Decatur,  111.,  July  21, 
1867.  Supply  pastor  at  CarroUton,  O.,  1868;  pastor  First 
church,  New  Albany,  1870.  He  has  received  the  degree  of 
D.  D.,  and  is  now — 1879 — pastor  of  First  church,  St.  Paul, 
Minn.      He  is  Scotch-Irish. 


JOSEPH  H.  SCOTT,  62/ 

MoAWEQUA  Church  was  organized  May  i8  and  19,  1867, 
by  Revs.  S.  W.  Mitchell,  Clark  Loudon,  and  Elder  S.  H.  Wil- 
son, with  thirteen  members.  Elders  :  Lewis  Long  and  F. 
M.  Chamberlain,  the  first.  Elders  since  appointed  :  Samuel 
G.  Travis,  Geo.  M.  Stine,  Thomas  Hudson,  R.  B.  Wilson. 
Ministers:  Charles  K.  Smoyer,  J.  D.  Jenkins,  J.  Payson 
Mills.  There  have  been  eighty  persons  connected  with  this 
church.  Their  church  building  was  erected  in  1872  at  a 
cost  of  $3,500.  From  Church  Erection  they  received  four 
hundred  dollars  aid. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Upper  Alton,  April  18, 
1867.  David  Dimond  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Wabash,  Joseph  H.  Scott  from  that  of  Trumbull,  Adam 
Johnston  from  the  Presbytery  of  Bloomington,  and  James 
W.  Stark  from  the  Presbytery  of  Fox  River.  The  churches 
of  America  and  Tower  Hill  were  received.  Joseph  S.  Ed- 
wards was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Cleveland.  E.  W. 
Taylor  and  Thomas  Lippincott,  ministers,  and  Russell 
Hinckley  and  Geo.  E.  Warren,  elders,  were  appointed  Com- 
missioners to  the  Assembly.  C.  H.  Foote  was  released  from 
the   pastoral    care   of    Jerseyville    church.  The 

fall  meeting  was  held  with  Tower  Hill  church,  commencing 
September  26.  The  Presbyterian  church  of  Edwardsville, 
and  the  German  Presbyterian  church  of  Trenton  were  re- 
ceived. Geo.  L.  Little  was  dismissed  to  a  new  Presbytery  to 
be  formed  in  Nebraska. 


Joseph  H.  Scott  was  born  March  22,  1825,  in  Becket, 
Berkshire  county,  Mass.  He  was  educated  at  Western 
Reserve  College  and  Seminary.  He  was  ordained  by  Port- 
age Presbytery,  November,  1852.  United  with  Alton  Pres- 
bytery, April  18,  1867.  He  labored  for  about  ten  years  as 
supply  pastor  ot  Metropolis  church ;  succeeded  in  securing 
a  very  neat  house  of  worship  in  that  place,  in  building  up  a 
large  Sabbath-school,  and  a  small  but  compact  and  influen- 
tial church.  He  had  been  for  many  years  in  feeble  health, 
and  died  at  Metropolis,  111.,  February  25,  1879.  He  was 
brother-in-law  of  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  C.  H.  Taylor,  and  died 
•on  the  fourth  anniversary  of  Dr.  Taylor's  death.  His  family 
remain  at  Metropolis  where  they  have  a  pleasant  ho;ne. 


62  8  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLI^'OIS. 

Andrew  DonnellJacke — Auto-biographical — I  was  bora 
July  19,  1829,  near  Kingston,  Decatur  county,  Ind.  My 
father,  James  Jacke,  is  a  native  of  Greensburg,  Pa.,  but  his 
ancestors  came  from  the  North  of  Ireland.  My  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Donalson.  Her  ancestors  were 
from  the  North  of  Ireland  and  Wales,  They  were  both  trained 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  became  communicants  soon 
after  their  marriage.  My  father  has  been  an  elder  in  that 
Church  for  many  years.  Both  parents  are  living  at  this  date. 

I  graduated  at  Wabash  College  in  1854,  and  at  Lane  Sem- 
inary in  1857.  I  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Fort 
Wayne,  July  2,  1856,  and  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Crawfordsville,  July,  1857,  as  a  missionary  to  Africa.  My 
first  field  of  labor  was  in  connection  with  the  Gaboon  mis- 
sion in  Western  Africa.  This  mission  work  I  was  compelled 
to  leave  at  an  early  day  on  account  of  the  failure  of  my  wife's 
health.  We  returned  to  this  country  in  the  fall  of  1859.  I 
labored  with  several  churches  in  Indiana  until  the  spring  of 
1867,  when  we  settled  in  Edwardsville,  111.,  and  took  charge 
of  that,  Troy  and  Marine  churche,-,.  I  remained  with  Ed- 
wardsville church  nearly  six  years.  My  next  fields 
of  labor  were  in  Kansas,  where  I  still  reside.  I 
was  married  August  20,  1857,  to  Mercy  E.  Tidball,  in  the 
Shiloh  Presbyterian  church,  Wabash  county,  Ind.  We  have 
two  children  living — Justin  Perkins,  born  April  25,  1861, 
and  Rebecca  Eliza,  born  December  27,  1865. 


Adam  Johnston  was  born  at  Glasgow,  Scotland,  April  22, 
1 8 14.  He  graduated  at  Middlebury  College,  Vt,,  1840. 
Studied  theology  at  Lane  Seminary,  taking  the  full  course. 
Licensed  by  Presbytery  of  Cincinnati,  1844.  Ordained  by 
Presbytery  of  Peoria  in  Bloomington,  111.,  September  1846; 
united  with  Alton  Presbytery  April  18,  1867.  His  fields  of  la- 
bor have  been  these  :  Waynesville,  111.,  four  years,  commenc- 
ing Nov.  1845;  traveled  one  year  as  missionary  in  the  bounds  of 
Chicago  Presbytery ;  Washington,  111.,  four  years  ;  Sandwich, 
111,,  four  years  ;  Eastmaville,  Mich.,  two  and  a  half  years ;  Chil- 
licothe,  111.,  one  and  a  half  years  ;  Pontiac,  111.,  six  years  ;  Kin- 
mudy,  ten  years;  Tower  Hill  and  Prairie  Bird  churches,  Shelby 
county.  111 ,  where  he  now  is.  He  was  married  in  Chicago, 
July  I,  1847,  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Kent,  a  native  of  Rupert, 
Vt.     They  have  had  eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  dead  ; 


AMERICA    CHURCH.  629 

two  remain — Emily  K.,  born  in  Chicago,  March  6,  1850,  mar- 
ried to  Rev.  Duncan  J.  McMillan  in  June,  1879,  and  George 
M.,  born  in  Pontiac,  111.,  May  6,  1864. 


America  Church,  Pulaski  county,  about  five  miles  up  the 
Ohio  river  from  Mound  City,  was  organized  by  Revs.  E.  B. 
Olmsted  and  Andrew  Luce,  January  24,  1866,  with  these  nine 
members  :  Adam  Mason,  Mrs.  Marth  Mason,  Jacob  Skeen, 
Mrs.  Ellen  Skeen,  Dr.  J.  H.  Brown,  Mrs.  E.  A.  Sanders, 
Jacob  Deihl,  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Delhi  and  Mrs.  Jane  Cook.  El- 
der: Adam  Mason.  This  organization  absorbed  all  that 
remained  of  the  Mound  City  church.  Rev.  E.  B.  Olmsted 
has  been  their  minister  from  the  beginning,  giving  them  all 
the  supply  they  have  received.  This  church  has  had  some 
growth  and  vitality,  though  its  progress  has  been  slow  and 
small.  Its  services  are  held  in  the  school-house.  America 
is  the  site  of  an  ancient  town,  twelve  miles  from  Cairo,  and 
was  laid  out  on  a  very  extensive  plan  about  1816.  Its  name 
indicates  the  expansive  and  ambitious  views  of  its  founders. 
And  for  these  views  there  was  some  justification.  The  site 
is  the  first  ground  above  Cairo  on  the  Ohio  river  entirely 
above  overflow.  And  had  not  the  channel  of  the  river  re- 
ceded to  the  Kentucky  side  of  the  stream,  America  might 
now  have  been  what  Cairo  is.  But  nobody  now  expects 
that  Cairo,  America,  Thebes,  Metropolis,  or  any  of  the 
many  other  ambitiously  named  places  of  South  Illinois  will 
ever  rival  St.  Louis,  Evansville  or  Cincinnati. 


The  "First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Tower  Hill," 
Shelby  county,  was  organized  by  Revs.  A.  T.  Norton  and 
William  P.  Teitsworth,  February  17,  1867,  with  these  mem- 
bers: Sylvester  L.  Van  Dyke,  Mrs.  Lucy  A.  Van  Dyke, 
Thomas  B.  Johnson,  William  McKitterick,  Mrs.  Margaret 
McKitterick,  Mrs.  Susannah  E.  Baines,  Dr.  George  W. 
Fringer,  Mrs.  Martha  B.  Fringer,  Mrs.  Caroline  Everitt, 
Perry  McDowell,  Miss  Celestia  A.  Van  D3-ke,  Francis  Mc- 
Kitterick, Samuel  McKitterick,  Miss  Mary  A.  Baines,  Miss 
Frances  J.  Baines  and  James  M.  Cook.  The  church  came 
under  the  care  of  Wabash  Presbytery,  though  temporarily 
■received  by  that  of  Alton.  Elders  :  Sylvester  L.  Van  Dyke  ; 
Thomas  B.  Johnson,  and   Dr.   George  W.   Fringer,  the  first. 


630  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Since  elected:  James  J.  Wiley,  INIarch  9,  1872;  Frederick 
Stumpf,  March  9,  1872;  H.  H.  R.  Baines,  March  9,  1872;. 
S.  P.  Powers,  February  23,  1875;  Dr.  John  Morgan,  October 
8,  1876,  and  H.  F.  Faught.  Ministers:  G.  A.  Pollock, 
stated  supply  one  year  from  November  i,  1867;  Nathaniel 
Williams,  one  year  from  January,  1871  ;  J.  D.  Jenkins,  one 
year;  Adam  Johnston  commenced  January,  1877  ^.nd  still 
continues.  The  ministers  here  supply  also  Prairie  Bird 
church,  spending  alternate  Sabbaths  at  each  place.  The 
whole  number  of  members  from  the  beginning  up  to  May, 
1878,  is  ninety.  The  house  of  worship  is  a  frame  building 
and  cost  eighteen  hundred  dollars.  It  was  dedicated  Sab- 
bath, September  29,  1867. 


Edwardsville  Church,  in  order  the  Fourth.  The  first 
was  organized  March  17,  1819;  the  second,  n.  s.,  in  the  win- 
ter of  1837-38;  the  third,  o.  s.,  April  19,  1845;  the  fourth, 
being  the  one  now  in  existence,  Sabbath,  August  ii,  1867, 
by  Rev.  A.  T.  Norton  and  Andrew  D.  Jacke.  The  original 
members  were  these  :  Mrs.  Charles  Dimmock,  Mrs.  Lizzie  H. 
Pogue,  Bezaliel  Day,  Mrs.  Huldah  Ann  Day,  Miss  Nancy  N. 
Day,  Miss  Amelia  C.  Day,  Mrs.  Nancy  E.  T.  Jacke,  Mrs. 
Anna  Glass,  Mrs.  Rebecca  Snyder,  Mrs.  Susan  Karr  and 
Samuel  W.  Temple,  Elder:  Samuel  W.  Temple,  the  first; 
since  appointed :  Charles  W.  Fangenwroth  and  John  G. 
Irwin.  Ministers  :  A.  D.  Jacke,  A.  H.  Parks,  John  Leigh- 
ton,  Lucius  I.  Root  and  James  S.  Berry.  The 
present  house  of  worship,  and  the  only  one  a  Presbyterian 
church  in  Edwardsville  has  ever  owned,  is  a  frame  building 
on  a  brick  foundation  and  cost  four  thousand  dollars.  It  was 
dedicated  on  Sabbath,  October  16,  1870. 


The  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  East  St.  Louis 
was  organized  by  Revs.  A.  T,  Norton  and  M.  B,  Gregg,  July 
14,  1867,  in  the  upper  room  of  the  two-story  school  house  on 
the  island,  with  these  members :  Edwin  E.  Bassett,  Mrs. 
Mercy  B.  Gregg,  Mrs.  Ellen  V.  Barrowman,  Mrs.  Ellen  M. 
Hill,  Mrs.  Martha  Ann  Lowry,  Mrs.  Ann  Brewer,  Mrs.  Lydia 
Chamberlin,  Miss  Emma  Mockbee,  Mrs.  Frances  Todebush, 
Mrs.  Mary  Ellen  Maheng,  James  H.  Brooks,  David  Shield, 
Mrs,  Euphemia  Shield,  Samuel    McCullough,   Mrs.   Sophia 


PRESBYTERY    OF    SALINE.  631 

IMcCulIough,  William  Morrison,  ]\Irs.  Sophia  Morrison  and 
Mrs.  Virginia  Raithel.  Elders:  Edwin  E,  Bassett  and 
David  Shield,  the  first.  Since  appointed:  William  Craig 
and  Samuel  McCullough,  April  21,  1869;  William  G.  Mahany, 
February  20,  1870;  Charles  Bennett,  George  A.  Galloway, 
February  25,  1872;  James  A.  Reynolds  in  the  spring  of 
1877.  Ministers:  Martin  B.  Gregg;  John  D.  Jones,  April, 
1869-71;  Samuel  Sawyer,  January,  1872-73;  William  L. 
Johnston,  licentiate,  commenced  April,  1873,  ordained  pas- 
tor October  26,  1873,  dismissed  May  3,  1879,  after  a  six 
years'  pastorate  of  remarkable  efficiency.  Mr.  Gregg,  the 
first  minister  here,  commenced  his  labors  in  January,  1867, 
under  the  care  of  the  Presbyterian  Home  Missionary  Com- 
mittee of  the  New  School  Church.  Services  were  held  in 
the  upper  room  of  the  two-story  school  house  on  the  island. 
That  building  has  since  been  burned.  A  church  edifice  was 
built  on  the  island  in  1868  and  cost  six  thousand,  seven 
hundred  dollars.  When  in  1877-78  the  new  house  was 
erected  on  Collinsville  avenue  this  one  on  the  island  was 
taken  down  and  the  material  used  in  the  new,  This  new 
house  was  dedicated  Sabbath,  September  8,  1878.  It  cost 
upwards  of  five  thousand  dollars, 


The  Presbytery  of  Saline  met  at  Flora,  April  11,  1867. 
Henry  E.  Thomas  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  New 
Albany  and  was  installed  pastor  of  Olney  church  on  the 
first  Wednesday  in  May  prox.  by  a  Committee  of  Presby- 
tery. W.  H.  Smith,  licentiate,  was  received  from  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Allegheny,  examined  and  ordained,  sine  titulo, 
April  14  inst.  The  name  of  Xenia  church  was  changed  to 
Flora.  John  Crozier,  minister,  and  Thomas  Buchanan,  elder, 
were  appointed  to  represent  this  Presbytery  in  the  next  As- 
sembly. The  churches  of  Hermon  and  Larkinsburg  were 
received.  Joseph  M.  Wilson  was  licensed.  An  adjourned 
meeting  was  held  at  Salem,  Marion  county.  May  9,  at  which 
Joseph  Warren,  D.  D.,  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Schuyler  and  installed  pastor  of  Salem  church. 

The  fall  meeting  was  held  with  Carmi  church,  commencing 
September  12.  The  churches  of  Timberville  and  Elizabeth- 
town  were  received.  John  Crozier  was  dismissed  to  the 
Presbytery  of  Oxford.  S.  C.  Baldridge  was  appointed  Stated 
Clerk  and  Treasurer  in  his  place. 


632  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

William  H,  Smith  was  born  in  Knox  county,  Ind.,  Sep- 
tember 10,  1840.  His  ancestors,  on  the  mother's  side,  are 
Scotch-Irish,  on  his  father.'s,  German  and  Hollanders.  He 
was  educated  at  La  Fayette  College,  Pennsylvania,  Hanover 
College,  Indiana,  and  at  Western  Theological  Seminary, 
Allegheny  City,  Pa.  He  was  licensed  April,  1866,  by  Presb)'- 
tery  of  Allegheny  City,  and  ordained  by  that  of  Saline,  April, 
1867.  He  preached  at  Wabash  and  Timberville — now  Allen- 
dale— churches,  Wabash  county,  and  taught  at  Friendsville 
and  Mt.  Carmel,  Wabash  county,  "  North  Sangamon  Acad- 
emy," Menard  county.  III,  and  is  now  engaged  as  principal  of 
the  public  school  at  Bath,  Mason  county.  111.  He 

married  Margaret  E.  Colvin  at  Harelton,  Ind.,  October,  1864. 
They  have  four  children — Minard  S.,  Eva  D.,  Jessie  May 
and  Paul  McCorkle. 

A  church  called  Hermon,  in  Decker  township,  Richland 
county,  four  miles  south  of  Noble  Station,  was  organized  by 
Rev.  John  Crozier  with  twenty  members,  about  the  last  of  1 866 
or  early  in  1867.  Ministers:  John  Crozier,  Wm.  Crozier, 
Thomas  Smith,  John  M.  Robinson,  licentiate,  Solomon  Cook, 
Wm.  M.  Reed.  Elders:  Stafford  Junkins,  Joshua  N.  Al- 
vord,  Joshua  D.  Nichols.  A  church  building  was  erected  in 
1869,  on  S.  E.  quarter  Sec.  33,  T.  3  N.,  R  9  E.  of  third 
principal  meridian.     H:  cost  ^1,000. 


Larkinsburg  Church,  Clay  county.  The  Presbyterlal 
missionary,  Rev.  John  Crozier,  visited  this  place  on  the  last 
Sabbath  of  March,  1867,  held  a  meeting  and  administered 
the  supper  to  a  band  of  some  fifteen  Christians,  gathered  by 
Rev.  Joel  S.  Graves,  of  the  Presbytery  of  Florida.  The  or- 
ganization was  completed  by  the  election  of  Edward  Pat- 
ton,  elder.  Among  the  original  members  were  these  :  Mrs. 
Eunice  Graves,  Cyrus  Graves,  Mrs.  Hattie  Graves,  Charles 
Graves,  David  Byers,  Mrs.  Francis  P.  Byers,  Mrs.  Julia 
Ann  Wood.  Rev.  R.  C.  Galbraith  visited  this  band  in 
August,  1868,  when  David  Byers  was  made  elder.  Rev. 
Dr.  Joseph  Warren  received  the  Thompson  family,  April  13, 
1872,  consisting  of  eight  persons.  They  were  from  the 
Mt.  Vernon  church,  Tennessee.  Two  other  Thompsons 
joined  July  6,  1873.  Eli  M.  Thompson,  the  patriarch  of  the 
family,  was  installed  elder  at  the  time  of  his  reception.    Henry 


JOSEPH    WARREN,  D.  D.  633 

S.  Watson  was  made  elder  July  i6,  1873.  He  now  resides 
in  Louisville,  same  county.  Their  only  ministers  have  been 
occasional  supphes.  This  church  is  now — 1879 — nearly 
extinct. 

TiMBERViLLE,  afterwards  Allendale,  church  was  organized 
July  26,  1867,  by  Revs.  S.  C.  Balbridge,  W.  H.  Smith  and 
John  Mack,  and  elders  Thomas  Buchanan  and  Henry  Thomp- 
son, v/ith  these  members  :  William  McClain,  Mrs.  Margaret 
McClain,  Peter  Kendal,  Rebecca  Kendal,  Rosanna  Green, 
Sarah  J.  Price,  Emma  McClain,  Mary  Couch,  Margaret 
Gould.  Elder:  William  McClain,  who  died  April  20,  1877. 


Thomas  Gould  came  to  a  spot  about  one  mile  from  what 
is  now  Allendale,  May  11,  18 16,  from  Ohio,  down  the  river 
"from  Cincinnati  to  Evansville,  then  across  the  country  to 
the  place  his  widow  and  son — Jacob  S.  Gould — now  occupy. 
Evansville  had  not  at  that  time  a  shingled  roof.  Princeton, 
Ind.,  was  not  in  existence.  The  family  Bible  has  this  :  "  This 
Bible  is  the  property  of  Joseph  Gould,  bought  the  7th  of 
April,  1802.  Price  six  dollars."  It  was  printed  in  Philadel- 
phia, i8qi.  Thomas  Gould  came  originally  from  New 
Jersey.     His  ancestors  from  England. 


Joseph  Warren,  D.  D.  He  was  born  at  Brunswick, 
Maine,  August  30,  1809.  After  a  short  course  of  study  at  the 
academy  in  Plymouth,  N.  H.,  he  learned  the  art  of  printing 
in  the  Statesman  office  at  Concord,  and  afterward  resumed 
study  at  Phillips  Academy,  Exeter,  where  he  experienced  a 
change  of  heart,  and  decided  on  devoting  himself  to  the 
work  of  the  gospel  ministry.  At  the  age  of  twenty-five  he 
entered  Lane  Theological  Seminary,  and  was  one  of  the 
large  body  of  students  who  left  on  account  of  a  difference  of 
opinion  in  regard  to  the  discussion  of  the  question  of  slavery. 
He  completed  his  studies  at  Allegheny  Seminary,  where  he 
first  connected  himself  with  the  Presbyterian  Church.  In 
October,  1838,  in  company  with  Messrs.  Freeman  and  Scott, 
he  left  for  India,  where  his  knowledge  of  printing  contributed 
to  his  great  usefulness  in  superintending  the  press.  He  took 
with  him  and  set  up  at  Allahabad  the  first  mission  press  ever 
.established  in  India  north  of  Serampore.     He  was  much  en- 


634  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

gaged  in  promoting  the  cause  of  education  in  India,  and. 
aided  in  establishing  the  High  School  at  Agra  for  European 
and  Eurasean  children.  In  1853  ^^  returned  to  this  country 
to  make  provision  for  the  education  of  his  children,  entered 
for  a  time  upon  pastoral  work  in  Indiana,  and  served  also  as 
a  chaplain  during  the  war.  He  was  pastor  of  Salem  church 
Marion  county,  III,  from  1866  to  1869.  He  also  taught  and 
preached  in  Flora,  Clay  county,  III,  from  about  1869  to  1872. 
In  that  year  he  returned  to  India  and  completed  a  Hebrew 
grammar  in  the  Urdu  tongue,  which  is  now  in  press,  and  had 
partially  completed  a  translation  of  Gesenius'  Hebrew  Lexi- 
con. •  He  died  of  dropsy  of  the  heart,  at  Morar,  Gualior, 
India,  on  the  7th  of  March,  1879.  Rev.  John  S. 

Woodside,  of  Dehra,  Northern  India,  writes :  "  Throughout 
his  illness  his  constant  prayer  was  for  patience,  that  he  might 
have  grace  to  endure  all  that  he  should  be  called  to  suffer. 
He  said  he  did  not  desire  that  life  should  be  unduly  pro-' 
longed,  but  rather,  '  Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly.'  He  was 
driven  out  almost  daily,  morning  and  evening,  up  to  the  last, 
though  he  had  to  be  supported — almost  carried — to  the  con- 
veyance. His  last  drive  was  on  the  evening  before  his  death, 
after  sunset.  At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  a  marked 
change  took  place,  and  at  four,  while  we  knelt  by  his  bedside 
commending  him  to  the  care  of  a  merciful  Saviour,  his  spirit 
took  its  flight.  The  funeral  was  at  five  o'clock 

p.  M.,  of  the  same  day.  It  was  very  largely  attended  by  all 
classes  in  the  community.  Military  officers,  and  men  of  all 
ranks  and  arms,  formed  the  majority  of  the  procession.  The 
deceased  had  been  acting  as  chaplain  to  the  Presbyterian 
soldiers  in  the  Cantonment.  The  remains  were  therefore 
conveyed  on  a  gun  carriage  belonging  to  the  Royal  Horse 
Artillery,  drawn  by  six  black  horses — in  the  first  place  to 
'  the  old  Cantonment  church,'  where  he  usually  officiated,  and 
afterwards  to  the  cemetery.  At  the  close  of  the  funeral  ser- 
vices in  the  church,  the  whole  audience  walked  around  the 
bier  and  took  a  last  look  at  the  features  of  their  venerated, 
pastor  and  friend."  A  daughter  of  his,  by  a  former  wife,  is 
Mrs.  M?irgaret  Warren  Brmkerhoff,  now  of  Washington 
City,  1208  N  street.  Dr.  Warren's  last  wife,  whom  he  mar- 
ried at  Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  and  who  is  now  his  widow,  remains 
in  India. 


ELIZAEETHTOWN    CHURCH.  635. 

The  Church  of  Elizabethtown,  Hardin  county,  was  or- 
ganized by  Rev.  S.  Cook  and  Elder  J.  E.  Y.  Hanna,  May  18, 
1867,  with  five  members.  January  19,  1868,  Miller  McClel- 
lan  was  elected  elder,  and  two  additional  members  were  re- 
ceived. This  church  has  not  flourished,  though  it  is  in  a  con- 
siderable village — the  county  seat  of  Hardin  county.  It 
has  had  no  ministerial  care. 


The  SyxNod  of  Illinois  met,  the  n.  s.  at  Augusta,  Schuy- 
ler county;  the  o.  s.  at  Charleston,  Coles  county;  the  first,, 
October  3,  the  second,  October  9,  1867. 


F 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

MEETINGS  OF  PRESBYTERIES  AND  SYNODS  FROM  1 868  TO 
1869,  INCLUDING  SKETCHES  OF  CHURCHES  ORGANIZED  AND 
MINISTERS    COMMENCING    THEIR    LABORS    WITHIN  THE    YEAR. 

Authorities:  Original  Records;  Auto-biographies;  Presbytery  Reporter; 
General  Catalogue^, 

YEAR   1868. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  Carrollton,  April  15, 
1868.  A.  L.  Brooks  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Peoria,  and  James  R.  Dunn  from  the  Presbytery  of  Blooming- 
ton.  The  Second  Presbyterian  church  of  Decatur  was  re- 
ceived. J.  R.  Armstrong,  minister,  and  George  E.  Moore- 
house,  elder,  were  elected  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly. 
At  an  adjourned  meeting  held  in-Decatur,  May  5,  Asahel  L. 
Brooks  was  installed  pastor  of  the  "  Second  Presbyterian 
church  "  of  that  city.  The  fall  meeting  was  held 

at  Maroa,  commencing  September  15.  William  A.  Hen- 
drickson  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Columbus, 
Wis. 

Asahel  L.  Brooks  was  born  at  Madison,  N.  Y.,  June  19, 
18 18.  His  parents  were  New  Englanders — the  father  a  Bap- 
tist, the  mother  Presbyterian.  He  was  educated  at  Hamil- 
ton College  and  Auburn  Seminary.  Licensed  by  Genesee 
Presbytery  September,  1845;  ordained  by  Troy  Presbytery  in 
May,  1847,  at  Troy,  N.  Y.  His  fields  of  labor  have  been 
Hamilton,  Troy,  Corning,  Albion,  N.  Y.,  Bridgport,  Ct.,  In- 
dianapolis, Ind.,  Chicago,  Peoria,  Decatur,  Danville,  111.  He 
is  married,  and  his  children  are  Olivia  A.,  born  at  Hamilton, 
N.  Y.,  October  7,  1846;  Walter  A.,  born  at  Le  Roy,  N.  Y., 
August  2,  1849;  Frank  Le  Roy,  at  Albion,  June  27,  1852; 
Lillian  M.,  at  Albion,  N.  Y.,  November  21,  1853  ;  Edward  A., 
at  Chicago,  May  il,  1857.  He  is  now  at  Danville,  111.,  where 
he  has  been  pastor  for  nearly  ten  years. 

The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Carlyle,  April  9, 
1868.     Arrangements  were  made  for  the  installation  of  James 


GEORGE    STEBBINS.  637 

R.  Brown  over  the  church  of  Hillsboro,  on  May  i6  prox.. 
and  for  that  of  A.  J.  Clark  over  the  churches  of  Chester  and 
Pleasant  Ridge  on  the  24th  of  same  month.  James  R.  Brown, 
minister,  and  Hugh  Smith,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend 
the  meeting  of  Assembly.  The  names  of  Rev.  Samuel 
Lynn  and  the  Second  church  of  Jerseyville  were  stricken 
from  the  roll  on  account  of  their  having  joined  another  body. 
(That  body  is  the  Presbyterian  Church,  South.)  The  church 
of  Mascoutah  was  dissolved.  Henry  Mattice,  licentiate, 
was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Kansas,  examined  and 
ordained,  sine  titulo,  April  17.  R.  M,  Roberts  was  released 
from  the  pastoral  care  of  the  church  of  Litchfield.  He  re- 
signed his  office  of  Stated  Clerk,  and  J.  S.  Howell  was  ap- 
pointed in  his  place.  B.  H.  Charles  was  dismissed  to  the 
Presbytery  of  Missouri,  and  S.  D.  Lougheed  to  the  Presby- 
tery of  Potosi.  A.  J.  Clark  was  installed  pastor  of  Chester 
and  Pleasant  Ridge,  May  24.  The  fall  meeting 

was  held  at  Richview,  September  25.  The  churches  of  New 
Amity,  Denmark  and  Pinckneyville  were  received.  John  C. 
Wagaman  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Warren.  T.  E. 
Spilman,  licentiate,  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Rock 
River,  examined  and  ordained,  sine  titiilo,  at  an  adjourned 
meeting  held  at  Elm  Point,  November  5.  Henry  Blanke  was 
received.  George  Stebbins  was  received  some  time  this 
year  from  the  Presbytery  of  Bureau. 


George  Stebbins  was  born  in  Norwich,  Mass.,  July  15, 
1796.  His  parents  were  English  Protestants.  His  father 
was  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College — a  physician  and  manu- 
facturer of  gun-powder  for  the  Continental  army.  His 
mother  was  an  only  child,  daughter  of  Brig.  Gen.  Buckmin- 
ster,  of  the  British  army.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Union  Col- 
lege, N.  Y.  Licensed,  November,  1823,  at  Blooming  Grove, 
Orange  county,  N.  Y.  Ordained  over  the  church  in  Mid- 
dletown,  same  county,  June,  1824.  After  laboring  in  several 
places  in  Massachusetts  he  removed  to  Iowa,  and  then  to  Illi- 
nois, and  was  installed  at  Sterling,  Whiteside  county.  Re- 
signed after  a  pastorate  of  twelve  years.  Labored  in  several 
other  places  in  Illinois.  He  next  removed  to  Tennessee,  where 
he  met  with  pecuniary  losses.  He  then  located  in  Richview, 
Washington  county.  111.,  and  taught  in  the  seminary  at  that 
place.     There  he  still  resides.  He  has  been  twice 


638  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

married.  First  in  1830,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  to  Esther 
W.  Wickham  ;  second,  to  Mrs.  Jane  Buttrick,  of  Peoria. 
His  eldest  child,  and  only  son,  expired  in  Las  Vegas,  N.  M., 
from  the  effects  of  an  accidental  pistol-shot,  when  in  the  ser- 
vice of  Government  as  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue.  He 
has  five  daughters,  four  of  whom  are  married. 


Thomas  E.  Spilman,  son  of  Rev.  Thomas  A,  Spilman, 
was  born  in  Hillsboro,  111.,  October  21,  1836.  He  spent  most 
of  his  minority  in  Morgan  county.  He  early  determined  to 
fit  himself  for  the  ministry.  His  studies  were  prosecuted  for 
several  years  at  North  Sangamon  Academy,  near  Spring- 
field, in  private,  while  engaged  in  teaching  for  a  short  time 
at  Illinois  College,  Jacksonville,  and  in  the  Northwestern 
Theological  Seminary,  from  which  he  graduated  in  the  spring 
of  1867.  He  was  licensed  by  Sangamon  Presbytery  and  la- 
bored for  a  time  in  Shannon,  Carroll  county.  In  the  spring 
of  1868  he  commenced  labor  with  the  Butler  church,  where 
he  has  ever  since  remained.  He  was  ordained  by  Kaskaskia 
Presbytery,  November  5,  186S.  The  Butler  church  has  pros- 
pered greatly  under  his  labors.  Mr.  Spilman's 
health  is  feeble,  though  his  labors  are  abundant.  He  main- 
tains a  constant  hand-to-hand  fight  with  incipient  consump- 
tion. Besides  his  preaching  and  pastoral  work  he  edits  and 
publishes  a  sprightly  monthly  paper  called  The  Messenger. 
This  is  proving  a  publication  of  great  value  in  the  Presbytery 
and  Synod.     Mr.  S.  is  unmarried. 

Henry  Mattice  had  but  a  very  limited  education.  He 
was  supply  at  Trenton  about  one  year.  October  9,  1869,  he 
was  dismissed  to  the  classis  of  Paramus. 

New  Amity  Church,  at  what  is  called  Irishtown,  about 
five  miles  north  of  Carlyle,  Clinton  county,  was  organized 
September  13,  1868,  with  sixteen  members.  There  were 
two  elders,  one  of  whom  was  John  O.  Yingst.  It  has  been 
•dissolved  and  its  members  connected  with  the  church  in 
Carlyle. 

The  Church  of  Denmark,  Perry  county,  about  nine  miles 
southwest  of  Pinckneyville,  was  organized,  August  30,  1868, 
with  nine  members,  J.  L.  Cottom,  elder. 


THORNTON  K.  HEDGES.  639 

The  Church  of  Pinckneyville,  Perry  county,  was  or- 
ganized on  the  last  Sabbath  of  May,  1868,  with  fourteen 
members.  This  church  died.  Another  was  organized, 
August  25,  1873,  by  Revs.  J.  M.  Stone,  D.  D.,  and  John  Hus- 
ton, with  these  members:  Mrs.  C.  Baldridge,  Miss  Frances 
Baldridge,  Alexander  A.  Kimzey,  Mrs.  Jane  Kimzey,  Mrs. 
M.  J.  Kelso,  Mr.  H.  M.  Brown,  Mrs.  Nancy  Brown,  Mrs.  E. 
E.  Brown,  Mrs.  Louisa  Opp,  INIrs.  Sarah  Durringer,  Samuel 
J.  Henderson,  Mrs.  Pelina  Buchanan,  Mr.  J.  Rusk  and  Mrs. 
M.  Harbison.  Elders  :  Hugh  M.  Brown ;  Alexander  A. 
Kimzey,  the  first;  Ephraim  Hill,  September  5,  1874.  Min- 
isters: George  K.Perkins;  George  B.  McComb,  August 
31,  1873;  M.  M.  Cooper,  1876;  George  B.  McComb,  second 
time,  who  left  in  1879.  A  house  of  worship  was  built  in 
Mr.  Perkins'  time,  which  has   been  forfeited  to  the  creditors. 


The  Presbytery  of  Wabash  met  at  Shelbyville,  April  14, 
1868.  Thomas  Spencer  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of 
Greencastle.  G.  A.  Pollock,  minister,  aad  D  H.  West,  elder, 
were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  An  ad- 
journed meeting  was  held  at  Shelbyville,  June  9.  James 
L.  McNair  was  licensed.  John  L.  Jones  was  released  from 
the  pastoral  care  of  the  IVIattoon  church,  and  C.  P.  Felch 
from  that  of  Danville.  T.  K.  Hedges  was  received  from  the 
Foster  Presbytery  of  the  Cumberland  Church. 


Thornton  K.  Hedges  was  born,  May  10,  18 19,  in  Spen- 
cer county,  Ky.  His  ancestors  were  English,  among  the 
early  settlers  of  Virginia,  and  strongly  attached  to  the  mother 
country.  In  religious  belief  they  were  of  the  Church  of 
England,  but  as  their  families  increased,  numbers  of  their 
members  joined  other  communions,  especially  the  Baptist 
and  Presbyterian.  George  Hedges,  the  father  of 

Thornton  K.,  removed  from  Kentucky  to  Illinois  in  1824, 
and  settled  on  Ridge  Prairie,  in  Madison  county.  Being  the 
eldest  son,  Thornton  was  obliged  to  give  his  assistance  upon 
the  farm.  When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  was  converted 
and  united  with  the  C.  P.  Church.  Having  determined  to 
seek  the  ministry  he  attended  McKendree  College  at  Leb- 
anon, 111.,  and  Lebanon  College,  Tenn.  He  was  licensed  in 
April,    1846,   by   the   Presbytery  of  Lebanon  of  the  C.    P. 


640  PRESBYTERIAKISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Church.  In  the  summer  of  1846  he  returned  to  Illinois,  and 
was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Vandalia  in  September,. 
1847.  After  much  and  very  successful  labor  in  varions  places 
he  became,  in  1861,  chaplain  of  the  io6th  Regiment  Illinois 
Volunteers,  in  which  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In 
1868  he  connected  with  the  Wabash  Presbytery  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  n.  s.,  and  took  charge  of  the  Pleasant  Prai- 
rie and  then  of  the  New  Providence  church  under  a  commis- 
sion from  the  Board  of  Home  Missions.  In  1869  he  was 
permitted  to  witness  a  precious  revival  under  his  labors. 
The  year  1870  he  spent  at  several  places  on  the  Iron  Moun- 
tain Railroad  in  Missouri.  His  next  fields  were  in  Western 
Iowa,  and  one  year  in  Nebraska,  his  family  residence  being 
in  Logan,   Iowa,  where   they  still    remain.  Mr. 

Hedges  married  Miss  Mary  J.  Barber,  daughter  of  Rev. 
John  Barber,  October  16,  185 1.  They  have  four  daughters 
living  and  four  sons  deceased.  There  names  in  the  order  of 
their  birth  are  these :  Charles  E.,  Clara  E.,  John  B.,  Addie 
M.,  Georgiana,  Edwin  T.  and  Rebecca  M. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  at  Kansas,  April  28, 
1868.  A.  McFarland  resigned  as  Stated  Clerk  and  S.  J. 
Bovell  was  appointed  in  his  place.  S.  J.  Bovell,  minister, 
and  G.  B.  Balch,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the 
next  Assembly.  At  a  called  meeting,  June  10,  A.  McFar- 
land was  released  from  the  care  of  the  Palestine  church,  and 
dismissed   to    Vinton,    Iowa.  The    fall   meeting 

was  held  at  Milton,  commencing  September  28.  H.  I.  Ven- 
able  was  received  from  the  Presb}'tery  of  Vincennes  ;  John 
Miller  was  ordained,  sine  titiilo.  Another  called  meeting  was 
held  at  Areola,  December  15,  at  which  J.  W.  Allison  was 
released  from  the  pastoral  care  of  Areola  church  with  the 
highest  testimony  to  his  integrity,  faithfulness  and  usefulness. 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  met  at  Springfield,  April' 
14,  1868.  The  church  of  lUiopolis  was  received,  F.  H. 
Wines  and  J.  D.  Kerr,  ministers,  and  J.  F.  Bergen  and  E.  R. 
Ulrich,  elders,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  next 
Assembly.  A  pro  re  nata  meeting  was  held  at  Decatur,, 
June  18,  at  which  B.  E.  Mayo  was  released  from  the  pastoral 
care  of  Assumption  church,  and  dismissed  to  the  Presbyterjr 


WASHINGTON  MAYNARD.  64I 

of  Vincennes.  The    fall    meeting  was    held    at 

Jacksonville,  commencing  September  15.  Washington  May- 
nard  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Fairfield.  Samuel 
Conn  was  released  from  the  pastoral  care  of  Decatur  church. 


Illiopolis  Church  was  organized  1868  by  Dr.  J.  G.  Ber- 
gen with  sixteen  members.  Its  name  has  disappeared  from 
the  records  of  the  Assembly. 


Washington  Maynard  was  born  in  Athens  county,  Ohio, 
March  23,  18 18,  at  which  place  his  parents  had  recently  set- 
tled from  Worcester,  Mass.  They  were  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church ;  for  several  years  their  farm 
house  affording  a  preaching  place,  and  a  home  for  the  circuit 
rider.  Under  these  influences  his  early  life  was  impressed 
with  gospel  truth.  When  sixteen  he  united  with  the  Method- 
ist Protestant  Church,  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  felt  pre- 
pared by  the  help  of  the  comm.on  school  and  the  academy,  to 
enter  college,  and  was  making  arrangements  to  do  so  at 
Athens,  Ohio.  But  he  had  been  licensed,  and  by  the  un- 
wise advice  of  others,  he  entered  the  itinerancy  instead 
of  college.  He  was  ordained  at  Steubenville,  Ohio,  October 
9,  1840,  and  stationed  successively  at  Lancaster,  Wellsville, 
Mt.  Vernon,  Coshochton,  Newark  and  Cambridge.  But  a 
few  years  of  study,  work  and  experience  convinced  him  that 
he  had  made  a  mistake,  both  in  regard  to  education  and 
church  connection.  He  did  not  find  himself  to  be  a  Method- 
ist, either  in  modes  of  thinking  or  in  methods  of  move- 
ment. He  felt  the  Presbyterian  Church  to  be  more  congenial 
to  him.  But  the  Calvinistic  system  of  doctrine  had  to  be 
studied,  and  when  it  became  clear  to  his  mind  as  the  true 
.system  of  interpretation  belonging  to  the  Holy  Scriptures,  it 
looked  to  him  as  though  a  fog  had  risen  from  the  sacred  word. 
Passages  before  dark  and  inexplicable  became  clear,  and 
he  felt,  and  does  to  this  day,  that  the  Arminian  system  of 
interpretation  fails  to  receive  all  of  the  word — that  the  Calvin- 
istic system  has  all  the  positive  truth  contained  in  the  Armin- 
ian system,  and  that  it  steps  forward  to  the  fullness  of  the 
divine  truth,  affording  the  key  by  which  even  Paul's  "  things 
hard  to  be  understood,"  are  opened  and  made  plain.  With 
a  letter  of  dismissal  from  his  old   Church,  after  careful  ex- 

40 


642  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

amination  by  Presbytery  as  to  his  qualifications  for  the 
ministry,  he  was  received  into  the  Presbytery  of  Zanesville, 
October  15,  1856.  In  the  following  January  he  received  a 
call  to  the  pastorate  of  Truro  church,  in  the  Presbytery  of 
Columbus,  where  he  continued  until  April,  1865.  In  this 
month  he  removed  to  Fairfield,  Iowa,  and  was  installed  pas- 
tor of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  that  place,  where  he  con- 
tinued for  three  years.  September  i,  1868,  he  became  stated 
supply  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Assumption,  111.,  his 
present  field,  which  he  has  occupied  during  this  period,  with 
the  exception  of  one  year.  He  has    been  twice 

married,  January  3,  1843,  to  Miss  C.  E.,  eldest  daughter  of 
Benjamin  Connell,  of  Lancaster,  Ohio.  His  wife  lived  but 
two  and  a  half  years  after  her  marriage,  and  was  soon  fol- 
lowed by  a  child  of  a  year  old,  to  the  heavenly  world.  Octo- 
ber 12,  1850,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Julia  A.  Carson,  at 
Cambridge,  Ohio.  Four  children  were  born,  Clara  Eliza- 
beth, Sept.  22,  185 1,  married  to  Mr.  D.  De  Lashmutt  and 
living  at  Assumption,  111.,  Mary  Ellen,  July  3,  1853,  Martha 
Irene,  February  14,  1856,  and  William  Horus,  August  23, 
1863.     The  last  three  still  with  their  parents. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Lebanon,  April  16, 
1868.  Lucius  I.  Root  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Niagara,  Charles  W.  Seaman  and  Martin  B.  Gregg,  from  the 
Presbytery  of  St.  Louis.  Elijah  Buck  was  dismissed  to  the 
Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia.  The  Home  Missionary  collections 
of  this  Presbytery  this  year,  including  a  legacy  of  four  hun- 
dred and  seventy  dollars  from  Mrs.  Sally  Root,  were  $2,195.80. 
The  German  Presbyterian  church  of  Lebanon  was  received. 

C.  H.  Taylor,  D.  D.,  was  released  from  the  care  of  Alton 
church  and  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Cincinnati.  A. 
T.  Norton  and  Willard  P.  Gibson,  ministers,  and  Dr.  F.  M. 
Lytle  and  George  S.  Smith,  elders,  were  appointed  Commis- 
sioners to  the  Assembly.  The  fall  meeting  was 
held  at  Centralia,  commencing  October  8.      George  I.  King, 

D.  D.,  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Schuyler,  and 
Peter  S.  Van  Nest  from  that  of  INIilwaukee.  H.  P.  Roberts 
and  H.  N.  Wilbur  were  dismissed.  W.  D.  F.  Lummis  was 
received  from  the  Methodist  Church,  and  on  examination,  as 
an  ordained  minister.  Carl  Linn  was  licensed  to  preach  for 
one  year  to  the  German-speaking   population   any  where  in 


LUCIUS    I.  ROOT.  643 

the  bounds  of  the  Presbytery.  The  name  of  Sandoval  church 
was  stricken  from  the  roll  of  Presbytery.  At  an  adjourned 
meeting,  October  24  and  25,  Dr.  George  I.  King  was  installed 
pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Jerseyville. 


Lucius  I.  Root. — Auto-biographical. — "  I  was  born,  Aug. 
16,  1820,  at  Brutus,  Cayuga  county,  N.  Y.  I  am  English  by 
my  father,  Scotch  by  my  mother.  I  was  educated  at  Union 
College  and  Princeton  Seminary.  I  was  licensed,  April  18, 
1849,  t>y  the  Presbytery  of  Elizabeth  at  Rah  way,  N.  J.  Or- 
•dained  at  Cambridge,  Wis.,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Wisconsin, 
June,  1850.  My  fields  of  labor  have  been  Carroll  College, 
Wis.,  prof.;  Saline,  Mich.,  P.  E.  ;  Bay  City,  Mich.,  pastor — 
this  church  I  organized — Ionia,  Mich.,  pastor;  Medina.  N.  Y., 
pastor ;  East  Saginaw,  a  short  time — organized  the  church — 
•did  not  remove  to  the  field;  Upper  Alton,  111,,  H.  M.;  Shel- 
.byville.  111.,  pastor;  Greencastle,  Ind.,  pastor;  Edwardsville, 
111.,  pastor,  I   married,  September    19,    1849,  at 

Lyons,  N.  Y.,  Miss  Frances  R.  Toft,  daughter  of  Deacon 
Toft  of  Williamstown,  Mass.  Our  children  are  Herbert 
Toft,  born  at  Saline,  Mich.,  November  9,  1853;  Frances  E., 
.born  March  2,  1856,  at  Saline,  Mich.;  Jennie  M.,  June  2, 
1859,  died  July,  1859,  ^^7  City,  Mich, ;  Lucius  Reed,  at  Me- 
dina, N,  Y.,  May  15,  1864.  My  education  was 
pursued  under  difficulties  for  lack  of  means.  Left  college 
to  teach  for  two  terms,  one  in  Baltimore,  one  in  Frederick 
City,  Md.  I  also  taught  a  time  in  Philadelphia  during  my 
seminary  course.  The  most  important  or  immediately  suc- 
cessful labor  of  my  life  I  consider  the  founding  of  Carroll 
•College  at  Waukesha,  Wis.  It  existed  only  in  the  charter. 
I  started  a  preparatory  department,  finished  off  the  basement 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  had  a  large,  flourishing  school, 
fitted  a  class  for  college  and  took  them  through  the  first  term 
of  the  freshman  year.  Much  against  the  wishes  of  many 
friends  I  resigned  and  left  in  the  autumn  of  1852.  Teaching 
was,  or  seemed  to  be,  my  forte.  I  have  been  doubtful  ever 
since  whether  I  did  right  in  resigning."  This 
sketch  was  written  January  20,  1879.  A  few  weeks  after  he  re- 
ceived and  accepted  a  call  to  be  professor  of  Mental  and 
Moral  Philosophy  in  Park  College,  Parkville,  Mo.  He  en- 
tered upon  his  duties  with  great  enthusiasm  and  with  high 
promise  of  a  successful  career.     But  in  one  month  he  was 


644  PRE3BYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

stricken   down  with   paralysis  while  sitting  at  his  table  and 
died  instantly.     This  was  on  May  i,  1879. 


The  German  Presbyterian  Church  of  Lebanon  was  or- 
ganized, February  16,  1868,  by  Revs.  James  Brownlee  and 
Charles  W.  Seaman,  with  eighty  members.  A  church  build- 
ing was  secured  which  is,  however,  heavily  involved.  Most 
of  the  eighty  members  proved  to  be  unconverted  persons.  A 
very  few  remain,  who  conduct  a  Sabbath  school  and  secure 
preaching  in  the  p.  m.  of  Sabbaths  by  an  Evangelical  Ger- 
man minister  from  Summerfield. 


George  Ives  King  was  born  in  Adams,  N.  Y.,  June  i, 
18 1 5,  of  New  England  parentage.  His  father  was  not  a  pro- 
fessor of  religion.  His  mother  was  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church.  From  his  grandmother,  King,  who  was  a  re- 
markable Bible  student  and  a  Presbyterian,  he  received  the 
greater  part  of  his  religious  training.  At  a  very  early  age  he 
became  familiar  with  the  Bible,  repeating  whole  chapters  ver- 
batim. He  prepared  for  college  at  Lowville,  N.  Y.,  and 
graduated  from  Union  College  in  1838.  He  studied  theology 
at  Auburn  Seminary.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Columbia  at  Hudson,  N.  Y.,  April,  1840.  To  re- 

lieve himself  of  debts  incurred  by  his  education  he  accepted 
the  position  of  Principal  of  Union  Academy  at  Belleville,  N. 
Y.,  preaching  in  the  time  to  two  feeble  churches  on  alternate 
Sabbaths.  After  relieving  himself  of  his  pecuniary  obliga- 
tions he  was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Utica  pastor  of  the 
church  of  Westernville  in  the  fall  of  1843.  Hav- 

ing overworked  during  a  revival  in  the  congregation,  in  1846, 
he  contracted  a  throat  disease  which  troubled  him  the  re- 
■_;.     mainder  of  his  life.    He  spent  the  two  following  years  in  trav- 
V|.;    eling  through  the   Southern  States    in  hope  of  restoration 
'K;;    to    health.       Finding    himself   only   partially    restored,    and 
wi    deeming  it  imprudent  to  resume  his  labors  in  the  severe  cli- 
mate  of  Northern   New  York,  he  resigned  the  Westernville 
charge  and  accepted  a  call  from  the  church  at  Hanover,  N. 
J.,  and  was  installed  in  1848.  In  1855  he  was  in- 

vited to  supply  the  First  church  in  Quincy,  111.,  and  was 
installed  its  pastor  May  i,  1856.  In  1868  he  was  installed 
pastor  of  the   First  church  in  Jerseyville,  111.     This  was  his 


A 


w,^ 


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-/^/i^/ 


GEORGE    I.  KING.  645 

last  charge.  His  health  had  been  gradually  failnig  for  many- 
months.  Early  in  1873  he  went  down  the  Mississippi  to  try 
the  effect  of  a  southern  climate.  Becoming  worse,  he  sent 
for  ]\Irs.  King,  who  immediately  joined  him  in  New  Orleans, 
where  he  died  March  12,  1873.  His  remains  were  taken 
first  to  Jerseyville  and  then  to  Quincy.  In  each  of  these 
churches,  where  he  had  been  pastor  in  the  aggregate  for  seven- 
teen years,  appropriate  funeral  services  were  held.  The 
body  was  then  deposited  in  the  beautiful  Woodlawn  ceme- 
tery of  Quincy.  Dr.  King  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  all 
who  knew  him,  and  acted  well  his  part  in  all  the  relations  of 
life.  The  degree  of  D.  D.  was  conferred  upon  him  by  his 
Alma  Mater,  July,  1864.  He  was  one  of  the  trustees  of 
Blackburn  University,  looked  jealously  after  its  interests  and 
was  divising  for  it  liberal  things.  He  was  sent  several  times 
to  the  Assenably,  where  he  discharged  his  trusts  well  and 
faithfully.  In  the  great  home  missionary  discussion  of  1859, 
in  the  Assembly  at  Wilmington,  his  fearless,  outspoken 
■course  aided  not  a  little  in  securing  the  auspicious  result.  As 
a  preacher  he  was  logical,  clear,  convincing.  What  he  was 
as  a  pastor  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  under  his  ministry  about 
three  hundred  joined  his  several  charges  on  profession  of  their 
faith.  He  loved  his  own  church,  was  watchful  of  her  inter- 
ests and  jealous  for  her  honor.  Dr.  King  married 
Miss  Emily  B.  Sprague,  October  12,  1840.  She  was  born  in 
Hancock,  N.  H.  Their  children  are  these  :  Emeline,  born 
July  5,  1843,  died  February  ii,  1845;  George  Sprague, 
February  I,  1 846,  died  September  3,  1847;  Eha,  February 
27,  1849;  Clara,  January  15,  1851;  twins  born  October  20, 
1853,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  the  son  died  on  the  day  of  his 
.birth,  the  daughter,  Cora,  August  9,  1856;  William  Walter, 
September  15,  1858,  died  July  29,  1862.  Of  these  seven 
children  only  two  remain  on  earth — Ella  and  Clara — both  of 
whom  are  happily  married,  and  reside  one  in  Jerseyville,  the 
other  in  Jacksonville.  Mrs.  King's  home  is  with  her  daughter 
in  Jerseyville.  For  a  minister  Dr.  King  was  wealthy.  He 
purchased  land  at  an  early  day  near  Peoria  which  became 
•valuable.  But  his  wealth  was  well  bestowed.  While  he 
lived  and  since  his  death — in  the  hands  of  his  widow  and 
■daughters — it  is  a  fountain  sending  forth  streams  to  make 
^lad  the  city  of  God. 

Peter    Stryker    Van    Nest — Auto-biographical — I  was 


646  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

born  in  Amsterdam,  N.  Y.,  August  21,  1813.  My  ancestors- 
were  from  Holland,  and  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  faith.  I 
fitted  for  college  at  Kingsboro,  graduated  at  Union,  and  at 
Auburn  Seminary.  I  was  licensed  in  1840  by  the  Presbytery 
of  Ontario,  and  ordained  in  1842  by  the  Presbytery  of  De- 
troit. My  fields  of  labor  have  been  Fentonville  and  Flint, 
Mich.,  until  1844;  Mt.  Morris,  N.  Y.,  until  1852;  Romulus, 
N.  Y.,  until  1855  ;  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  until  1861 ;  Geneva,  Wis., 
until  1867;  Ducoign,  111.,  until  1871  ;  Elkhorn,  Wis.,  until 
1873  ;  Centralia,  111.,  until  1875  ;  Burlington,  Wis.,  until  1877 ;, 
Whitehall,  111.,  until  1879.  In  my  ministry  I  have  witnessed 
many  precious  re'vivals.  I  married  Miss  Caroline 

Barker  at    South  Wales,  N.   Y,,  in  1842,     We  have  trained 
and  educated  several  adopted  children.  I  united 

with  the  church  at  seventeen  years  of  age,  entered  at  once 
upon  studies  for  the  ministry,  prosecuted  them  without  inter- 
ruption, have  engaged  in  nothing  save  appropriate  minis- 
terial work,  and  never  been  without  a  field.  In  June,  1876, 
Centre  College,  Ky.,  conferred  upon  me  the  degree  of  D.  D. 
In  all  my  work  I  have  been  ably  sustained  by  my  de\  oted 
Christian  wife. 

William  De  Fletcher  Lummis  was  born  in  Deerfield, 
N.  J.,  July  4,  1827.  Educated  at  Marietta  College,  Ohio. 
Ordained  by  Central  Illinois  Conference,  (Meth.  Epis.)  Sep- 
tember 16,  i860.  United  with  Alton  Presbytery  on  ex- 
amination, October  10,  1868.  Was  at  the  time,  and  for 
several  years  later,  residing  on  a  fruit  farm  at  Makanda,  111. 
He  married  Miss  Mary  Harris,  August  18,  1858.  In  1878  he 
was  W.  C.  at  Paton,  Iowa. 

Charles  W.  Seajian. — Auto-biographical. — I  was  born  in' 
the  city  of  Berlin,  Prussia,  March  31,  1815.  My  parents  and 
grandparents  adhered  to  the  Lutheran  faith,  in  which  belief 
I  was  brought  up.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  I  was  confirmed 
by  Prof.  Dr.  Marks,  university  pastor,  at  that  time  in  Berlin. 
I  was  educated  at  the  Universities  of  Berlin,  Halle  and  Leip- 
zig and  prepared  for  the  law,  which  I  practiced  several  years 
at  the  Berlin  Chamber  Court.  Political  difficulties  caused 
me  to  leave  my  home  and  emigrate  to  the  United  States.  I 
arrived  in  New  York,  November,  1849.  From  that  time  to 
1859  I  procured  a  living  by  writing  letters,  advising  my 
countrymen  in  legal  matters.     Converted  I   was  in  a  Metho- 


MARTIN    B.  GREGG.  647 

dist  meeting.  Joined  a  Presbyterian  church  at  Detroit, 
Mich.  I  studied  for  two  years  under  the  care  of  the  Presby- 
tery of  Detroit.  Was  ordained  by  the  same  Presbytery  in 
1859.  Labored  at  Cedarville,  1861 ;  Forreston,  1862;  Free- 
port,  111.,  1865-66;  was  pastor  of  the  Broadway  church  at 
Patterson,  N.  J.,  1867-68;  labored  at  Trenton  and  Lebanon, 
111.,  1869-71.  At  each  place  a  church  was  organized.  The 
church  at  Trenton  has  been  disbanded.  From  1872  to  1875 
I  labored  with  Jefferson  Center  church,  Pa.  Since  that  time 
I  have  been  at  Cheviot,  Ohio.  I  have  been  married  twice. 
My  first  wife  was  Mary  Nisbeth,  born  May  22,  1824.  I  mar- 
ried her  in  the  State  of  New  York.  She  died  at  Lebanon, 
111,,  July  19,  1870.  By  her  I  had  one  child — a  daughter.  By 
my  second  wife  I  have  no  children. 


Martin  B.  Gregg  was  born  at  Waterbury,  Vt.,  July  8, 
1822.  He  came  to  the  Presbyterian  church  from  the  English 
Wesleyan  Church  of  Canada.  He  studied  with  Dr.  S.  H. 
Cox  and  Rev.  Elisha  Whittlesey.  He  was  ordained  by  the 
Genesee  Presbytery,  October  8,  1861.  He  united  with  Alton 
Presbytery,  April  17,  1868.  His  first  field  in  this  region  was 
East  St.  Louis,  He  assisted  in  the  organization  of  that  church, 
July  14,  1867,  His  next  field  was  Fairbury  in  Bloomington 
Presbytery,  He  then  labored  one  year  with  the  church  of 
Moro.  His  last  field  was  with  the  Plum  Creek  and  Jordon's 
Grove — now  Baldwin — churches.  He  died  at  Baldwin  Sta- 
tion, Randolph  county,  Sabbath   morning,  August   31,  1873. 


The  Presbytery  of  Saline  met  at  Friendsville,  April  2, 
1868.  The  church  of  McLeansboro  was  received.  George 
B,  McComb,  last  from  the  Presbytery  of  East  Alabama,  was 
received.  B.  C,  Swan,  minister,  and  John  F.  Younken,  elder, 
were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly,  Thomas 
Smith  was  received  from  the  Cumberland  Presbytery  of  Mc- 
Linn.  A  pro  re  nata  meeting  was  held  at  Friendsville,  April 
5,  at  which  Joseph  M.  Wilson  was  ordained  to  labor  as  a  mis- 
sionary among  the  Indians  under  the  Assembly's  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions.  At  another  pro  re  naUi  meeting  held  at 
Olney,  August  4,  B.  C.  Swan  was  released  from  the  pastoral 
care  of  Shawneetown  church.  The  fall  meeting 

Vv^as   held    at    Odin,    commencing    October   9.      Harrisburg 


648  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

church  was  received.  Joseph  M.  Wilson  was  dismissed  to 
the  Presbytery  of  Missouri  River.  An  adjourned  meeting 
was  held  at  Shawneetown,  November  11,  at  which  Enfield 
church  was  received.  Charles  C.  Hart  was  received  from 
the  Presbytery  of  Athens  and  installed  pastor  of  Shawnee- 
town church.  George  K.  Perkins  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Paducah. 


McLeansboro  Church,  in  Hamilton  county.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1866  Milton  Eckley,  an  elder  in  the  Richland  church, 
and  father  of  Thomas  M.  Eckley,  a  lawyer  in  McLeansboro, 
spent  several  weeks  in  the  latter  place.  He  found  several 
Presbyterians  there  and  secured  a  visit  from  Rev.  John  Cro- 
zier,  who  preached  several  times  in  the  court  house.  This 
prepared  the  way  for  Rev,  John  Huston,  who  organized  a 
church,  December  16,  1867,  with  these  members :  Henry  W, 
White,  Joseph  R.  Siddall,  John  Parkhill,  Martha  Parkhill, 
Elizabeth  Parkhill,  Julia  White,  Sarah  Parkhill,  Rebecca  H. 
Siddall.  Elders  :  John  Parkhill,  the  first.  Since  appointed: 
John  J.  Powell,  March  26,  1870,  and  Thomas  M.  Eckley, 
May,  1872.  Ministers:  John  Huston,  from  the  organiza- 
tion till  about  January  i,  1873;  John  Branch  supplied  a  few 
times.  At  this  time — 1879 — B.  C.  Swan  has  regular  appoint- 
ments. Up  to  November,  1877,  fifty-six  persons  had  been 
connected  with  the  church.  A  house  of  worship  was  ded- 
icated in  April  of  1869  at  the  time  of  the  meeting  of  Presby- 
tery in  the  place.  The  house  cost  thirty-five  hundred  dol- 
lars. Since  the  dedication  four  hundred  dollars  more  have 
been  expended  upon  the  building. 


Harrisburg  Church,  Saline  county,  was  organized  by 
John  Huston  and  G.  B.  McComb,  September  5,  1868,  with 
these  persons :  Israel  D.  Towle,  Eliza  Towle,  William  M. 
Christy,  Catharine  Christy,  Dr.  J.  F.  Burks  and  Sarah  Burks, 
Elders  :  Israel  D.  Towle,  Dr.  J.  F.  Burks,  the  first.  Since 
appointed:  John  H.  Wilson,  September  4,  1870;  William 
Penn  Hallock  and  Robert  J,  Ilrath,  June,  1876.  There  have 
been  connected  with  this  church  in  all  thirty  persons. 

Ministers:  George  B.  McComb,  from  the  organization  to 
October,  1870;  John  Huston,  six  months;  John  Branch, 
during  1873;   George  B.  McComb,  second  time,  during  1876. 


ENFIELD    CHURCH.  6_i9 

P.evs.  McComb  and  Branch  divaded  their  Sabbaths  equally 
between  this  church  and  Equality.  Occasional  labor  has 
been  bestowed  here  by.  Revs.  S.  C.  Baldridge,  B.  C.  Swan, 
Dr.  A.  T.  Norton  and  others.     This  church  has  no  property. 


Enfield  Church,  White  county,  was  organized  by  Rev. 
B.  C.  Swan  and  Elder  C.  S.  Conger,  in  the  Cumberland 
house  of  worship,  ^vlay  2,  1868,  with  these  members:  Felix 
H.  Willis,  Mary  J.  Willis,  Gustavus  A.  Willis,  Eliza  J.  Willis, 
James  E.  Willis,  Jennet  Willis,  Robert  C.  Willis,  Benj. 
L,  Willis,  Rufus  A.  Willis,  John  Campbell,  sr.,  Clara 
•Campbell,  Angus  Campbell,  Andrew  King,  Clara  King, 
Franklin  Miller,  Almon  Miller,  R.  W.  Storey,  Mrs.  R.  W. 
Storey,  Anna  Wasson,  Mary  Miller,  J.  R.  Dales,  Susan  Dales, 
Margerie  Connery.  Elders  ;     Felix  H.  Willis, 

James  R.  Dales,  Andrew  King,  the  first.  Since  appointed : 
James  Edward  Willis,  August  14,  1870;  S.  B.  F.  Miller, 
same  date;  A.  R.  Tate,  May  14,  1871.  Whole  number  of 
members  one  hundred  and  forty.  Ministers  :  George  K. 
Perkins,  March  14,  1869,  to  fall  of  same  year;  B.  C.  Swan, 
from  October,  1869,  to  March,  1871  ;  Thomas  Smith,  March 
15,  1871,  to  March,  ■  1876,  pastor;  Mr.  Swan  again  since 
March,  1876.  Mr.  Swan  now  resides  in  Enfield  and  gives 
that  church  one  half  his  Sabbaths.  The  other  half  he 
divides  equally  with  Sharon  and  McLeansboro  churches.  A 
good  house  of  worship,  dedicated  February  13,  1871 — cost 
32,000.  Repairs  in  1873  costing  about  one  hundred  dollars. 
The  records  of  this  church  are  correctly  and  beautifully 
Icept.  It  is  one  of  the  model  churches.  Its  members  be- 
lieve God  is  a  God  of  order  and  not  of  confusion,  and  that 
good  taste,  neatness,  common-sense,  and  perfect  correctness 
should  be  conspicuous  in  everything  pertaining  to  God's 
house  and  God's  worship, 

George  B.  IMcComb  was  born  September  6,  18 14,  on  Cross 
Creek,  Washington  county,  Pa.,  about  tweve  miles  north  of 
the  town  of  Washington.  His  parents  moved  to  Franklin, 
Ohio,  in  18 19,  and  settled  in  the  woods  in  Truro  township. 
His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Butler.  She  was  born  near 
Winchester,  Va.  In  his  youth  he  was  rigidly  drilled  in  the 
Shorter  Catechism,  and  committed  to  memory  man\' 
chapters  of  the   Bible.     He  graduated  at  Washington  Col- 


650  PRESBYi'ERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

lege,  Pa.,  in  1842.  After  his  graduation  he  taught  school  for 
several  years.  In  1845  he  was  a  colporteur  in  Tennessee, 
with    Nashville    as    his    headquarters.  April  7, 

1846,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Malissa  Jones,  daughter  of  David 
L.  Jones,  an  elder  in  the  Hopewell  church.  She  bore  him 
one  son,  David  Jonathan,  born  July  21,  1847.  That  son  still 
resides  with  his  grandmother  and  manages  her  farm  affairs. 
That  wife  died  May  4,  185 1.  In  the  fall  of  1849' 

he  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Maury  at  Cathies  Creek 
church,  Tenn.  In  the  fall  of  185  i  he  was  ordained  by  the 
same  Presbytery.  December  20,  1855,  he    mar- 

ried Mrs.  Amanda'  F.  Davis.  By  her  he  had  five  children. 
He  was  in  Tennessee  teaching  and  farming  all  through  the 
war  and  down  to  the  close  of  1867  when  he  came  to  Illinois, 
and  in  January,  1868,  took  charge  of  the  churches  of  Equality 
and  ilarrisburg.  He  remained  here  four  years.  In  the 
spring  of  1872  he  took  charge  of  Moro  church  for  one  year. 
His  next  field  was  Pinckneyville,  Galum,  Prairie  Grove  and 
Denmark  churches.  With  the  exception  of  an  absence  of 
about  eighteen  months,  he  occupied  this  field  until  1S79, 
when  he  removed  to  Indiana  church  near  Vincennes,  Ind. 


Thomas  Smith  was  born  August  24,  1823,  in  Kendal — 
Westmoreland — England,  His  paternal  ancestors  were 
Scotch.  His  grandfather,  James  Smith,  by  occupation  a 
tailor,  when  a  young  man  came  from  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  to 
Kendal,  England.  He  there  married,  settled  and  reared  a 
family  of  six  children,  four  sons  and  two  daughters.  They 
were  all  Presbyterians — members  of  the  Scottish  Secession 
Church,  to  which  they  were  v/armly  attached. 

His  maternal  ancestors  were  English,  by  the  name  of 
Greenipp.  They  were  residents  of  Keswick — Cumberland — 
England.  His  grandfather,  Greenipp,  was  by  occupation  a 
stone-mason.  The  family  were  Episcopalians,  members  of 
the    established   Church    of   England.  William, 

the  fourth  son  of  James  Smith,  having  come  to  man's 
estate,  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ann  Greenipp,  of 
Keswick.  They  settled  in  Kendal  for  a  while.  Thomas 
was  the  second  son  of  William  and  Ann  Smith,  who,  in  1824, 
with  their  two  sons  left  Kendall  and  went  to  Edinburgh  ; 
where,  after  a  residence  of  seven  years,  the  wife  and  mother 
died.     The  father,  after  some  months,  returned  with  his  two 


THOMAS   SMITH.  65! 

little  boys,  James  and  Thomas,  to  their  native  town,  and 
having  placed  them  in  charge  of  an  uncle,  one  of  his 
brothers,  he  returned  to  Scotland  and  has  never  since  been 
seen  or  heard  from  directly  by  any  member  of  the  family. 
From  that  time  onward  life's  pathway  has  been  steep  and 
rugged.  But  that  ever  present  though  invisible  guide  who 
"  brings  his  people  by  a  way  that  they  know  not,"  has  thus  far 
made  His  power  and  His  mercy  known  in  His  gracious  deal- 
ings with  the  subject  of  this  narrative.  In  1844, 
after  having  worked  eight  years  (seven  of  which  were  served 
as  an  apprentice)  at  a  trade  which  he  preferred  not  to  follow,  he 
left  his  native  place  and  went,  an  entire  stranger,  to  the  city 
of  Manchester,  to  endeavor  to  obtain  a  situation  in  some  one 
of  the  many  wholesale  warehouses  of  that  great  city.  He 
made  his  first  application  on  the  evening  of  his  arrival  in  the 
city,  but  without  success.  He  continued  his  search  throughout 
the  day,  from  day  to  day,  until  the  afternoon  of  the  fifth  day, 
when  it  so  happened  that  he  made  application  at  a  firm,  one 
of  whose  proprietors  as  he  afterwards  learned,  was  a  native  of 
Keswick,  and  who,  in  his  boyhood,  had  attended  school  kept 
by  Mr.  John  Greenipp,  an  uncle  of  the  applicant.  His  ap- 
plication was  successful;  he  obtained  employment  and  soon 
was  quite  happy  in  his  new  position.  On  the  second  Sab- 
bath of  his  residence  in  the  city  of  Manchester,  he  began  to- 
attend  the  Sabbath-school  and  church,  of  which  Rev.  J.  W. 
Massie,  D.  D.,  L.L.  D.,  was  pastor.  Here  his  religious  privi- 
leges were  exceedingly  great,  far  beyond  those  of  former 
years,  although  they  were  always  good.  In  1845  he  united 
with  Dr.  Massie's  church  on  profession  of  his  faith.  O.i  the 
2d  of  January,  1847,  he  was  united  in  marriage,  by  his  pas- 
tor, to  Miss  Jane  Brown,  a  native  of  Kendal  and  a  member 
of  the  Congregational  Church.  In  the  fall  of 
1849  they  came  to  Albion,  Edwards  county,  111.,  from  which 
time  to  the  present,  their  home  has  continued  to  be  in 
Southern  Illinois.  Their  marriage  has  been 
blessed  with  a  family  of  six  sons  and  one  daughter,  all  of 
whom  are  now  living,  exception  their  first  born,  a  son,  who 
died  in  England  at  the  age  of  nine  months.  The  names  and 
dates  of  birth  of  the  children  are  as  follows,  viz.:  James 
W.,  born  in  England,  October  22,  1847,  died  1848.  The 
remaining  six  were  born  in  Albion,  Edwards  county.  111.: 
Herbert  B.,  January  25,  185 1,  James  W.,  December  22,  1852, 
Thomas    G.,  July  3,    1856,   Mary   J.,  September   27,   1858,. 


.652  PRESBYTERIAN  ISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

George  H.,  March  29,  i860,  Otis  A.,  April  20,  1862.  In  the 
.spring  of  185 1  he  began  to  teach  school  and  continued  to 
■do  so  summer  and  winter  for  more  than  two  years.  He 
then  accepted  a  situation  as  clerk  and  book-keeper  in  the 
store  of  Mr.  Alexander  Stewart  in  Albion,  111.  He  con- 
.tinued  in  that  position  until  the  latter  part  of  1856,  at  which 
time  he  became  a  candidate  for  the  ministry  in  the  Cumber- 
land Presbyterian  Church.  This  last  step  was  taken  with 
great  diffidence,  after  much  serious  reflection,  prayer  and 
counsel  of  pious  friends  and  ministers.  The  step  was  urged 
by  some  in  view,  as  they  thought,  of  promise  of  useful- 
ness, and  in  view  at  that  time  of  the  great  want  of  devoted 
ministers  in  all  that  region  of  country.  In  April, 

1857,  he  was  licensed  by  the  McLinn  Presbytery  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  at  Mt.  Erie,  Wayne 
■county.  111.  He  then  took  charge  of  the  Cumberland  Pres- 
byterian church  in  Albion,  111.,  where  his  home  had 
been  since  1849.  Ordained  in  fall  of  1858  he  continued  in 
charge  until  1863,  when  he  volunteered  and  became  a 
soldier  in  the  ranks  in  the  eighty-seventh  Illinois  infantry. 
After  a  service  of  nine  months  in  that  regiment,  he  was  trans- 
ferred for  promotion,  and  became  the  chaplain  of  the  third 
Mississippi  colored,  afterwards  known  as  the  fifty-third 
United  States  colored  infantry.  He  was  mustered  out  with 
the  regiment  in  March,  and  reached  home  on  the  6th  of 
April,  1866.  He  again  became  the  stated  sup- 

ply of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  church  in  Albion,  and 
so  continued  until  the  fall  of  1867.  In  April,  1868,  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  Presbytery  of  Saline — o.  s., — by  let- 
ter from  the  McLinn  Presbytery  of  the  Cumberland  Presby- 
terian Church.  Since  that  time  he  has  supplied  the  churches 
of  "  Richland  "  and  "  Hermon,"  for  three  years.  Afterward 
the  churches  of  Enfield  and  Sharon  for  five  years,  and  since 
then  Pisgah,  Bridgeport  and  Union  churches  from 
the  spring  of  1876  until  the  present  time.  As 
to  that  which,  in  his  opinion,  constitutes  his  call  to  the 
ministry.  This  he  regards  as  threefold.  ist.  Internal — 
wherein  God  by  his  Spirit  drew  and  inclined  him  to  the  work — 
filling  the  soul  with  love  to  Jesus  and  ardent  longing  for  the 
salvation  of  souls.  Flooding  the  soul  with  sweet  peace  and 
with  a  delightful  sense  of  comfort  in  any  and  every  pubhc 
■effort  to  serve  him  in  the  gospel,  and  causing  a  sense  of  shame, 
of  condemnation  and  unhappiness  when  opportunities  of  pub- 
lic efforts  were  given  and  were  not  improved. 


GEORGE  K.  PERKINS.  655, 

2d.  Providential — whereby  God  seemed  so  to  overrule  cir- 
cumstances and  events  in  a  way  so  remarkable  and  unlooked- 
for,  that  he  came  to  be  almost  pressed  into  the  work. 

3d.  Official — by  the  Church — inviting,  accepting  and  sus- 
taining in  a  very  cordial  manner.  And  now,  in 
concluding  this  notice,  he  desires  to  "Thank  Christ  Jesus  our 
Lord,  who,  as  he  humbly  trusts,  has  put  him  into  the  ministry." 

His  prayer  is  that  he  may  "  Obtain  mercy  of  the  Lord,  to 
be  faithful."  His  wonder  is  that  God,  in  his  providence  and 
in  his  grace,  should  give  him  a  place  among  his  people  and  ap- 
point him  a  place  among  his  ministers,  and  thus  permit  him 
to  proclaim  the  gospel  to  his  fellow-men.  He  desires  no 
higher  honor  among  men  than  to  be  permitted  to  fill  an  hum- 
ble place  in  the  ministerial  ranks  of  the  great  Presbyterian 
Church — the  Church  of  his  fathers  and  the  Church  of  his 
choice. 


George  Kames  Perkins  was  born  in  Wells,  Maine,  May 
19,  181 1.  His  parents  were  earnest  Christians.  At  the  age 
of  nine  years  he  was  afflicted  with  necrosis  in  his  right  arm, 
which  caused  him  great  suffering  until  he  was  about  fifteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  was  taken  to  Boston,  where  his  arm 
was  opened  and  the  decayed  bone  extracted  by  the  celebra- 
the  Dr.   Warren.  He  was  educated  at  Amherst 

College,  where  he  graduated  in  1835.  After  his  graduation 
he  went  to  Kentucky,  where  he  studied  and  for  a  time  prac- 
ticed law.  In  the  fall  of  1839  ^^  married  Miss 
Elizabeth  O.  Gray,  daughter  of  Dr.  William  Gray,  of  Greens- 
burg.  Just  before  his  marriage  he  united  with  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church.  He  soon  removed  to  Huntsvile,  Ala,,  where 
he  and  his  wife  taught  a  female  academy.  Having  deter- 
mined to  seek  the  ministry  he  placed  himself  in  the  spring  of 
1840  under  the  care  of  the  Presbytery  of  West  Tennessee 
and  proceded  to  Andover,  Mass.,  and  there  prosecuted  theo- 
logical studies  for  about  one  year.  He  was  licensed  in  the 
spring  of  1841,  and  ordained  in  1844  by  the  Presbytery  of 
West  Tennessee.  He  preached  at  Decatur,  Cortland,  Beth- 
esda  and  Piedmont  in  Tennessee.  Of  the  last  named  church 
he  was  pastor.  He  labored  for  a  time  in  Alabama  and  in 
Kentucky.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  came  to  Illinois  and 
labored  at  Enfield,  White  county,  at  INIt.  Vernon,  Jefferson 
county,  and  at  Pinckneyville  and  Galum,  Perry  county.     He 


,654  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

died  at  Pinckaeyville,  May  26,  1862.      He  has  left   a  wido\ 
and  eirfit  children,  four  of  whom  are  married. 


Joseph  M.  Wilson  was  in  Columbus,  Neb.,  in  1871  and 
up  to  1873.  In  1874  he  was  supply  pastor  of  Mars'  Hill 
church,  Athens,  Tenn.  In  1875  he  was  at  Madison,  Neb.,  and 
is  still — 1878 — at  the  same  place. 

The  Synods  of  Illinois  held  their  meetings  in  1868 — the 
New  School  at  Springfield,  commencing  October  7,  1868  — 
the  Old  School  at  CHnton,  beginning  September  30. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

MEETINGS  OF  PRESBYTERIES  AND  SYNODS  FOR  1 869  AND  187O, 
INCLUDING  SKETCHES  OF  CHURCHES  RECEIVED  AND  MINIS- 
TERS COMMENCING  THEIR  LABORS  HERE  WITHIN  THE  PERIOD. 

Authorities  :  Original  Records  ;  Auto-biographies  ;  General  Catalogues. 

YEAR  1869. 

Illinois  Presebytery  met  at  Virden,  April  9,  1869. 
Smith  H.  Hyde,  minister,  and  John  Crocker,  elder,  were 
chosen  to  attend  the  Assembly.  The  fall  meet- 

ing was  held  at  Carlinville,  commencing  September  14. 
George  C.  Wood  resigned  the  place  which  he  had  occupied 
for  eleven  years  as  Presbyterial  Missionary.  The  Presbytery 
bore  the  most  emphatic  testimony  to  his  faithfulness,  zeal 
and  usefulness. 

The  Persbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Greenville,  April 
8,  1869.  R.  M.  Roberts  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of 
Palestine.  J,  A.  Williams  and  James  H.  Spilman  were  li- 
censed. J.  A.  Howell,  minister,  and  W.  N.  Donnell,  elder, 
were  appointed  to  attend  the  next  meeting  of  the  Assemby. 
George  Fraser  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  La  Fay- 
ette, and  on  the  iith  installed  pastor  of  Greenville  church.  At 
a  pro  re  nata  meeting  in  Richview,  May  14,  I.  N.  Candee,  D. 
D.,  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Warren,  and  arrange- 
ments made  for  his  installation  over  the  church  of  Richview 
on  the  4th  Sabbath  in  June  prox.  Another  pro  re  nata  meet- 
ing was  held  at  Hillsboro,  June  21.  A.  S.  Foster  was  re- 
ceived from  the  Presbytery,  Saltsburg,  Pa.,  and  arrangements 
made  for  his  installation  over  Litchfield  church,  July  23d 
prox.  A  third  pro  re  nata  meeting  was  held  at  Richview, 
September  9.  J.  A.  Williams  was  ordained,  sine  titulo,  and 
dismissed  to  Presbytery  of  Austin,  Texas.  The 

fall  meeting  was  held  at  Butler,  commencing  October  8.  Eli- 
jah Buck  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Alton.  George 
K.  Perkins  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Saline,  Rob- 
ert G.  Ross  from  that  of  Bloomington,  and  John    H.   Reints 


656  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

from  the  Presbytery  of  Dubuque.  Henry  Mattice  was  dis- 
missed to  the  classis  of  Paramus.  Sparta  church  was  re- 
ceived. T.  D.  Davis  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of 
Sangamon. 


Isaac  N.  Candee,  D.  D.,  was  born  in  Galway,  Saratoga 
county,  N.  Y.,  October  30,  1801.  He  studied  at  Balston 
Academy  in  the  winter  and  worked  on  a  farm  in  the  summer 
until  1 8 16,  when  he  entered  a  printing  office.  On  the  20th 
of  September,  1822,  he  left  the  printing  office  and  entered 
Union  College,  wlrere  he  graduated  in  1825.  The  same  year 
he  entered  Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  where  he  grad- 
uated and  was  licensed  June  4,  1828.  His  first  charge  was 
in  Belvedere,  New  Jersey,  where  he  was  ordained  pastor  May 
12,  1829.  After  spending  fourteen  years  in  New  Jersey  he 
accepted  the  agency  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  in, 
the  West.  After  spending  nine  years  in  the  mission  cause 
he  took  charge  of  the  church  at  La  Fayette,  Ind.,  December 
23,  1849.  His  thifd  charge  was  in  Galesburg,  in 

this  State,  where  he  went  in  January,  1856.  After  preach- 
ing eleven  years  with  great  success  he  took  the  financial 
agency  of  the  Northwestern  Theological  Seminary  at  Chi- 
cago. In  April,  1869,  he  came  to  Richview,  111.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Knox  College.  While 
on  his  way  to  attend  the  annual  meeting  of  that  Board  he 
was  taken  ill  in  Peoria  at  the  house  of  his  daughter — Mrs.  N. 
B.  Love.  He  died,  June  19,  1874,  after  a  sickness  of  only 
twenty-three  hours.  He  was  well-known  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  especially  at  the  West.  He  was  twice  married. 
The  first  wife  was  Elizabeth  Schaffer,  whom  he  married  in 
1832.  She  bore  him  two  children — Sarah  S,,  and  one  who 
died  in  infancy.  His  second  marriage  was,  in  1837,  ^o  Eliz- 
abeth Green.  She  bore  her  husband  ten  children — George 
W.,  Marshal  G,,  Alice  C,  Louis,  Anna  M.,  Jennie,  Charles 
W.,  Henry  A.,  Fannie  and  Robert  M.  Charles  W.  died  in 
the  United  States  army  in  June,  1865.  George  W.,  Louis 
and  Jennie  now  live  in  Sioux  City,  Iowa.  Marshal  G,  and 
Alice  C.  Collom  are  now  in  Camden,  Ala.  Henry  A.  is  in 
Mobile,  Ala.,  Sarah  S.  Love,  in  Peoria,  111.  Fanny  Gale,  in 
Galesburg,  111.,  and  Anna  C.  Tindale  in  Nashville,  111.  His 
widow  died,  December  19,  1876,  in  Sioux  City.  Both  are 
buried  in  Galesburg.     His  degree  of  D.  D.  was  conferred  by 


ROBERT  G.  ROSS.  657 

Princeton  College.     The  ten  living  children  are  all  pious  and 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 


Robert  Gaius  Ross  was  born  near  the  Twenty-Mile 
stand,  Warren  county,  Ohio,  January  13,  1832.  His  paternal 
ancestry  were  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians;  his  maternal, 
Pennsylvania,  or  Holland  Dutch.  His  parents  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  Church — his  father  an  elder.  He 
was  taught  in  his  childhood  the  Westminster  Catechism. 
At  sixteen  he  united  with  the  Church ;  at  twenty  began 
his  academic  course  and  graduated  at  Hanover  College 
in  1858.  He  studied  three  years  at  Princeton,  grad- 
uating in  1861.  The  summer  vacation  of  1859  he 
labored  for  the  Sabbath-school  Union  in  the  State  of  Dela- 
ware. Was  licensed  in  i860.  Came  to  Illinois  in  Novem- 
ber, 1 86 1,  and  supplied  Union  Grove  Presbyterian  church 
during  the  winter.  In  May,  1862,  he  took  charge  of  Salem 
church  at  Mahomet,  Champaign  county.  The  next  fall  he 
added  the  Jersey  church  to  his  field,  and  supplied  the  two 
until  the  close  of  1865.  Then  for  three  years  longer  he 
confined  himself  to  the  Jersey  church.  He  was  ordained 
October  18,  1863,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Bloomington.  He 
was  married  November  20,  1862,  to  Miss  Nannie  A.  East- 
man, daughter  of  the  late  Rev.  J.  C.  Eastman.  She  was  a 
lady  of  much  excellence,  and  patiently  shared  the  toils  of 
her  husband  till  her  death,  January  18,  1873.  Two  sons 
blessed  their  union,  Charles  Wilbert,  born  October  24,  1863, 
and  Joseph  Marion,  born  November  4,  1865.  In  April, 
1S69,  Mr.  Ross  removed  to  Madison  County  and  supplied 
Moro  and  Bayless  churches  for  one  year.  Then  Moro  alone 
for  a  few  months.  He  next  took  charge  of  Bridgeport,  Pis- 
gah  and  Union  churches  in  Lawrence  county.  He  remained 
with  these  churches  about  five  and  a  half  years,  being  pastor 
of  Pisgah  and  the  supply  pastor  of  the  other  two.  During 
this  time  eighty-five  persons  were  added — to  Pisgah,  thirty- 
seven  ;  to  Bridgeport,  twenty-four ;  to  Union,  twenty- 
four.  He  baptized  in  the  same  years  sixteen 
adults  and  eighty  children ;  solemnized  forty-one  mar- 
riages and  officiated  at  fifty  funerals.  In  the  same 
years  these  churches  contributed  nine  hundred  and  seventy- 
two  dollars  to  the  Church  Boards,  and  nine  hundred  and 
eighty-seven  dollars  to  miscellaneous  objects — a   parsonage 

41 


658  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

was  bought,  a  debt  lifted  from  Union  church  and  the  building- 
repainted,  a  new  church  erected  at  Bridgeport  at  a  cost  of 
^2,700  and  paid  for.  The  pastoral  relation  in  this  field 
ceased  in  April,  1876.  During  that  summer  Mr.  R.  visited 
the  Centennial  Exposition  at  Philadelphia  and  friends  in 
Ohio.  In  November  he  removed  to  Campbell,  Coles  county, 
and  took  charge  of  Pleasant  Prairie  church,  with  two  build- 
ings five  miles  apart,  at  each  of  which  one  service  is  held 
every  Sabbath.  Here  he  married  Miss  Mary  E.  McDonald, 
daughter  of  Rev.  John  McDonald,  September  12,  1878.  In 
this  field  he  still — 1879 — remains. 


Jerome  Augustine  Williams  was  in  Austin,  Texas,  in 
1871,  in  New  Castle,  Ky.,  in  1872,  in  Edinburg.  Ind.,  in 
1S73-74,  in  Brookville,  Ind.,  1875-78. 


John  H.  Reints  was  in  Fosterburg,  111.,  1870-73,  in  Emdeil, 
111.,  1874,  in  Hartsburg,  III.,  in  1875,  at  Great  Bend,  Kan.,  in 
1876-77.  In  1878  his  name  disappears  from  the  Assembly's 
ministers.     He  was  a  German. 


Salem  Church,  Madison  county,  Godfrey  post-office,  was 
organized  August  19,  1869,  by  Revs.  John  H.  Reints,  Mr. 
Tchudy,  and  Elder  Frederick  Wortman  with  these  members  : 
Henry  Bausch,  Anton  Telgmann,  Henry  Koch,  Frederick 
Schallenberg,  Nicolaus  Ysch,  Carl  Wenzel,  Hermann  Bock- 
strock,  August  Seller,  John  Hauser,  Christ  Schlenker,  Ernst 
Schallenberg,  Henry  Banker,  Henry  Landwehr,  Henry 
Schallenberg,  Y.  E.  Schallenberg,  Mathilde  Koch,  Teadore 
Telgmann,  Susanne  Bausch,  Charlotte  Schallenberg,  Mrs. 
Ysch,  Charlain  Wenzel,  Charlain  Bockstrock,  Hanne  Hauser, 
Anna  Schlenker,  Dina  Schallenberg,  Rosiene  Seller.  Elders  : 
Henry  Bausch,  Anton  Telgmann.  Ministers  :  John  H. 
Reints  from  the  organization  until  August,  1877;  August 
Busch,  1878  ;  Albert  E.  Bayer,  present  minister,  was  ordained 
over  them  May  5,  1879.  The  church  house  was  erected 
within  two  months,  September  and  October,  1869,  and  cost 
about  ^1,000.  It  is  in  T.  6,  R.  9,  S.  E.  quarter  Sec.  18. 
This  church  together  with  Zion  church  at  Fosterberg,  Madi- 
son county,   constitute   a   very  interesting  parish.     All  the 


PRliSBVTERY  OF  WABASH.  659 

tmembers  of  both  are  native  Germans.     Their  religious  ser- 
vices are  in  that  language. 


The  Church  of  Sparta,  Randolph  county,  was  organized 
June  5,  1869,  with  sixty-three  members.  The  elders  ap- 
pointed from  that  time  to  this  are  these  :  James  Crawford, 
James  Craig,  Samuel  B.  Hood,  William  Addison,  Robert  T. 
Beaty,  John  Stevenson,  James  Hood,  James  Gardner,  Samuel 
L.  Boyd,  John  A.  Marlone,  John  H.  Bratton,  James  Sproul, 
Benj.  Crawford,  Hugh  Bricket.  Ministers:  Rev.  John  Hood 
began  labor  as  pastor  June  26,  1870.  He  was  dismissed 
June  30,  1878.  Rev.  Dr.  John  W.  Bailey  was  installed  pas- 
tor October  25,  1878.  The  church  edifice  is  a 
handsome  brick  building,  erected  in  1870  at  a  cost  of  ^9,000. 
This  congregation  is  one  of  the  very  (ew  in  the  State  which 
has  never  received  any  outside  pecuniary  aid.  The  church 
.reported  in  1878  a  membership  of  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
four.  Next  to  Paris,  Edgar  county,  it  is  the  largest  in  the 
Synod,  though  Alton  and  Jerseyville  report  about  the  same 
mumber  of  members. 


The  Presbytery  of  Wabash  met  at  Effingham,  April  15, 
1869.  John  Kidd  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Ot- 
rtawa.  W.  K.  Powers  was  received.  R.  D.  Van  Deursen, 
minister,  and  E.  H.  Palmer,  elder,  were  appointed  to  attend 
ithe  Assembly.  At  an  adjourned  meeting  in  Tolono,  June 
15,   James    L.    McNair  was  ordained.  The   fall 

imeeting  was  held  with  Prairie  Bird  church,  October  4.  C. 
P.  Felch  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Chicago.  The 
'Church  of  Edgewood  was  received. 


John  Kidd  was  born  in  Alloa,  Clackmannanshire,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Forth,  in  Scotland,  about  forty  miles  from 
Edinburgh,  May  31,  18 16.  His  father  was  Thomas  Kidd,  a 
devoted  Christian  who  died  uttering  the  words  of  Stephen, 
"Lord  Jesus  receive  my  spirit."  The  son,  John,  was  re- 
markable even  in  childhood  for  his  fondness  for  books  and 
study.  He  received  a  finished  classical  and  theological  edu- 
cation at  the  University  of  Edinburgh.  He  was  ordained 
pastor  of  St.  Andrews    church,  Fife    county,  in  1846.     He 


660  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

labored  there  eight  years.  In  1841  he  married  Miss  Isabel' 
Paton,  daughter  of  Robert  Paton,  of  Glasgow.  This  family 
was  connected  with  the  Relief  church.  Mr.  Kidd  and  his 
family  emigrated  to  this  country  in  1855,  landing  at  New 
York  in  March  of  that  year.  They  left  behind  them  three 
infant  children  in  the  cemetery  of  St.  Andrews.  His  first 
ministerial  charge  in  this  country  was  the  South  Presbyterian 
church  of  Milwaukee.  Here  he  remained  two  and  one  half 
years.  His  next  charge  was  in  Joliet,  111.,  where  he  remained 
eight  years.  He  next  labored  with  Waltham  church,  La 
Salle  county,  for  one  year  and  ten  months.  Mattoon,  Coles 
county,  was  his  next  field,  in  which  he  remained  three  years. 
His  last  charge  was  in  Pana,  111.  In  that  city  he  died  March 
22,  1876.  His  widow  and  six  children,  one  son  and  five 
daughters  remain.  The  widow  and  daughters  reside  in 
Pana.     The  son,  who  is  a  lawyer,  in  Indiana. 


James  Lister  McNair  v/as  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa., 
February  27,  1834.  His  ancestry  on  his  father's  side  were 
Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians  ;  on  his  mother's  side  they  were 
sturdy  Hollanders  of  the  Protestant  faith.  His  parents  gave 
all  their  children  good  educations.  Nearly  all  of  them  be- 
came Church  members  when  young,  and  all  who  are  living 
fill  respectable  stations  in  society.  He  was  mostly  educated 
at  Central  College,  Fayette,  Mo.,  where  his  parents  had  re- 
moved when  he  was  four  years  old.  He  was  licensed  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Wabash  and  ordained  by  the  same  at  Tolono, 
111.,  in  1868.  His  fields  of  labor  have  been  first, 

Tolono,  111.  While  there  he  gave  part  of  his  time  to  Philo,. 
also  to  Homer.  Through  his  instrumentality  Philo  built  a 
neat  church.  Since  he  left.  Homer  also  has  erected  a  good 
building,  which  they  called  upon  him  to  dedicate.  He  was 
next  called  to  Paxton,  111.  While  at  this  place  he  ministered 
also  to  the  Buckley  church,  ten  miles  north,  giving  them 
three  sermons  a  month.  While  in  this  field  the  people  of 
each  charge  erected  a  house  of  worship.  He  next  accepted 
a  call  to  Mattoon,  his  present  field  of  labor,  where  he  has- 
been  nearly  four  years.  When  he  came  the  old  church  build- 
ing was  very  dilapidated  and  entirely  too  small  for  the  con- 
gregation. This  building  they  enlarged  and  remodeled,  and 
now,  for  over  two  years,  have  been  worshiping  in  a  com- 
modious, convenient  and  very  beautiful   church.     In   every 


WILLIAM  W.  WILLIAMS.  66 1 

field  he  has  occupied  God  has  made  him  the  instrument  of 
winning  many  souls  to  Christ.  He  was  married, 

January  lo,  i860,  to  Miss  Dillie  P.  Johnson,  of  Polk  county, 
Mo.,  who  is  a  faithful  and  loving  wife.  They  have  had  eight 
children. 

Edgewood  Church,  Effingham  county,  was  organized  by 
A.  T.  Norton,  D.  D.,  Sabbath,  June  19,  1869,  with  these  six 
members :  Richard  H  Saunders,  James  Craik,  Mrs.  Barbara 
•Craik,  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Johnson,  Mrs.  Margaretta  A.  Balcom 
and    Mrs.    Jane  C.   Dye.     Elders:  Richard    H.    Saunders, 

James  Craik  and Thompson.  Ministers:  Dr. 

Joseph  Warren,  William  B.  Minton,  H.  G.  Pollock,  William 
Ellers.  None  of  these  resided  here  saveW.  B.  Minton.  The 
people  were  greatly  attached  to  him,  and  could  he  have  staid 
the  church  would  undoubtedly  have  flourished.  It  has  been 
^dissolved  by  act  of  Presbytery. 


The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  at  Mattoon,  April  20, 
:4  869.  ^-  ^^-  Roberts,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia,  W. 
W.  Williams,  from  Bureau  Presbytery,  and  R.  C.  McKinney, 
from  Lake  Presbytery,  were  received.  J.  E.  Lapsley,  minis- 
ter, and  William  Millar,  elder,  were  chosen  to  attend  the 
.next  Assembly.  The  name  of  J.  M.  Alexander  was  stricken 
from   the    roll.  The   fall    meeting    was    held    at 

Dudley,  September  17,  1869.  At  a  pro  re  tiata  meeting  in 
Kansas,  Coles  county,  S.  B.  Taggart  was  dismissed  from  the 
pastoral  care  of  that  church. 


William  W.  Williams  was  born  in  Highland  county, 
Ohio,  April  17,  1828.  His  literary  education  was  obtained 
principally  at  South  Salem,  Ohio.  He  studied  theology 
-with  Rev.  Samuel  Steele,  D.  D.,  of  Hillsboro,  Ohio.  He 
was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Chillicothe  in  1857,  and 
■ordained  by  the  same  at  West  Union.  He  labored  three 
years  at  West  Union  and  Manchester  as  pastor,  residing  in 
the  former  place.  From  thence  he  went  to  Aledo,  111.,  where 
he  both  preached  and  taught — his  wife  assisting  him  in  the 
school.  This  was  followed  by  fifteen  months'  labor  in  Tus- 
cola. He  next  went  to  Carlyle,  Clinton  county,  where  he 
served  as  supply  pastor  for  about  four  years.     He   removed 


662  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

to  Hillsboro  in  June,  1873.  Before  a  year  had  passed  he 
was  called  to  his  last  home.  He  died,  January  21,  1874, 
after  an  illness  of  ten  weeks.  His  last  audible  words  were  : 
"I  will  be  so  happy."  He  was  married  in  September,  1856, 
to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Lane,  of  Hillsboro,  Ohio,  the  place  where 
she  was  born  and  where  as  a  widow  she  now  resides.  He  had 
four  children,  all  of  whom  are  with  their  mother. 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  met  at  Petersburg,  April 
13,  1869.  J,  W.  Scott  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Madison.  Noah  Bishop  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of 
Potosi ;  T.  M.  Oviatt  to  that  of  Chicago;  W.  B.  Spence  to 
that  of  Cincinnati,  and  John  Thomas  to  that  of  Blooming- 
ton.  Arrangements  were  made  to  install  Clark  Loudon  pas- 
tor of  West  Okaw  church,  April  25  inst.  D.  J.  Strain,  min- 
ister, and  T.  S.  Henning,  elder,  were  chosen  to  attend  the 
next  Assembly.  A.  B.  Frazier,  formerly  of  the  Free  Synod, 
was  received.  J.  E.  MofTatt,  licentiate,  was  received  from 
the  Presbytery  of  Chicago,  examined  at  an  adjourned  meet- 
ing and  ordained  pastor  of  the  First  church  of  Decatur,  June 
13.  F.  H.  Wines  was  released  from  the  pastoral  care  of  the 
First   church    of  Springfield.  The   fall    meeting 

was  held  with  Farmington  church  September  17.  G.  W.  F. 
Birch  was  released  from  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Third  church 
of  Springfield.  John  H.  Harris  was  received  from  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Chicago.  G.  W.  F.  Birch  resigned  as  Stated  Clerk 
of  the  Presbytery,  and  J.  D,  Kerr  was  appointed  in  his  place. 
W.  W.  Harsha  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Chicago, 
and  installed  on  the  first  Sabbath  in  November  pastor  of  the 
Second  church  of  Jacksonville. 


W.  W.  Harsha,  D.  D.,  was  born  in  West  Hebron,  Wash-^ 
ington  county,  N.  Y.  He  received  his  academical  education 
in  Salem,  Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  and  his  collegiate  at 
Union  College.  He  studied  law,  but  shortly  after  entering 
upon  its  practice  changed  his  profession  and  entered  the  min- 
istry in  connection  with  the  Associate  Presbyterian  Church. 
In  1 854 he  joined  the  o.  s.  branch  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
He  commenced  his  ministry  in  Galena  in  1846.  His  pastoral 
charges  have  been  Galena  and  Hanover,  Savannah,  Dixon,. 
Chicago  and  Central  church,  Jacksonville.     He  received  the 


EDWARD  F.  FISH.  663 

degree  of  D.  D.  from  Westminster  College,  Fulton,  Mo.  On 
going  to  Dixon  in  1855  he  found  a  Presbyterial  school, 
known  as  the  "Dixon  Collegiate  Institute,"  and  acted  for 
some  years  as^its  president. 


The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Brighton,  April  22, 
1869.  Edward  F.  Fish  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of 
Columbus,  John  M.  Johnson  from  the  Presbytery  of  Rock- 
away,  John  D.  Jones  from  the  St.  Louis  Association  of  Con- 
gregational Ministers.  The  churches  of  DuBois,  Vera,  Sho- 
bonier  and  Villa  Ridge  were  received.  Geo.  I.  King,  D.  D., 
and  James  W.  Stark,  ministers,  and  David  Beatty  and  Lewis 
Potter,  elders,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assem- 
bly. Wm.  M.  Stewart,  licentiate,  was  dismissed  to  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Arkansas.  The  fall  session  was  held 
at  Alton,  commencing  October  5,  1869.  James  Scott  Davis 
was  received  from  the  Illinois  Congregational  Association, 
and  Hugh  Aiken  McKelvey  from  the  Chicago  Presbytery  of 
the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church.  The  license  of  Carl 
Linn,  originally  given  for  one  year  only,  was  not  renewed. 
Andrew  Luce  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Missouri. 
Elijah  Buck  was  received  from  the  Kaskaskia  Presbytery. 
An  adjourned  meeting  was  held  at  Alton,  December  16,  at 
which  Chester  S.  Armstrong  was  received  from  the  Presby- 
tery of  Lansing,  and    installed  pastor  of  the  Alton  Church. 


Edward  Fowler  Fish,  born  at  Monticello,  Sullivan 
county.  New  York,  September  23,  1828.  Son  of  Rev.  John 
B.  Fish  who  was  the  son  of  Rev.  Peter  Fish.  Entered  the 
Sophomore  class  of  Hamilton  College  in  1845.  Was  con- 
verted in  November,  1846,  graduated  in  1848,  Spent  four 
years  in  teaching  and  traveling.  Entered  Lane  Theological 
Seminary  in  1852.  Was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Scioto  at  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  April  S,  1854.  After  graduating 
in  1855,  was  accepted  as  a  missionary  of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M. 
— the  field  not  designated — but  returned  to  Cincinnati  and 
spent  another  year  at  the  Seminary  as  Hebrew  tutor.  A 
severe  sickness  in  the  summer  of  1856  rendered  it  necessary 
to  abandon  the  intention  of  going  to  China.  Took  charge 
of  a  small  Home  Mission  church  at  Mt.  Vernon,  Iowa.  Was 
married   September,    1856,    to   Mi3s  Anna  J.    Hinsdale,    of 


664  PRESBYTEKIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Leroy,  N.  Y.  Ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Iowa  City, 
February  7,  1857.  Was  taken  sick  immediately  after,  and  for 
two  months  was  unable  to  preach.  In  consequence  of  con- 
tinued ill  health  left  Mt.  Vernon  in  October,  and  for  a  year 
was  laid  aside  from  the  work  of  the  ministry.  In  November, 
1858,  though  still  feeble  in  health,  took  charge  of  the  church 
of  Panama,  N.  Y.  At  the  end  of  two  years  was  again  com- 
pelled to  relinquish  pastoral  labor.  Went  to  Ohio  and  spent 
the  most  of  the  next  four  years  in  teaching,  part  of  the  time 
as  superintendent  of  public  schools  in  Lancaster,  and  part  as 
principal  of  the  preparatory  department  of  Marrietta  College. 
In  September,  i'S64,  went  to  Wisconsin  and  preached  two 
years  to  the  New  School  church  of  Stevens  Point,  and  the 
Old  School  church  of  Plover.  Labored  two  years  at  Colum- 
bus in  the  same  State.  In  1868  moved  to  Carbondale,  111., 
and  took  charge  of  the  church  there.  Became  at  this  time 
a  member  of  the  old  Alton  Presbytery.  At  the  end  of  three 
years  became  stated  supply  of  the  church  of  Ducoign,  and 
in  December,  1872,  was  installed  pastor  of  the  same.  This 
relation  continued  until  April,  1878,  when  it  was  terminated 
in  consequence  of  failing  health.     He  is  still  an  invalid. 


John  Mills  Johnson  was  born  at  Morristown,  N.  J.,  July 
27,  1815  Graduated  at  Princeton  College  in  1835,  and  at 
Union  Theological  Seminary  in  1841.  Licensed  and  or- 
dained by  the  Second  Presbytery  of  New  York  in  the  Mur- 
ray street  church,  October  20,  1841.  Supply  pastor  and 
pastor  at  Hanover,  N.  J.,  1841-49.  At  Morristown,  N.  J., 
1849-55.  Pastor  at  Hanover,  N.  J.,  1855-68.  Supply  pas- 
tor Vandalia,  III,  1868-72.  Pastor  at  Neoga,  111.,  1873, 
where  he  still  remains.  He  is  now  a  widower  with  only 
himself  and  daughter  in  the  family. 


Hugh  Aiken  McKelvey  was  born  in  Chesterville,  South 
Carolina,  March  23,  18 18.  Graduated  at  Indiana  State 
University,  Bloomington,  Ind.,  1843.  Ordained  by  Western 
Presbytery  of  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church  of  North 
America,  April  16,  1849.  His  ancestors  were  slave-holders 
up  to  1800,  when  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
United  States  was  reorganized  upon  strictly  anti-slavery  prin- 
ciples, and   immediately  emancipated  their  slaves.     The  re- 


JOHN  D.  JONES.  665 

■suit  was  that  when  the  former  masters  removed — in  1830— 
to  Randolph  county,  111.,  the  descendants  with  three  of  those 
•who  were  freed  (one  godly  old  woman  brought  from  Africa, 
at  least  one  hundred  and  nine  years  old  when  she  died)  fol- 
lowed, settled  in  the  same  neighborhood  and  belonged  to 
the  same  church.  He  made  his  profession  of  religion  in  Dr. 
VVylie's  church  at  about  the  age  of  eighteen.  He  settled  in  the 
Walnut  Hill  congregation  and  remained  six  and  a  half  years. 
After  giving  up  his  charge  from  disease,  he  edited  a  county 
paper  for  one  year.  He  then  went  to  Minnesota,  where  he 
resided  five  years,  laboring  as  a  missionary  at  large  for  three 
years  of  the  five.  He  then,  with  his  wife,  received  an  ap- 
pointment as  teacher  among  the  Freedmen.  Early  in  1864 
he  went  to  Vicksburg  and  Natchez  with  eight  or  nine  others, 
under  the  superintendency  of  Joel  Burlingame,  father  of 
Hon.  Anson  Burlingame,  and,  as  his  assistant,  distributed 
$4,000  worth  of  clothing  to  the  countrabands.  After  four 
months  service  at  the  South,  he  returned  on  account  of  the 
failing  health  of  his  wife,  who  died  one  year  from  that  time. 
At  the  time  of  his  union  with  Alton  Presbytery — October  9, 
1869 — he  was  residing  with  his  second  wife  in  Centralia,  III. 
He  is  now — 1879 — in  Bridgeport,  Ct.,  a  member  of  West- 
chester Presbytery, 

John  Davies  Jones  was  born  at  Bala,  North  Wales,  April 
27,  1834.  His  parents  were  of  the  Congregational  faith,  in 
which  he  also  was  brought  up.  He  came  to  the  United 
-States  in  boyhood,  and  soon  after  his  arrival  began  to  pre- 
pare for  college  with  a  view  of  entering  the  ministry,  to 
which  he  had  been  consecrated  by  his  mother.  He  received 
his  classical  training  at  Hamilton  College,  N.  Y.,  and  his 
theological  and  philosophical  at  Yale  College,  New  Haven, 
Ct.  He  commenced  to  preach  in  1856,  and  continued  to 
exercise  his  gifts  as  an  evangelist  during  all  the  years  of  his 
training.  It  was  his  intention  originally  to  go  as  a  mission- 
ary to  China,  but  the  war  of  the  rebellion  disarranged  his 
plans,  by  calling  for  his  services,  which  he  felt  bound  to 
loyally  render  his  adopted  country  in  her  hour  of  trial. 
While  serving  as  a  private  soldier  in  the  army,  he  was  or- 
dained June,  1864,  by  a  mixed  council  at  the  Chnton  Avenue 
Congregational  church,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  the  Rev.  Wm.  Ives 
Budington,  D.  D.,  the  pastor  of  the  church  presiding,  and 
the  Rev.  Joseph  P.  Thompson,  D.  D.,  delivering   the  sermon 


666  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

on  the  occasion.  He  was  married  at  Marcy,  New  York^ 
April  8,  1859,  to  Miss  Margaret  Frances  Griffiths,  of  Utica,. 
N.  Y.  He  has  now  Hving  four  children,  viz.:  Hamilton  Y., 
born  December  19,  1861  ;  Adelma  F.,  born  November  12, 
1864;  Sumner  Kase,  born  August  20,  1870,  and  Laura  B., 
born  August  3,  1876.  He  came  to  Illinois  January  1867, 
and  took  charge  of  the  church  at  Collinsville,  which  he 
served  over  two  years,  having  his  labors  blessed  with  one  of 
the  most  powerful  revivals  in  the  history  of  that  community. 
Afterwards  he  took  charge  of  the  church  at  East  St.  Louis, 
serving  it  for  about  three  years,  completing  in  the  interval 
and  paying  for  tlie  church  building  commenced  by  his  pre- 
decessor. On  resigning  his  charge  here,  he  served  the 
church  at  Winchester,  in  the  Presbytery  of  Springfield,  for  a 
year,  and  then,  after  spending  a  winter  South  in  the  service 
of  the  Home  Mission  Board,  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  church 
at  Chatham,  which  he  served  for  upwards  of  four  years,  suc- 
ceeding during  his  stay  there  to  erect  a  commodious  parson- 
age as  well  as  to  rebuild  the  church.  Since  September,  1877, 
he  has  been  in  charge  of  the  church  at  Brazil,  Indiana. 


James  Scott  Davis,  Born  at  Winchester,  Va.,  July  2,  1828. 
Ancestry,  on  father's  side,  Welsh  and  Presbyterian ;  on 
mother's,  Scotch-English  and  Episcopalian.  Cavalier  and 
Roundhead.  Graduated  from  Knox  College,  Illinois,  185 1. 
From  Oberlin  Theological  Seminary    1854.  Li- 

censed by  faculty  of  Oberlin  Theological  Seminary  in  1854. 
Ordained  1856  by  Church  of  Christ,  worshiping  at  Glenville, 
Ky.  Field  of  labor  for  first  five  years  :     North- 

ern Kentucky,  supplying  two  independent  churches.  During 
i860,  lectured  in  Northwest  on  religious  anti-slavery  work  in 
Kentucky.  From  1861  to  1868  labored  with  Congrega- 
tional churches  in  Southern  Illinois.  From  1869  to  present, 
with  the  Presbyterian  churches  in  same  portion  of  the 
State.  Married    June  16,    1856,    at   residence  of 

Mr.  John  C.  Rogers,  father  of  bride,  in  Pittsfield,  Ohio,, 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Amelia  Rogers,  of  royal  descent. 
Children — Elizabeth  Amelia  Rogers,  born  April  19,  1857; 
Samuel  Hopkins,  born  October  16,  1859;  John  Rogers,  born 
May  29,  1862;  Almanza  Scott,  born  August  17,  1864;  Mary 
Hamlin,  born  August  29,  1867  ;  Henry  Hamlin,  born  Sept.  12, 
1869;   George  Thompson  Brown,  born  July  4,  1873.     Mary 


C.  SOLON'    ARMSTRONG.  66/ 

Hamlin  died  September  9,  1868.  Every  Sabbath  afternoon- 
father  went  over  the  Westminster  Catechism  with  the  family. 
He  could  answer  any  question  and  ask  the  next  without  a 
book.  One  result  of  this  is,  that  I  am  to-day  a  Presbyterian. 
I  have  three  volumes  of  the  "  Religious  Magazine,"  ed- 
ited by  my  grandfather — Cornelius  Davis — in  1796,  1797  and 
1799,  at  New  York  city.  It  must  be  strongly  Calvinistic,  for 
the  very  paper  is  blue.  I  am,  yearly,  stronger  in 

the  conviction  that  our  children  should  be  led  to  Christ  at 
the  earliest  possible  time. 


C.  Solon  Armstrong  was  born  in  Parishville,  N.  Y.,  Sep- 
tember 4,  1826.  His  parents  were  Chester  and  Eunice  Arm- 
strong, of  Addison  county,  Vt.  Their  parents  were,  on  the 
maternal  side  of  each.  Baptists;  on  the  paternal  side  of  each 
Universalists.  Chester  and  Eunice  Armstrong  became  Christ- 
ians and  Congregationalistsin  1826  in  Western  N.  Y.  C.  A. 
was  a  Presbyterian  elder  the  last  thirty  years  of  his  life  in 
Michigan.  C.  S.  A.  became  a  Christian  in  very  early  child- 
hood, at  Ausable  Forks,  Essex  county,  N,  Y.,  and  was  jre- 
ceived  to  Congregational  Church  in  Cornwall,  Vt.,  Rev.  Dr. 
Burchard  pastor,  in  1836.  Emigrated  with  his  father's  fam- 
ily to  Jackson  county,  Mich.,  in  1839.  Remained  on  the  farm 
with  his  father  till  1848 — teaching  the  last  four  winters  pre- 
vious to  that  date.  In  1846  entered  preparatory  department 
of  "Michigan  Central  College"  (now  Hillsdale,  and  which,, 
in  1876,  conferred  on  him  the  honorary  degree  of  D.  D.)  In 
1848  entered  Freshman  in  Michigan  University.  Was  gradu- 
ated in  1852,  teaching  all  the  way  betimes.  Was  superin- 
tendent of  public  schools  in  Jackson,  Mich.,  one  year  fol- 
lowing. In  1853  entered  Union  Theological  Seminary,  under 
a  strong  conviction  which  had  come  from  childhood,  but  only 
now  consciously  accepted,  that  God  was  calling  him  into  the 
ministry.  He  went  against  earnest  solicitations  of  friends  to 
remain  in  the  profession  of  teacher,  in  which  he  had  achieved 
a  rather  flattering  success.  Revival  influences  and  hopeful 
conversions  had  occurred  from  the  first  under  his  teaching. 

Was  graduated  at  Union  Theological  Seminary  in  1856.. 
Licensed  by  Third  Presbytery  of  New  York,  April  of  same 
year.  Was  superintendent  of  seamen's  missions  during  the 
three  years  for  the  Brooklyn  City  Bible  and  Tract  Society. 
Married,   June   4,   1856,    Miss  Elizabeth   D.  Camp,   of  Pal- 


668  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

myra,  N.  Y.  Called  June  15  to  First  church  of  Lansing, 
Mich.  Ordained  pastor  of  the  same  November  6  of  same 
year,  of  which  Presbytery  he  was  subsequently  for  six  years 
Stated  Clerk.  Wife  died,  February,  1857,  leaving  an  infant 
daughter,  still  living.  Married  Emily  Seymour,  of  Flushing, 
Mich.,  October,  1859,  by  whom  he  has  four  daughters  and  a 
son — all  living.  In  September,  1864,  was  called  to  the  chap- 
laincy of  4th  Regiment  of  Michigan  Cavalry  United  States 
army.  Left  the  First  church,  having  received  to  the  commun- 
ion two  hundred  and  thirty-two  members.  Organized  Second 
church,  also  the  "  Cedar  Branch  chapel,"  and  assisted  in  or- 
ganizing four  other  churches  at  outlying  preaching  points. 

He  served  one  year  in  the  army  active  campaigning  to  the 
end  of  the  war  of  the  rebellion.  Returned  to  Lansing,  Mich., 
and  took  charge  of  the  Second  church  till  April,  1 869.  Church, 
finished  and  dedicated,  cost  ^10,000 — paid  for — and  has  one 
hundred  sixty-five  members ;  three  and  a  half  years  pastoral 
care.  Called  to  the  present  charge,  Presbyterian 

church  of  Alton,  April,  1869.  Has  received  since  three 
hundred  and  ten  members.  Meantime  the  church  has  bought 
parsonage,  four  thousand  dollars ;  Mission  property,  fifteen 
hundred  dollars;  expended  at  home  on  an  average  of  three 
thousand  dollars,  and  given  to  outside  benevolences  (Boards 
of  churches  chiefly)  an  average  of  eight  hundred  dollars. 
From  a  very  early  time  he  has  had  an  earnest  sympathy  with 
evangelistic  labor  and  organizing  pioneer  enterprises.  In  view 
of  this  tendency  he  was  once  commissioned  (in  1868),  by  the 
Home  Board,  Secretary  of  Home  Missions  for  the  Synod  of 
Michigan,  and  has  been  more  recently  nominated  by  his  own 
Synod  (Illinois  South)  to  the  like  position.  His  efforts,  aid- 
ing brethren  and  at  pioneer  points,  are  believed  to  have  re- 
sulted in  conversions  scarcely  less  in  number  than  those 
that  have  occurred  under  his  pastoral  efforts. 


Du  Bois  Church.  This  place  is  on  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad,  twenty-one  miles  south  of  Centralia.  Our  church 
here  was  organized  by  Revs.  A.  T.  Norton  and  C.  F.  Halsey, 
Sabbath,  January  24,  1869,  with  nine  members — Louis  Bunce, 
Mrs.  Susan  W.  Bunce,  Mrs.  Susan  B,  Williams,  Thomas  W. 
Studderd,  Mrs.  Hannah  A.  Lounsbury,  Horace  Collins,  Mrs. 
Marcella  Hale.  Elders:  Louis  Bunce  and  Thomas  W. 
.Studderd,  the  first.    James    C.   Lounsbury  and   Henry   Hoi- 


PRESBYTERY  OF  SALINE.  669^ 

brook  appointed  in  1875.  Ministers:  C.  F.  Halsey,  John 
Huston,  George  W.  Ash,  J.  N.  B.  Smith,  student,  from  Chi- 
cago in  summer  of  1868,  A.  C  Zenos,  student  from  Prince- 
ton summer  of  1869.  The  church  building  was  erected  and 
dedicated  in  1874.  It  cost  two  thousand  dollars.  There 
have  been  connected  with  the  church  forty-two  members. 


Vera  Church  was  organized  by  Rev.  Joseph  Gordon, 
January  17.  1869,  with  eleven  members.  Elders:  John  M. 
Russell,  Andrew  Ray,  the  first.  Since  chosen :  Jacob  C. 
Luken,  William  H.  Hedges.  The  church  has  been  reduced  hy 
deaths  and  removals  to  eight  members.  The  church  num- 
bered at  one  time  forty-four  reliable  members.  Joseph  Gor- 
don has  been  their  only  minister.  The  places  of  meeting 
have  been  a  school  house,  and  in  a  building  erected  by  the 
community,  but  claimed  by  the  Protestant  Methodists.  Vera 
is  in  the  N.  E.  quarter  of  the  S.  W.  quarter  of  Sec.  20,  T.  7" 
N.,  R.  I  E. 

Shobonier  Church  was  organized  by  Rev.  Joseph  Gor- 
don, April  14,  1869,  with  these  members:  Edwin  A. 
Frye,  Mrs.  Amanda  E.  Frye,  Samuel  Spencer,  Mrs. 
Jane  Spencer,  John  Muir,  Mrs.  Christiana  Muir.  Mrs. 
Catharine  Moran,  Miss  Sarah  A.  Moran,  Alonzo  Perry,  Mrs. 
Frances  Perry.  Elders  :  John  Muir,  Edwin  A.  Frye,  the 
first.  Since  appointed:  Samuel  Spencer,  July  12,  1874. 
Ministers:  Joseph  Gordon,  from  beginning  to  spring  of 
1873;  William  Ellers,  about  one  year;  Joseph  Gordon, 
again  in  spring  of  1874,  and  still  continues — 1879.  This 
church  was  organized  in  Mr.  Frye's  parlor.  Shobonier  is 
T.  5,  R.  I  E.,  Sec.  24,  on  main  line  of  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 
This  congregation  own  no  house  separately,  but  have  an  in- 
terest of  two  thousand  dollars  in  the  Baptist  house  and  use  it 
freely. 

Villa  Ridge  was  organized  April  4,  1869,  by  Revs.  C.  H. 
Foote  and  E.  B.  Olmsted,  with  six  members,  Daniel  H.  Phil- 
lips, elder. 

The  Presbytery  of  Saline  met  at  McLeansboro,  April 
22,  1869.  The  church  of  Rome  having  but  one  member  left 
was  dissolved.  S.  Cook,  minister,  and  C.  S.  Conger,  elder,, 
were  appointed  to  attend  the  next  Assembly. 


•6/0  PRESBYTERIAN  ISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

The  tall  meeting  was  held  with  Pisgah  church,  Lawrence 
•county,  September  i6.  George  K.  Perkins  was  dismissed  to 
the  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia.     Gilgal  church  was  received. 


GiLGAL  Church  was  organized  by  Revs.  John  Huston,  G. 
B.  McComb,  and  Elder  John  Parkhill,  June,  1869,  with  six- 
teen members  and  two  elders.  One  of  the  two  was  John 
McAfoos.  His  address,  Macedonia,  111.  Rev.  A.  C.  John- 
ston has  labored  here  more  or  less  for  years.  They  have  a 
small  but  neat  and  convenient  church  house. 


The  Synod  of  Illinois,  n.  s.,  held  their  annual  meeting  at 
Alton,  commencing  October  6,  1869.  The  appeal  of  James 
B.  Sheldon  from  the  decision  of  Wabash  Presbytery  suspend- 
ing him  from  the  ministry,  v.'as  sustained.  Much  time  was 
■occupied  with  arrangements  in  view  of  the  reunion  of  the 
New  and  Old  School  bodies.  The  Synod  of  Illinois,  o.  s., 
imet  at  Springfield,  October  14. 

YEAR  1870. 

The  Presbytery  of  Illinois  met  at  Jacksonville,  April  5, 
1870.  J.  R.  Armstrong  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of 
3t.  Louis.  Geo.  C.  Wood,  minister,  and  Joel  Catlin,  elder, 
were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly. 


The  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  met  at  Pinckneyville,  April 
7,  1870.  Geo.  W.  Fisher  was  received  from  the  Presbyter}^ 
of  Steubenville.  A.  J.  Clark,  minister,  and  S.  B.  Hood, 
■elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  next  Assembly. 
An  adjourned  meeting  was  held  with  Waveland  church  May 
12,  at  which  James  H.  Spilman  was  ordained  pastor  of  Wave- 
land  church.  A  second  adjourned  meeting  was  held  at 
Sparta,  June  15,  at  which  John  Hood,  licentiate,  was  received, 
examined  and  ordained  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  of  Sparta.  The  last  meeting  of  Kaskaskia  Presby- 
tery as  such  was  held  at  Vandalia,  July  13,  1870. 


Geo.  W.  Fisher  was  born  near  Hanover,  Harrison  county, 


JAMES  H.  SPILMAN.  6/1 

Ohio,  December  I2,  1834.  His  ancestors  on  the  paternal 
:side  were  German,  on  the  maternal,  Irish.  His  parents  were 
Armerican  born  and  Presbyterians.  He  graduated  at 
Frankhn  College,  Ohio,  September,  1858,  and  at  the  West- 
ern Theological  Seminary,  Allegheny  City,  April,  1861.  He 
was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Steubenville,  October, 
i860,  in  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Island  Creek,  Ohio,  and 
ordained  by  the  same  Presbytery  at  Annapolis,  Jefferson 
county,  Ohio,    October,  1862.  He  was    married 

to  Miss  Mary  Jane  Gaskill,  daughter  of  Rev.  Allen  Gaskill, 
in  Port  Washington,  Ohio,  November  13,  1862.  Their  child- 
ren are  Allen  Gaskill,  born  September  i6,  1863;  William 
Har\'ey,  September  7,  1866;  George  Wiley,  June  12,  1872, 
.and  James  Melville,  July  27,  1877.  He  has   had 

two  fields  of  labor,  (i)  Evans  Creek  and  Linton  in  Presby- 
tery of  Steubenville  from  April,  1861,  to  December,  1868, 
(2)  Trenton  and  Sugar  Creek,  111.,  in  Alton  Presbytery. 
This  field  he  still  occupies,  and  with  great  success. 


James  H.  Spilman  was  born  January  21,  1840,  in  Hills- 
boro,  Montgomery  county,  111.  His  father  was  Rev. 
Thomas  A.  Spilman,  who  as  well  as  his  elder  brother, 
Thomas  E.,  has  been  previously  noticed  in  this  volume. 
He  never  could  give  the  date  of  his  conversion;  but  at  the 
age  of  si.xteen,  he  united  with  Union  church  in  Morgan 
county.  In  1864  the  family  removed  to  Menard 

county,  where  he  studied  under  Prof.  D.  J.  Strain  and  others. 

He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Kaskaskia  at  Green- 
ville, Bond  county,  April  8,  1869.  He  immediately  took 
<:harge  of  Waveland  church,  Montgomery  county,  begining 
there  May  i,  1869.  He  was  ordained  at  the  spring  meeting 
of  the  Presbytery,  1870,  at  Pinckneyville.  He  ministered  to 
Waveland  church  for  six  years,  for  the  last  two  years  divid- 
ing his  time  M-ith  Elm  Point  church.  May  i,  1875,  he  re- 
moved ten  miles  south  to  Bond  county,  and  took  charge  of 
Bethel  in  connection  with  Elm  Point  church.  With  these 
two  churches  his  labors  are  still  continued.  April 

17,  1871,  he  was  united  in  marriage  by  his  brother,  Rev.  T. 
E.  Spilman,  to  Miss  Mary  R.  Hutchinson,  a  native  of  Cape 
•Girardeau  county,  Mo.  Their  children  are  Charles  Henry, 
born  June  8,1874,  and  Lizzie  Althine,  born  October  9, 
J  877. 


6/2  PRESBYTERIANiSM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

John  Hood  was  born  ia  Washington  county,  111.,  November 
17,  1S38.     His  father  was  Archibald  Hood,  a  native  of  South 
Carolina,   of  Scotch-Irish  extraction.      He  removed    to   Illi- 
nois when  about   the  age  of  thirty,  and  settled  in  Washing- 
ton county.  From  his  boyhood  he  was  set  apart 
by  his  father  for  the  Christian  ministry.     He  was    educated 
at    the    State    University    of  Indiana,    graduating    in    1862. 
Immediately    after   leaving    college    he    entered   the  Union 
army  as  first  lieutenant  of  company  F.,  eightieth  Illinois  in- 
fantry— Colonel  Thomas  G.  Allen.     On  the  death  of  Capt. 
Jones  he   was   promoted   to  the  command  of  the  company.. 
He  participated  in  the  sanguinary  battle    of  Perryville,  Ky,, 
in  which  both  the   division   and  brigade   commanders    were 
killed,  together  with   a  large   number  of  line  officers.      He 
commanded  his  company  in  this  as  in  all  other  engagements 
until    the    organization    of  the   celebrated    Streight  raid   in 
which   he   participated.     The  raiders  fell   into  the  hands  of 
the  notorious  Joe.  Forrest  and  his  command,  who   out  num- 
bered them  three  to  one,  and  on  the  3d  of  May,  1863,  made 
prisoners  of  the  entire  band.     The   privates   and  non-com- 
missioned  officers  were  parolled  soon  after,  but  the  officers, 
one  hundred  and  three  in  number,  were  taken  to  Rome,  At- 
lanta   and    Richmond,    and   kept  in    close  confinement    for 
twenty-two  months.     Capt.  Hood  was  sent  to  Libby   prison 
and   endured  the   rigors  of  that   horrible  bastile   for   many^ 
months.     He  was  afterward  sent  to  Charleston,  and  was  one 
of  the  six  hundred  Union  officers  who   were  placed  in  the 
line  of  the  fire  of  the  Union  batterries  on  Morris  Island,  and 
kept   in   that   perilous   condition   for  twelve  hours.     During 
his  confinement  at   Charleston  the  yellow-fever  broke  out, 
and  it  was  resolved  to   remove  the  prisoners   to   Columbia,. 
South    Carolina.     While   enroute    Capt.    Hood    and    Lieut. 
Goode,  of  Indiana,  resolved  to  escape   from  the  train  while 
in  motion.     They   made  a   desperate  jump  in  the  dark,  and 
escaped   with  life   though  badly  hurt.      They  were  able  to 
exchange    their    blue    uniforms    for    gray  by   the   aid   of  a. 
friendly  negro.     They  traveled  through  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia  with  a  view  of  reaching   the   Union   lines  in  East 
Tennessee.      When   within  twenty    miles    of    Atlanta    and 
Chattanooga  railroad,  they   were  overhauled  by  a  band  of 
bush-whackers,  and  again   plunged  into  captivity.      He  was 
finally    exchanged   in    March,    1865,    after  having   been    for 
twenty-two  months  a  prisoner.     It  was  while  lying  in  Libby 


PRESBYTERY  OF  SANGAMON.  6/3 

prison  that  he  experienced  the  first  inward  call  to  the  min- 
istry. In  October,  1865,  he  commenced  the  study  of  the- 
ology in  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Seminary  at  Allegheny 
City.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis  in 
1869.  Having  connected  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  he 
was  ordained  over  the  Sparta  church,  June  15,  1870.  He 
remained  in  that  charge  until  1878 — an  eight  years  pas- 
torate, marked  with  very  great  success.  April  25, 
1 87 1,  he  married  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  P.  B.  Gault,  Esq., 
of  Randolph  county,  111.  They  have  one  child,  a  daughter. 
Mr.  Hood  is  now  laboring  successfully  in  Cedar  Rapids, 
Iowa. 

Wabash  Presbytery  met  at  Tolono,  April  14,  1870,  Wm. 

B.  Paris  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Peoria.  The 
church  in  Unity,  Shelby  county,  was  dissolved.  T.  K. 
Hedges  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis.  G. 
A.  Pollock  was  released  from  the  care  of  Prairie  Bird  church. 

C.  J.  Pitkin,  minister,  and  P.  Nicholson,  elder,  were  ap- 
pointed Commissioners  to  the  next  Assembly. 


William  B.  Paris  was  born  in  Ohio  county,  West  Vir- 
ginia, July  II,  1834.  Graduated  at  Washington  College  and 
Allegheny  Seminary,  Pa.  After  licensure  he  served  the 
church  at  Mt.  Gilead  four  years,  and  then  removed  to  Mar- 
shall county,  in  this  State,  where  he  labored  for  two  years. 
Thence  he  came  to  Neoga,  Cumberland  county,  111.,  and 
there  died,  November  5,  1871,  being  the  fourth  year  of  his 
service  in  that  place. 

The  Presbytery  of  Palestine  met  with  Hebron  church, 
Ashmore  postoffice,  April  14,  1870.  S.  J.  Bovell  was 
chosen  Stated  Clerk.  Ellis  Howell,  minister,  and  I.  J. 
Monfort,  elder,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  next 
Assembly.  W.  W.  Williams  was  dismissed  to  the  Presby- 
tery of  Kaskaskia ;  J.  L.  Hawkins  to  that  of  Oswego,  and 
J.  E.  Lapsley  to  that  of  Crawfordsville. 


The  Presbytery  of  Sangamon  held  a  pro  re  nata  meet- 
ing at  Springfield,  January  ii,  1870,  at  which  James  A. 
Reed  was  received  from  the  Presbytery  of  Dubuque.     Ar- 

42 


6/4  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

rangements  were  made  for  his  installation  over  the  First 
church  in  Springfield,  on  the  first  Sabbath  of  February, 
1870.  The  spring  meeting  was  held  at  Springfield,  com- 
mencing April  19.  John  Crozier  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  Oxford,  and  R.  J.  L.  Matthews  dismissed  to 
the  Presbytery  of  New  Albany.  W.  W.  Harsha  and  C. 
Loudon,  ministers,  and  J.  W.  Frackelton  and  H.  P.  Lyman, 
elders,  were  appointed  Commissioners  to  the  next  Assem- 
bly. At  2l  pro  re  nata  meeting  in  Bloomington,  July  13,  the 
name  of  the  Second  church,  Jacksonville,  was  changed  to 
Central. 

The  Presbytery  of  Alton  met  at  Nokomis,  April  14, 
1870.  David  Dimond,  D.  D.,  and  L.  L  Root,  ministers, 
and  Isaac  Scarritt  and  George  E.  Warren,  elders,  were 
elected  Commissioners  to  the  next  Assembly.  The  churches 
of  Dongola  and  Grand  Tower  were  received — the  latter  in 
anticipation  of  its  organization.  Provisions  were  made  for 
an  address  by  Dr.  Norton,  giving  the  history  of  this  Pres- 
bytery at  Alton,  in  October,  1870.  At  a  called  meeting  in 
Vandalia,  at  an  interval  of  the  meeting  of  the  re-union 
Synod  of  Illinois  South,  John  G.  Rankin  was  received  from 
the  Presbytery  of  Schuyler. 


Dongola  Church,  Union  county,  was  organized  by  A.  T. 
Norton,  D.  D.,  and  C.  F.  Halsey,  February  23,  1869,  with 
these  members  :  Mrs.  Sophronia  Jane  Leavenworth,  Mrs. 
Susan  F.  Tew,  Mrs.  Mary  Lombard,  and  Mrs.  Angeline  Cal- 
vin.    Elders  :     Richard  A.   Bristol,  March    10,   1870,  Wm. 

D.  Stark,  February  2,  1874.  Ministers:  A.  T.Norton 
and  C.  F.  Halsey,  occasionally.     Wm.   B.   Minton,   1873-76; 

E.  L,  Davies,  1878.  Mrs.  S.  J.  Leavenworth  has  been  from 
the  beginning  and  still  is  the  leading  spirit  in  this  church, 
though  all  the  little  band  work  nobly.  They  have  an  inter- 
est in  one  of  the  two  church  buildings  in  the  village. 


The  Church  of  Grand  Tower  was  organized  by  Revs. 
A.  T.  Norton  and  J.  D.  Barstow,  May  i,  1870,  with  twenty- 
two  members.  Elders  :  Massadore  T.  Bennett,  jr.,  John 
Stevens,  jr.,  Abner  B.  Parmelee,  Richard  O.  Parmelee,  Dan 
Thomas.    Ministers  :  J.  B.  Barstow,  about  one  year  from  the 


CHURCH    OF    SALINE    MINES.  6/5 

•organization,  and  James  G.  Butler  since.  Mr.  Butler  is  pas- 
tor. The  present  church  edifice  was  built  in  the  fall  and  win- 
ter of  1871-72.  It  cost  about  four  thousand,  five  hundred 
dollars.     It  was  dedicated  January  28,  1872. 


James  G.  Butler  pursued  part  of  a  collegiate  course  at 
Wilhams  College,  and  left  in  1862  for  the  U.  S.  service.  He 
entered  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Auburn  in  1867,  and 
graduated  May  5,  1870.  He  came  immediately  to  Grand 
Tower,  Jackson  county.  111.,  was  ordained  October  29,  1870, 
and  the  next  d^y.  Sabbath,  installed  pastor  of  that  church, 
where  he  has  remained  ever  since.  He  preaches 

also  every  Thursday  night  to  a  Presbyterian  congregation 
at  Mt.  Carbon,  which  he  has  recently  gathered.  The  people 
there  are  ripe  for  a  church  organization.  There  is  a  fine 
Sabbath  school  of  over  eighty  members. 


The  Presbytery  of  Saline  met  at  Golconda,  April  7, 
1870.  The  churches  of  Saline  Mines  and  Gilead  were  re- 
ceived. John  Mack  was  released  from  the  pastoral  care  of 
Pisgah  church,  and  Joseph  Warren,  D.  D.,  from  that  of 
Salem.  Henry  E.  Thomas,  jr.,  minister,  and  J.  F.  Birks, 
elder,  were  chosen  Commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  Pro- 
vision was  made  for  the  installation  of  B.  C.  Swan  over  Carmi 
church  on  Sabbath,  June  12,  1870. 


The  Church  of  Saline  Mines,  Gallatin  county.  Novem- 
ber 12,  1869,  the  pastor  of  Shawneetown  church,  C.  C.  Hart, 
and  three  of  the  elders,  viz.,  J.  M.  Peeples,  Matthew  Hunter 
and  Robert  Reid  met  at  Saline  Mines  fourteen  professing 
Christians.  They  expressed  a  desire  to  be  organized  into  a 
branch  of  Shawneetown  church.  This  was  done,  and  the 
Lord's  Supper  administered.  Meetings  were  continued  daily 
for  two  weeks.  Afterwards,  in  January,  1870,  for  three 
weeks.  God's  Spirit  was  present  and  additions  were  made 
to  this  branch  church  until  it  numbered  eighty-three  persons. 
April  2d  the  pastor  was  here  again  and  the  branch  church 
expressed  a  desire  to  become  a  complete  organization,  wi'h 
officers  and  a  name  of  their  own.  This  was  done.  Robert 
Heed  and  Robert  Wright  were  made  elders,  and  the  church 


6y6  PRE3BYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

chose  the  name  of  Saline  Mines.  The  elders  of  that  church, 
especially  Robert  Reid,  have,  under  the  sanction  of  Presby- 
tery, since  that  time  held  regular  religious  services. 


GiLEAD  Church,  in  the  western  part  of  Lawrence  county,, 
was  organized  by  Rev.  S.  C.  Baldridge,  February  13  and  14, 
1870,  with  these  eighteen  members,  viz. :  Wm.  D.  Craig,  Mrs. 
Margaret  Craig,  Mrs.  Naomi  Finley,  Mrs.  Louisa  Provines,. 
Samuel  Craig,  Loren  A.  Finley,  Mrs.  Jane  Webber,  Thomas 
A.  Humbert,  Mrs.  Julia  Humbert,  these  from  the  church  of 
Laurel  Hill,  Redstone  Presbytery,  Pa.;  Wilhatn  E.  Doolittle,. 
Mrs.  M.  J.  Doolitte,  William  Provines,  Mrs,  C.  Provines,  Miss 
Margaret  O.  McCormick  from  the  church  of  Friendsville ;, 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  Craig,  Mrs.  Melissa  Hillis,  Mrs.  Jane  M. 
Smalley  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  J.  Provines.  Elders:  William 
D.  Craig  and  T.  M.  Humbert.  Ministers:  S.  C.  Baldridge,. 
C.  C.  Bomberger,  and  now  James  Scott  Davis.  The  site  of 
the  church  building  consists  of  one  acre,  and  was  bought  for 
fifteen  dollars.  It  is  the  S.  W.  corner  of  S.  W.  quarter  of 
Sec.  31,  T.  3,  R.  13.  The  building  is  of  wood,  twenty-six  by 
forty,  a  perfect  gem  of  good  taste,  embosomed  in  its  grove 
of  native  trees.  It  cost  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  and  was 
dedicated  December  4,  1870;  sermon  by  S.  C.  Baldridge. 
Church  Erection  furnished  four  hundred  dollars.  The  church 
includes  eleven  families,  mostly  Scotch-Irish. 


The  Church  of  Auburn,  in  the  south  part  of  Sangamon 
county,  has  not  been  named  thus  far  in  this  history.  I  can 
find  in  the  Presbyterial  records  no  account  of  its  organiza- 
tion. It  was  first  reported  to  the  Assembly  in  1858.  It  then 
had  twelve  members.  In  1878  it  reported  thirty-five  mem- 
bers and  H.  S.  Magill  was  an  elder. 


Carbondale  Church,*  Perry  county.  In  November, 
1852,  the  town  of  Carbondale  was  laid  out  upon  the  line  of 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  then  first  located  through  said 

*This  church  is  mentioned  briefly  on  a  preceding  page.  A  very  complete  ac- 
count, from  the  pen  of  Col.  D.  H.  Brush,  has  been  sent  me,  but  at  too  late  a 
period  to  find  admission  in  its  proper  place.  I  insert  here,  however,  its  salient 
points. 


CARBONDALE    CHURCH.  ^JJ 

county,  and  in  course  of  construction.  The  writer  of  this 
sketch,  with  Asgiil  Conner  and  Dr.  William  Richart,  had  se- 
lected the  site  of  the  town,  of  which  the  original  plat  was 
made  and  acknowledged  November  23  in  said  year.  Upon 
suggestion  of  the  writer — not  then  a  member  of  any  church 
— four  lots  were  set  apart  for  the  use  of  that  number  of 
Christian  denominations  (one  to  each),  that  might  first  select 
for  a  place  to  build  a  house  of  worship,  and  were  designated 
upon  the  plat,  as  "Reserved  for  Churches" — such  lots  being, 
one  in  each  quarter  of  the  town,  equi-distant  from  its  center — 
the  public  square.  The  condition  annexed  to  the  donation 
of  the  lots  was  entered  upon  the  plat,  in  the  following  words : 

"The  lots  donated  to  churches,  as  marked  on  this  plat,  are 
not  to  vest  in  said  churches  until  a  house  of  worship  shall  be 
erected  thereon,  of  stone,  brick,  or  frame,  worth  at  least  five 
hundred  dollars,  and  then  to  vest  in  fee  simple  in  such  church." 

The  first  sermon  in  the  place  was  preached  by  Rev.  Jo- 
siah  Wood,  a  Presbyterian  minister,  in  December,  1852.  He 
held  services  in  a  log  cabin  erected  by  Asgiil  Conner  for  a 
dwelling,  but  unfinished,  having  only  the  logs  in  place,  the 
roof  on  and  floor  laid.  Mr.  Wood  at   the  same 

time,  acting  for  and  on  behalf  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
made  choice  of  lot  No.  59,  being  the  one  in  the  southwestern 
quarter  of  the  town,  reserved  for  church  purposes.  A  sub- 
scription paper  was  drawn  up  and  circulated,  and  some 
money  secured  for  the  erection  of  a  "  Presbyterian  "  church 
building  upon  said  lot.  It    may  here   be    stated 

that  at  the  time  of  laying  out  the  town  it  was  proposed  by 
the  writer  that  the  sale  of  spirituous  and  intoxicating  liquors 
as  a  beverage  should  be  forever  prohibited  upon  any  and  all 
the  lots.  The  proposition  was  acceded  to  by  all  the  others  in- 
terested, and  a  condition  was  adopted  and  entered  upon  the 
plat  and  inserted  in  the  deeds  made  to  parties  to  whom  lots 
were  conveyed,  providing  that  "  All  the  right,  title  and  in- 
terest of  any  person  whatsoever  to  any  lot  in  this  town  on 
which  he,  she,  or  they,  shall  hereafter  sell  spirituous  liquors, 
to  be  used  as  a  beverage,  shall  then  and  thereafter  be  for- 
feited to  and  become  the  property  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
said  town  for  the  support  of  public  schools,  and  to  that  ex- 
tent and  for  that  purpose  are  hereby  appropriated." 

The  first  sale  of  the  lots  in  the  town  was  held  January  4, 
1853.  Persons  who  desired  to  establish  liquor-selling  shops 
were  in  attendance  to  purchase,  but  the  announcement  that 


6/8  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

such  traffic  would  not  be  permitted,  and  that  the  provision  in- 
dorsed upon  the  plat  would  be  rigidly  enforced,  sufficed  to 
deter  tippling-shop  keepers  from  bidding,  and  relieved  the 
embryo  city  of  their  baleful  presence  then  and  since,  except 
in  a  clandestine  way.  On  the  13th  of  February, 

1854,  Rev.  Josiah  Wood,  assisted  by  Rev.  Robert  Stewart, 
organized  the  "  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Carbondale." 
The  members  being  Roland  R.  Brush,  Frances  E.,  his  wife, 
Dr.  William  Richart  and  Elizabeth,  his  wife,  and  Almira 
Dougherty.     Roland  R.  Brush  was  elected  elder. 

From  this  time  on,  for  several  years,  the  infant  church  had- 
the  varied  experiences  incident  to  new  churches  in  the  wil- 
derness, having  no  regular  preaching  or  place  of  worship. 
Occasionally  a  minister  would  come  and  dispense  the  Word 
of  truth — perchance  under  a  green  tree  of  the  forest  or  in  some 
friendly  carpenter's  shop,  or  private  room  of  small  dimensions. 
A  house  of  worship  was  commenced  in  1856  and  completed 
July  12,  1859,  after  many  delays  and  much  struggling  to  ob- 
tain needed  means  to  carry  on  the  work.  The  total  amount 
expended  in  building  and  furnishing  the  church  was  three 
thousand,  six  hundred  and  forty-two  dollars  and  fifty-two 
cents,  of  which  sum  five  hundred  dollars  had  been  borrowed 
from  the  Church  Erection  fund,  and  over  two  thousand  dol- 
lars were  owing  to  four  persons,  for  money  advanced  by  them 
to  complete  the  building.  At  this  time  the  membership  of  the 
church  was  sixteen,  of  whom  ten  were  females.  September 
24,  1859,  the  house  of  worship  was  dedicated.  December 
18,  1859,  Daniel  H.  Brush  and  Samuel  I.  Bartlett,  were  made 
elders.  In  1856  Rev.  W.  S.  Post  came  and  supplied  the  congre- 
gation until  August,  1862  when  he  entered  the  army  as  chap- 
lain. He  was  succeeded  for  a  time  by  J.  Russell  Johnson, 
licentiate.  In  the  spring  of  1865,  Rev.  Andrew  Luce  took 
charge  and  remained  for  three  years.  Under  the 

ministry  of  Mr.  Luce  the  indebtedness  of  the  church — 
amounting  to  ^2,643 — was  entirely  removed.  In 

October,  1868,  Rev.  E.  F.  Fish  took  charge  of  the  church 
and  remained  three  years.  Dr.  William  Richart  and  Elder 
Wm.  Storer  were  removed  by  death  in  the  fall  of  1868,  to  the 
great  loss  of  the  church.  In  January,  1872,  Rev. 

John  L.  Hawkins  was  employed  as  supply  pastor  and  still 
continues.  In  June,  1870,  Col.  D.  H.  Brush  resigned  the 
office  of  ruling  elder,  which  he  had  held  since  1859,  and  the 
plan  of  limited  eldership  was  adopted.     Edwin  P.  Purdy  and 


GREENUP    CHURCH.  679 

Davis  N.  Hamilton  were  elected  on  that  plan,  and  have  been 
continued  by  successive  re-elections  until  this  present.  A 
Sabbath-school  has  from  the  beginning  been  vigorously 
maintained. 

Greenup  Church, and  Cumberlcounty,  was  org  anized  in 
April,  1867,  with  emb  these  mers :  Robert  Boals,  Mrs. 
Sarah  Jane  Boals,  William  Stump,  Mrs.  Lucy  Niswanger, 
Nehemiah  Francher,  Mrs.  Ella  Francher.  Robert  Boals 
was  made  elder.  He  died  October  i,  1868.  Another  elder  was 
Geo.  Lewis.  Largely  through  the  persevering  efforts  of  Mrs. 
Boals — now  Mrs.  ShuU — and  Mrs.  Niswanger,  a  good  house  of 
worship  was  erected  and  dedicated  July  23,  1876.  The  ser- 
mon on  the  occasion  was  preached  by  the  writer.  Rev. 
Geo.  F.  Davis  had  labored  there  to  some  extent  the  year 
before,  and  largely  aided  the  church  enterprise.  Philo  F. 
Phelps,  a  student  in  theology,  was  with  this  people  a  portion 
of  the  time  in  the  summer  of  1876,  was  highly  esteemed  and 
very  useful. 


Of  the  following  ministers  who  have  labored  in  the 
bounds  marked  out  for  this  volume  and  previous  to  1870,  I 
have  gained  no  information  other  than  that  found  in 
the  minutes  of  the  Assemblies  and  the  records  of  the  Pres- 
byteries and  Synods,  viz.:  John  G.  Simrall,  John  S.  Reas- 
oner,  Robert  Rutherford,  Andrew  L.  Pennoyer,  Benj.  B. 
Brown,  John  A.  Steele,  Bilious  Pond,  William  A.  Smith, 
Alanson  Alvord,  C.  D.  Martin,  Thomas  M.  Newell,  Andrew 
A.  Morrison,  C.  P.  Jennings,  Tracy  M.  Oviatt,  John  Elliott, 
John  Mack,  Nathan  F.  Tuck,  William  M.  Taylor,  John  Fox, 
David  C.  Marquis,  William  G.  Thomas,  R.  G.  Williams, 
James  R.  Brown,  Solomon  Cook,  B.  E.  Mayo,  Henry  E. 
Thomas,  John  C.  Wagaman,  John  Miller,  Charles  Coffin 
Hart,  Geo.  Eraser,  William  K.  Powers,  Robert  C.  McKinney, 
Abram  B.  Eraser,  James  A.  Reed,  William  A.  Hendrickson, 
A.  S.  Foster.  Most  of  these  are  living  and  some  near  at 
hand.  To  all  these  letters  have  been  addressed,  once,  twice 
and  sometimes  oftener,  In  case  of  the  deceased,  friends 
have  been  addressed      In  vain. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

BRIEF  SKETCHES. OF  THE  MINISTERS  WHO  HAVE  COMMENCED 
THEIR  LABORS  WITHIN  THE  LIMITS  THIS  BOOK  EMBRACES 
SINCE     1870,  AND    WHO  ARE    SUBSCRIBERS  THEREFOR. 

Note. — It  was  my  original  intention  to  have  brought  forward  this  history  to 
1876.  Space  forbids.  Since  the  happy  re-union  of  1870,  I  shall  say  nothing  of 
meetings  of  Synods,  or  Presbyteries,  or  of  individual  churches.  Still  something 
is  due  to  those  ministerial  friends  of  this  re-union  period  who  are  helping  the  un- 
dertaking "with  the  sinews  of  war."     But  I  have  cat  down  terribly 

NiNiAN  Steele  Dickey  was  born  at  Lexington,  Scott 
county,  Ind.,  November  24,  1822.  His  father.  Rev.  John 
McElroy  Dickey,  was  the  son  of  David  Dickey  and  Marga- 
ret Stephenson,  his  second  wife.  He  was  born  December 
16,  1789,  and  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  His  ancestors 
emigrated  to  South  Carolina  from  Ireland  some  time  pre- 
vious to  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  many  of  them  were 
soldiers  in  that  war — all  of  them  on  the  side  of  Independ- 
ence and  liberty.  Ninian  Steele  was  the  second 
son  of  Rev.  John  McElroy  Dickey  by  his  second  wife,  Mar- 
garet Osburn  Steele.  He  became  a  communicant  in  the 
church  before  he  was  twelve  years  of  age.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen  he  entered  upon  a  course  of  preparation  for  the 
ministry.  He  graduated  at  Wabash  College  in  1848,  having 
worked  his  way  through  by  the  most  untiring  industry. 

His  theological  course  was  taken  at  Lane  Seminary.  He 
was  licensed  by  Cincinnati  Presbytery  in  the  spring  of  1850, 
and  spent  the  summer  ensuing  in  laboring  with  his  father's 
old  charge — Pisgah  church — New  Washington,  Ind.  He  re- 
ceived a  unanimous  call  to  become  their  pastor,  which  he  ac- 
cepted and  was  ordained  as  such  in  the  winter  of  1 85 1.  This 
pastoral  relation  continued  for  three  years. 

June  8,  1852,  he  married  Mary  Jane  Davis,  daughter  of 
Solomon  Davis,  M.  D,,  of  Columbus,  Ind.  Five  sons  and 
two  daughters  are  the  fruit  of  this  union.  Two  sons  died  in 
early  life.  The  rest  survive.  The  eldest  has  for  some  years 
been  cashier  of  Cumberland  county  bank  at  Neoga,  111.  The 
second  son  is  a  student  in  Wabash  College.     The  three  sons 


JOHN    W.  BAILEY.  68  I 

are  professors  of  religion.  The  youngest  and  the  two  daugh- 
ters are  at  home  with  their  parents.  Mrs.  Dickey  is  a  woman 
of  culture,  piety  and  unusual  social  qualities. 

Mr.  Dickey  labored  at  Columbus,  Ind.,  from  June,  1853,  to 
December,  1870.  January  i,  1871,  he  took  charge  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  church,  Mattoon,  111.,  and  continued  until 
the  First  and  Second  churches  were  united.  He  then 
went  to  Neoga,  111.,  where  he  remained  four  years.  His  next 
field  was  Greenville,  Bond  county.  November,  1876,  he  ac- 
■cepted  a  call  to  the  church  of  Mendota,  La  Salle  county,  III., 
where  he  remained  fourteen  months.  January  i,  1878,  he 
commenced  at  Hillsboro,  111.,  and  there  he  still  remains.  In 
each  of  these  Illinois  fields  his  labors  have  been  largely 
blessed. 

John  William  Bailey  was  born,  March  26,  1822,  in  Marl- 
boro county,  N.  Y.  On  the  paternal  side  he  is  descended 
from  the  Huguenots — on  the  maternal,  from  Rev.  Thomas 
Hooker,  D.  D.,  formerly  of  Hartford,  Ct.  He  received  a 
careful  religious  training  and  dates  his  religious  life  from  his 
earliest  years.  He  studied  law  for  two  years  in  New  York 
city,  but  preferring  the  work  of  the  ministry  he  entered  upon 
a  course  of  thorough  preparation.  He  graduated  at  Wil- 
liams College  in  1849,  and  at  Union  Seminary  in  1852.  The 
same  year  he  was  licensed  and  received  a  call  to  the  Second 
Presbyterian  church  in  Galesburg,  111.  He  remained  in  that 
city  nearly  twelve  years,  being  most  of  the  time  professor  in 
Knox  College.  In  the  spring  of  1864  he  accepted  a  call 
from  the  First  Presbyterian  church  in  Bloomington,  where  he 
remained  nearly  three  years.  In  1867  he  was  appointed  Pro- 
fessor of  Theology  in  Blackburn  Seminary,  and  soon  after 
President  of  the  University.  He  remained  in  connection 
with  that  institution  about  ten  years.  October  25,  1878,  he 
was  installed  pastor  of  the  Sparta  Presbyterian  church,  where 
he   still    remains.  March    10,    185 1,   he  married 

]\Iiss  Calfernia  S.,  daughter  of  Harvey  White,  Esq.,  of  Ver- 
mont. They  have  had  five  children,  three  sons  and  two 
daughters,  viz.:  John  W.,  Frank,  Christopher  Rober,  Grace 
and  Minnie.  The  third  son  was  instantly  killed  by  being 
thrown  from  a  railroad  car.  The   degree    of  D. 

D.  was  conferred  upon  him  in  1869  by  his  Alma  Mater. 

Dr.  Bailey  is  a  perfect  gentleman,  a  finished  scholar  and  one 
•of  the  ablest  preachers  in  the  land.     His  present  congrega- 


682  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

tion  is  the  largest,  save  one  in  the  Synod,  and  is  composed 
in  great  part  of  Scotchmen  who  appreciate  sound  evangehcal 
truth,  are  nauseated  with  trash  and  despise  cant. 


Alfred  W.  Wright  was  born  at  Shepherdstown,  Va., 
December  i8,  1841.  His  ancestors  on  the  father's  side  were 
EngHsh  and  connected  with  the  Friends,  or  Quakers — on 
his  mother's  side  they  were  Dutch  and  identified  with  the 
German  Reformed  Church.  His  parents  settled  in  Illinois 
in  1844,  where  they  both  united  with  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  o.  s.  His  father  has  for  many  years  been  a  ruling 
elder.  Mr.  Wright  served  in  the  army  during  the 

entire  war  of  the  rebellion.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Metho- 
dist Conference,  June,  1864,  and  ordained  in  S-ptember, 
1867.  He  united  with  Alton  Presbytery  in  April,  1872.  He 
has  labored  since,  and  with  good  acceptance  and  success, 
principally  in  Randolph  county,  at  Rockvvood,  Cave  Spring, 
Shiloh  Hill,  Blair,  Plum  Creek  and  Coulterville  churches. 
Also  with  Yankeetown  church  in  Monroe  county. 

He  was  married,  April  10,  1866,  at  Pleasant  Ridge,  Randolph 
county,  to  Miss  Mary  Jane  Mann,  daughter  of  Judge  John 
Mann.  They  have  four  living  children  with  them  and  two 
in  heaven.  The  living  on  earth  are  Albina  May,  Hattie  Ann, 
Charles  Luther  and  Alfred  Clinton.  The  two  departed  ones 
were  boys  and  died   in   infancy.  Mr.  Wright  is 

now — 1879 — serving  ''Mine  La  Motte  church,"  in  Mo. 


William  H.  Ilsley  was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  111., 
April  25,  1844.  On  his  father's  side  he  is  descended  from 
William  Ilsley,  who  was  born  in  Newbury,  England,  in  1608, 
and  came  to  this  country  in  1634.  He  is  English  also  on  his 
mother's  side.  He  graduated  at  Blackburn  University  in 
1873.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Alton,  April 
12,  1873.  He  was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Platte  in 
St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  October  8,  1873.  His  fields  of  labor  have 
been  North  church,  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  and  at  Hopkins,  Nodo- 
way  county,  where  he  still  remains.  He  married 

Miss  Sarah  E.  Robb,  in  Montgomery  county,  March  12, 
1865.  Their  children  are  these:  Addie  C,  Carrie  L.  and 
Frederick  S.  Mrs.   Ilsley  died  of  consumption, 

September  29,  1870.     His  second  marriage  was  with  Helen 


GEORGE    F.  DAVIS.  683 

H.  Smith  in  St.  Louis,  October  21,  1873.  From  this  mar- 
riage there  have  been  two  children,  Mary  L.  and  Harry  E. 
Mary  L.  died  February  19,  1877. 


William  Hazlett  Prestley  was  born  in  Pittsburg,  Pa, 
He  is  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  He  was  educated  at  Western 
Pennsylvania  University,  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  at  Woodward  Col- 
lege, Cincinnati,  and  at  Miami  University,  Oxford,  Ohio, 
where  he  graduated  in  1852.  Studied  theology  under  Rev» 
Joseph  Claybaugh,  D.  D.  Was  licensed  by  the  First  Pres 
bytery  of  Ohio,  in  connection  with  the  Associate  Reformed 
Church  in  April,  1854,  Ordained  by  the  Ass.  Ref.  Presb., 
of  Big  Spring,  1855,  while  supplying  the  church  at  Potts- 
ville,  Pa.  Installed  pastor  of  the  Ass.  Ref.  Presb.  church  at 
Chillicothe,  November,  1856.  In  1869  with  this  church  he 
united  with  the  Presbytery  of  Chillicothe,  o.  s.  In  Febru- 
ary, 1876,  he  demitted  this  charge  to  accept  a  call  to  the 
First  church,  Tuscola,  111.  In  September,  1876,  he  accepted 
a  call  to  the  First  church,  Decatur,  111.,  where  he  still  re- 
mains. In  1857  he  married  Miss  A.  J.  Burgoyne, 
eldest  daughter  of  Judge  John  Burgoyne,  of  Cincinnati, 
They  have  four  children,  one  daughter  and  three  sons. 


George  F.  Davis  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  March  ii,. 
1823.  His  ancestors  on  his  father's  side  were  Welch,  and 
Protestant,  on  his  mother's  Irish  and  Catholic.  They  were 
both  natives  of  this  country  and  neither  of  them  religious. 

He  was  educated  at  the  Mission  Institute,  Quincy,  111, — 
having  studied  there  from  1841  to  1847.  His  theological 
course  was  taken  at  Lane  Seminary,  1847-50.  He  was 
licensed  by  Cincinnati  Presbytery  in  1849,  at  the  close  of  his 
second  year  in  the  Seminary.  Was  ordained  by  Schuyler 
Presbytery,  n.  s.,  April,  185 1.  His  first  regular  service  was 
as  an  itinerating  missionary  in  the  bounds  of  Schuyler  Pres- 
bytery. Next  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  Brown  county.  He  was  in- 
stalled pastor  of  Newtown  church  in  1853,  but  returned  to 
Mt.  Pleasant  in  1855,  and  remained  there  until  the  close  of 
1867.  January  i,  186S,  he  took  charge  of  LaGrange  and 
New  Providence  churches,  Missouri,  and  remained  until  1872,. 
His  labors  in  Missouri  were  by  no  means  confined  to  these 
two  churches,  but  were  various  and  effective  in  several  other 


'684  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

places.  In  the  beginning  of  1872  Mr.  Davis  procured  the 
organization  of  a  church  at  Casey,  Clark  county,  111.,  re- 
moved there  in  March,  1872,  and  remained  until  1876,  labor- 
ing also  more  or  less  with  Pleasant  Prairie,  Greenup,  and 
New  Hope  churches.  In  1876  he  removed  to  Marshall, 
county  seat  of  Clark  county,  and  took  charge  of  that.  Wal- 
nut Prairie  and  York  churches.  He  still  remains  at  Mar- 
shall. June  12,  1853,  he  married  Miss  Sarah 
Elizabeth  Moore — near  Rushville,  111., — daughter  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  Moore.  She  has  proved  herself  a  true  help- 
mate, though  suffering  greatly  from  ill  health.  They  have 
had  two  children — sons — both  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  and 
are  buried  at  Mt.  Pleasant.  All  through  his  ministry  Mr. 
Davis'  salary,  raised  by  the  feeble  churches  he  served,  has 
'been  supplemented  by  the  Fourth  church  of  Washington, 
District  of  Columbia. 

Ferdinand  G.  Strange  was  born  near  Summerville.  Chat- 
tooga county,  Ga.,  September  28,  1848.  His  great  great 
grandfather  came  from  England  and  settled  near  Columbia, 
S.  C.  His  childhood  and  early  youth  were  spent  in  East 
Tennessee,  but  he  removed  to  Bond  county,  111.,  in  1866. 
His  ancestors  came  from  England  about  1740,  and  settled  in 
South  Carolina  where  his  father  was  reared.  His  parents 
early  united  with  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  are  now  mem- 
bers of  Wilbur  Presbyterian  Church,  Douglas  county,  Oregon, 
whither  they  emigrated  in  1871.  He  was  educated  at  Black- 
burn University,  Illinois,  and  at  Lane  Seminary.  He  was 
licensed  April  ii,  1874,  by  Alton  Presbytery.  In  August. 
1874,  he  took  charge  of  Carlyle  and  New  Amity  churches, 
and  was  installed  their  pastor  November  15,  1874.  The  New 
Amity  church  was  dissolved  April,  1875,  and  its  members 
•transferred  to  Carlyle.  His  pastoral  relation  continued  until 
April,  1877.  October  16,  1877,  he  was  installed  pastor  of 
Union  and  King  City  churches,  Missouri,  by  a  commission 
•of  Platte  Presbytery,  and  is  still  in  the  same  field. 

He  was  married  June  15,  1871,  at  Cottonwood  Grove, 
Bond  county,  111.,  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Robinson,  third  daughter 
of  J.  W.  Robinson,  one  of  the  first  members  and  still  a  rul- 
ing elder  of  the  Bethel  church.  Sarah  joined  this  church 
at  the  age  of  fourteen,  lived  a  beautiful  Christian  life,  was  a 
most  respectful  and  affectionate  child  and  devoted  wife,  pos- 
sessing an  amiable,  lovely  character.     She  helped   her  hus- 


ADAM    C.  JOHNSON.  685-, 

band  strugprle  through  the  greater  part  of  his  education  and 
into  the  ministry,  enduring  feeble  health  all  the  while.  She 
died  February  14,  1876,  exchanging  the  cross  which  she  had 
faithfully  borne  through  the  bloom  of  youth  into  the  prime 
of  womanhood  for  the  crown  given  by  that  Jesus  to  whom, 
during  her  last  hours  she  commended  her  spirit.  She  left 
two  little  boys,  Pliny  Robinson,  born  February  24,  1873,  and 
Henry   Anderson,   born   February  2,  1876.  Mr. 

Strange  was  married  the  second  time,  November  7,  1877,  in 
the  Presbyterian  church  at  King  City,  Mo.,  to  Miss  Sarah 
Naomi  Van  Derveer,  a  descendent  of  a  New  Jersey  Dutch 
Reformed  family — a  young  lady  of  culture,  talent  and  piety,. 
a  successful  teacher  for  several  years,  and  the  third  daughter 
of  Capt.  J.  S.  Van  Deveer,  an  alumnus  of  West  Point.  As  a 
fruit  of  this  marriage  a  third  son,  Ferdinand  Alexander,  was 
born  September  24,  1878. 


Adam  C.  Johnson  was  born  near  Princeton,  Ky.,  June  28^ 
1832.  His  father  John  Johnson,  was  a  Methodist  minister  of 
some  note,  and  died  in  1858,  at  Mt.  Vernon,  111.,  where  he 
settled  in  1834.  His  mother  was  a  native  of  South  Caro- 
lina, of  Quaker  family,  and  is  still  living,  aged  84.  A.  C.  was 
educated  first  at  Mt.  Vernon,  but  finished  his  studies  for  the 
medical  profession  in  Kentucky.  Was  licensed  to  preach  in 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Mt.  Vernon  in  1858,  Re- 
moved to  Kentucky  in  1859.  Was  ordained  at  Russellville, 
Ky.,  in  1865.  Returned  to  Mt.  Vernon,  111,,  in  1871,  still 
practising  medicine  though  preaching  occasionally.  Was 
admitted  a  member  of  Cairo  Presbytery  at  their  fall  session 
in  1874.  Supplied  Mt.  Vernon  church  from  October,  1874, 
to  April,  1876.  Since  then  has  been  engaged  in  missionary 
work  in  Jefferson  county.  He  was  married  Jan- 

uary I,  1862,  to  Miss  M.  A.  Sweeny,  of  Irish  Catholic  parent- 
age, at  Dycasburg,  Ky.  They  have  four  children,  Susan, 
John,  Annie  and  Edwin.  He  accumulated  much  property  in 
Kentucky.  Had  a  stock  farm  of  eight  hundred  acres.  Lost 
it  all  by  speculation.  Returned  to  Illinois  with  fifty-three 
dollars.  The  Lord  has  blessed  him  and  he  again  owns  a 
comfortable  home. 

Alvan  R.  Mathes — Auto-biographical — I  am  the  son  of 
the  Rev.  A.  A.  Mathes.     I  was  born  in  Washington  county,. 


686  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

East  Tennessee,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1839.  I  am  of  Scotch- 
Irish  extraction.  Following  the  movements  of 
Providence,  they  came  to  this  Western  land  while  its  govern- 
ment was  yet  in  its  cradle.  Landing  in  the  Carolinas  they 
began  life  anew,  lending  their  aid  to  the  rearing  of  the  young 
child  among  the  nations.  The  progeny  succeed- 
ing, spread  Northward  and  Westward.  As  the 
ancestry  has  been  in  the  direct  line  of  the  Scot,  giving  what- 
ever peculiarity  belonged  thereto,  so  the  religious  belief 
of  the  Scottish  Presbyterian  has  descended  as  our  inheri- 
tance. It  has  ever  been  that  beautiful,  consistent,  God  hon- 
oring, man  saving,  Pauline  system,  commonly  known  as 
*'  Calvinistic."  My  course  of  college  training 
was  begun  at  "Westminster  College,"  Fulton,  Mo.  The 
civil  war  of  1 861,  coming  on  as  I  was  completing  my  Fresh- 
man year,  caused  a  suspension  of  that  institution. 

In  the  fall  of  186 1,  I  was  admitted  to  the  Sophomore 
class  in  "  Hanover  College,"  Indiana,  where  I  graduated  in 
the  spring  of  1864.  In  the  following  October  I  entered  "  The 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  "  at  Chicago.  Com- 
pleting the  three  years  course,  I  graduated,  April,  1867. 

The  reason  I  must  give  for  my  entering  the  ministry 
ought  to  be  called  an  ordinary  one,  but  perhaps  is  not.  I 
was  brought  up  by  my  parents  for  it,  and  God  honored  the 
training.  My  father  was  a  hard-working,  self-sacrificing 
missionary,  much  of  his  time  absent  from  his  family,  but  he 
did  not  forget  his  duty  to  his  family  and  his  God.  His  work 
was  grandly  supplemented  by  my  godly  mother, 
who  entered  into  it  as  a  Hannah.  The  recitation  of 
the  Shorter  Catechism  was  our  Sabbath  even- 
ing's employment,  which  in  my  recollection  never  failed. 
I  was  licensed  at  the  end  of  my  second  year  in  the  semin- 
ary by  the  Old  "  Fairfield  Presbytery,"  Iowa,  at  the  Salina 
church,  April,  1866.  Under  the  direction  of  Presbytery  I 
spent  the  following  summer  as  supply  for  the  Batavia  and 
Salina  churches,  returning  in  the  fall  to  the  seminary  to  com- 
plete my  course.  In  the  spring  of  1867  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Cedar,  Iowa,  put  into  my  hands  a  call  from  the 
Milton  Junction  Presbyterian  church  to  become  their  pastor, 
which  I  accepted.  I  was  duly  ordained  pastor  July,  1867. 
In  1872  I  received  a  call  from  the  Presbyterian  church  at 
Shawneetown,  111.,  Cairo  Presbytery,  where  I  was  installed 
in  the   month  of  December.     I    continued   here  until  Jul}--, 


JOHN    E.  CARSON.  68/ 

1875,  when  I  removed  to  Farmington,  111.,  Peoria  Presbytery. 
I  hold  a  call  from  this  church,  but  have  not  been  installed. 

I  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  M.  Dinwiddle,  of  Hanover, 
Ind.,  at  Evansville.  Ind.,  April  10,  1867.  She  was  born  at 
Hanover,  Ind.,  March  14,  1843,  daughter  of  Alexander  Din- 
widdle and  Nancy,  his  wife.  "  The  Lord  setteth  the  solitary 
in  families."  To  us  he  has  given  as  **  olive  plants  "  about  our 
table  three  children — Adah  Myra,  Archie  Dinwiddle  and 
Lilly. 

John  Elder  Carson  was  born  in  Beaver  (now  Lawrence 
•county).  Pa.,  September  21,  18 19.  His  parents  were  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent ;  his  father  a  Presbyterian  and  his 
mother  a  Seceder,  His  earl}^  life  was  spent  on  a  farm  until 
his  twentieth  year,  at  which  time  he  entered  Darlington 
Academy,  where,  with  intervals  of  teaching,  he  spent  three 
years.  March  21,  1844,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
FuUerton,  of  Columbiana  county,  Ohio.  In  the  spring  of 
1845  he  entered  Washington  College,  Pa.,  and  graduated  in 
September,  1846.  He  immediately  took  charge  of  Poland 
Academy  and  continued  two  years.  During  this  time  he 
.also  studied  theology  and  church  history  privately  with  the 
pastor  of  the  church  of  Poland.  In  September,  1849,  he 
entered  the  Western  Theological  Seminary  at  Allegheny, 
where  he  remained  two  sessions,  completing  the  course.  He 
was  licensed  in  February,  1850,  by  the  Presbytery  of  New 
Lisbon.  He  was  ordained  pastor  of  Apple  Creek  church, 
Wayne  county,  Ohio,  November  12,  1850,  by  the  Presbytery 
of  Coshocton.  His  subsequent  fields  have  all  been  in  Ohio 
•until  1877,  when  he  took  charge  of  Palestine,  Robinson  and 
Beckwith  Prairie  churches  in  Crawford  county,  111.  Here  he 
remained  until  sometime  in  1879.  He  has  five  children — 
four  sons  and  one  daughter. 


John  McCurdy  Robinson,  son  of  James  P.  and  Lucinda 
McCurdy  Robinson,  was  born  in  Center  Township,  Guern- 
sey county,  Ohio,  March  20,  1844.  His  ancestors  were  Penn- 
sylvania Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians.  He  emigrated  with 
his  father's  family  to  Richland  county,  III.,  in  the  autumn  of 
1858.  He  prepared  for  college  under  the  tuition  of  David 
Smith,  and  entered  the  Freshman  class  in  Western  Reserve 
College,  September,  1S66,  completing  his    course   at  Miami 


6S8  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

University,  1870.  His  theological  training  was  chiefly  had 
at  Danville,  Ky.,  but  the  senior  year  was  spent  at  the  West- 
ern Theological  Seminary.  His  first  thought  of  studying  for 
the  ministry  was  awakened  by  his  mother's  conversations 
with  him  when  a  child.  He  cannot  recollect  a  time  when  it 
was  not  before  his  mind  as  the  work  to  which  God  was  call- 
ing him.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Cairo  at 
Shawneetown,  111.,  April,  1871,  and  during  that  and  the  suc- 
ceeding summer  vacation  labored  with  the  churches  of  Rich- 
land and  Hermon,  Richland  county,  111.  Receiving  a  call 
from  the  churches  .of  Georgetown  and  Fairfield,  in  Mercer 
county,  Presbytery  of  Erie,  Pa.,  he  settled  there  in  April, 
1873,  and  was  ordained  May  28.  This  relation  continued 
five  years,  and  was  dissolved  by  the  Presbytery  in  April, 
1878,  when  he  accepted  an  invitation  to  settle  at  Shawnee- 
town, 111.,  where  he  took  charge  of  the  work  the  first  of  June 
and  was  installed    pastor  Thursday,  November  14,  1878. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Lizzie  Tweed,  of  Georgetown,. 
Ohio,  October  i,  1873.  Two  children  were  born  to  them  in 
the  Pennsylvania  parsonage — Mary  Evangeline,  July  11,. 
1874;  Lucy  Rebecca,  July  17,  1877.  The  Presbyterian 
church  at  Shawneetown,  over  which  Mr.  Robinson  is  now  pas- 
tor, is  where  he  was  first  taken  under  the  care  of  Presbytery, 
and  where  he  was  afterward  licensed. 


Samuel  Mills  Morton.  I  was  born,  April  20,  1840,  in 
Perry,  Lawrence  county,  Pa.  My  father,  William  Morton,. 
was  born  near  Inniskillen,  in  the  County  Fermanagh,  Ire- 
land, of  English  ancestry,  August  i,  1784.  His  father's 
family  emigrated  to  Pennsylvania  in  1789.  He  was  a  man. 
of  sound  judgment  and  deep  convictions;  was  a  farmer,  a 
justice  of  the  peace,  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature  for 
three  terms,  and  for  many  years  an  elder  in  the  O.  S.  Presby- 
terian church  of  Slippery  Rock,  He  died  July  3,  185 1. 
My  mother,  Hannah  Slemmons  Morton,  was  born  in  West- 
moreland county,  Pa.,  March  10,  1796.  She  was  a  devoted 
Christian,  and  consecrated  me,  the  child  of  her  old  age,  to- 
the  service  of  God  from  the  womb.  The  answer  to  her 
prayers  constituted  my  call  to  the  ministry,  I  think.  She 
died  December  25,  1865.  My  education  was  ob- 

tained (l)  in  the  district  school  of  my  native  place;  (2)  one 
year  in  the  public  high  school,  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  (3)  the  Frcsl  - 


ROBERT    RUDD.  689 

man  and  Sophomore  years  in  the  Washington  University,  St. 
Louis;  (4)  the  junior  and  senior  years  in  Jefferson  College, 
Cannonsburg,  Pa.,  where  I  graduated  with  the  first  honor  of 
my  class  in  1864.  I  studied  theology  in«the  Western  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  Alleghany,  Pa.,  graduating  in  1867. 

I  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  O.  S.  Presbytery  of  Beaver, 
Pa.,  in  May,  1866,  and  was  ordained  by  the  N.  S.  Presbytery 
of  St.  Louis,  INIarch  22,  1868.  My  first  charge  was  the  North 
Presbyterian  church  of  St.  Louis,  where  I  labored  from  No- 
vember I,  1867,  until  April  15,  1871.  My  second  charge  was 
the  Presbyterian  church  of  Urbana,  111.,  where  I  labored 
three  years,  from  November  i,  1871,  until  October,  1874.  I 
took  charge  of  the  Westminster  Presbyterian  church  of 
Jacksonville,  111.,  at  the  time  I  left  Urbana,  October  i,  1874, 
and  have  since  remained  in  this  field,  with  every  prospect  of 
continued  usefulness  and  happiness  in  my  work.  In  all  these 
fields  I  have  been  regularly  installed  as  pastor;  have  had 
uniformly  pleasant  relations  with  my  people,  with  almost 
constant  accessions  to  the  church.  During  my  labors  in  St. 
Louis  the  membership  of  the  church  increased  from  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  to  two  hundred  and  eighteen  ;  in  Urbana,  from 
seventy  to  one  hundred  and  forty-five,  and  here  in  Jackson- 
ville, from  one  hundred  and  forty  to  two  hundred, 

I  was  married,  October  2,  1857,  to  Miss  Julia  A.  Allen, 
daughter  of  Nathan  D.  and  Caroline  Adams  Allen,  of  Web- 
ster Groves,  St.  Louis  county,  Mo.  We  have  three  sons — 
Edward  Payson,  born  September  25,  1869;  Charles  Web- 
ster, born  April  5,  1875,  and  Dwight  Frame,  born  December 
13,  1876.  I  had  to  depend  almost  entirely  upon 

my  own  exertions  in  obtaining  my   education,   working  my 
way   by   teaching.  I  hold  the  orthodox    New 

School  type  of  theology,  holding  and  preaching  the  truth  in 
love.  I  have  always  been  an  earnest  advocate  of 

total  abstinence  and  prohibition  of  the  liquor  traffic. 

I  speak  partly  from  notes  and  partly  extempore. 

Samuel  Mills  Morton. 


Robert  Rudd.     I  am  a  native  of  Appleby,  Westmoreland, 
England.     Born  June  10,  1812.  Parents  Episco- 

palian. Educated  partly  in  connection  with  the  Episcopal- 
ians and  partly  with  the  Congregationalists.  In  1830  I  be- 
came   a  member    of  a  Congregationalist  family  and   com- 

43 


690  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

menced  attending  the  Congregational  Cliurch,  Bradford, 
Yorkshire,  forming  a  new  class  of  associates,  becoming  in- 
terested in  Sabbath  school  work  and  attending  the  private 
classes  of  Rev.  T.  R.  Taylor  for  Scripture  study  and  general 
instruction.  Being  led  to  see  it  to  be  my  duty  to  consecrate 
myself  to  Christ's  service  and  to  unite  myself  with  His  peo- 
ple, I  became  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church,  Brad- 
ford, Yorkshire,  on  the  1st  of  August,  1834. 

In  the  course  of  my  early  religious  career  I  was  greatly 
encouraged  by  my  pastor  and  friends  to  turn  my  attention 
to  the  ministry.  -After  pursuing  a  course  of  preparatory 
study  and  attending  the  theological  lectures  of  Rev.  Wal- 
ter Scott,  I  became  a  co-pastor  of  the  Congregational 
Church  Wibsey,  near  Bradford,  where  I  labored  from  1845 
to  1855,  when  I  left  England  for  America.  On  arriv- 
in  America  in  September,  1855,  I  preached  the  first  time  in 
the  Congregational  church,  Kankakee,  Kankakee  county, 
111.  I  was  then  directed  to  Elmwood,  Peoria  county,  111., 
where  the  Congregationalists  were  building  a  new  church  and 
wished  for  a  supply  for  the  winter  months.  I  was  there  from 
December,  1855,  to  April,  1856.  I  then  accepted  an  invita- 
tion to  Knoxville,  Knox  county,  was  there  three  years.  Next 
at  Wethersfield,  Henry  county,  111.,  one  year.  Thence  to 
Oswego,  Kendall  county,  111.,  three  years.  Then  at  New- 
ark, Kendall  county.  111.,  three  years.  On  leaving  Newark  I 
was  called  to  the  Presbyterian  church,  Oswego,  and  labored 
in  that  field  two  years.  Removed  in  1868  to  the  Presbyte- 
rian church,  Wiiliamsville,  Sangamon  county,  three  years. 
Thence  to  Taylorville,  Christian  county,  eighteen  months. 
Thence  to  Upper  Alton,  two  years,  and  now  nearly  five  years 
at  Tamaroa.  Married  twice,   first,   October    25, 

1842,  to  Miss  Ann  Ackroyd,  Bradford,  Yorkshire,  England, 
died  at  Newark,  January  10,  1865;  second,  to  Mrs.  Sophia 
C.  Holmes,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  my  present  companion,  January 
16,  1 87 1.     No  children.  I  was  very  early  in  life 

deprived  of  my  parents,  and  as  early  experienced  the  provi- 
dential care  of  that  good  Being,  who  is  and  ever  has  been  the 
father  of  the  fatherless.  "  Ebenezer,  hitherto  hath  the  Lord 
helped  me."  Robert  Rudd. 


Simon  C.  Head  was  born  in  Rob    Roy,   Fountain   county, 
lad.,  November  2,  1S45,  and  was  next  to  the  y  jungest  child 


SIMON    C.  HEAD.  69I 

and  the  only  one  now  living  of  a  family  of  ten  children. 
Truxton  Head  and  Mary  Head,  his  parents,  were  of  Ameri- 
can birth  and  of  English  Puritan  extraction,  and  were  from 
early  life  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  S. 
C.  Head  was  received  into  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
when  in  his  eighteenth  year.  He  received  a  liberal  educa- 
tion, graduating  at  the  Battle  Ground  Collegiate  Institute, 
with  class  of  1869.  After  serving  a  short  term  in  the  Union 
army  of  the  war  of  1861-65,  he  attended  and  graduated  at 
the  Purdy  Commercial  College,  of  LaFayette,  Ind.  In  1870, 
went  to  Nebraska.  He  there  received  a  local  preacher's  li- 
cense, September  23,  1871.  He  then  took  charge  of  the  South 
Bend  mission  on  the  Platte  river.  Here  he  labored  for  some 
months  and  then  returned  to  Indiana.  At  a  quarterly  Con- 
ference, August  27,  1872,  his  license  was  renewed,  and  after 
some  weeks  he  was  admitted  on  probation  into  the  "  travel- 
ing connection  "  in  the  Northwest  Indiana  Conference,  His 
first  appointment  was  Aydelotte  circuit.  At  the  conference 
the  following  year  he  was  appointed  to  Brazil  Mission  in  the 
coal  fields  of  Clay  county,  Ind.  The  year  following  he  was 
ordained  deacon  by  Bishop  Wiley,  and  appointed  preacher  on 
Sanford  circuit,  Vigo  county.  This  year  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Belle  Spears  of  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  and  in  the  succeed- 
ing year  was  appointed  preacher  for  Harveysburg.  January 
,17,  1-876,  Charles  Ernest  was  born.  A  second  son,  Frank, 
was  born  at  Grandview,  Illinois,  January  16,  1878.  At  the 
Conference  of  1877,  ^^-  Head  was  removed  to  Rochester 
•circuit,  on  which — as  also  in  all  the  preceding  fields  of  his 
labor — his  work  was  graciously  owned  of  the  Lord,  and  this 
too  in  despite  of  many  hinderances  both  to  pastor  and  peo- 
ple that  necessarily  attend  Christian  work  under  the  Metho- 
dist itinerant  plan.  Being  dissatisfied  with  the  form  of  gov- 
ernment of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Mr.  Head  took 
from  his  conference  a  certificate  of  location,  and  in  October, 
1877,  was  admitted  to  the  ministry  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  by  Logansport  Presbytery.  January  i,  1878,  he  ac- 
cepted a  call  as  supply  pastor  of  the  Grandview  and  Dudley 
churches,  in  Edgar  county,  Illinois. 


Adam  W,  Ringland  was  born  October  8.  1849,  at  Amity, 
Washington  county.  Pa.  His  ancestors  were  Scotch-Irish 
Presbyterians.     His  collegiate  education    was    at  Danville, 


692  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Ky.,  his  theological  at  Chicago.  He  was  licensed  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Iowa  in  1874,  and  ordained  by  that  of  Dubu- 
que, 1876.  His  fields  of  labor  have  been  First  church  in  Du- 
buque, Tuscola,  and  Bemeiat,  111.  He  is  still  at  the  last  place. 
He  was  married  April  29,  1875,  to  Miss  Elena  H.  Potter 
at  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa.  They  have  one  child — a  daughter 
— Mamie  Gary,  born  March  9,  1876.  He  experi- 

enced great  financial  embarrassment  during  his  entire  course. 
His  entire  outfit  was  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  dollars  at 
the  beginning.  His  outfit  at  the  close  eight  hundred  dollars. 
on  the  other  side  of  the  equation. 

William  E.  Lincoln  was  born  September  8,  1831,  at  Lon- 
don, England.  He  says:  "  We  reckon  a  translator  of  King 
James'  Bible,  a  leech  at  the  field  of  Naseby,  a  farrier  in 
Cromwell's  Ironsides,  and  Gen.  Lincoln  of  the  American 
Revolution  as  of  the  family.  They  were  mostly  Episcopa- 
lian in  belief."  He  was  educated  at  University 
College,  London,  Oberlin,  Ohio,  and  Hartford  Seminary,  Gt. 
He  was  licensed  at  Hartford,  Gt.,  and  ordained  at  Hope,  O.,, 
in  1866.  He  has  labored  in  Kentucky,  Ohio,  and  Illinois.. 
He  is  laboring  at  present  with  West  Okaw  church,  Prairie 
Home,  postoffice.  111.  He  married  Louise  Marshall,  niece  of 
H.  Cowles,  D.  D.,  the  commentator,  at  Painesville,  O.,  in 
1865.  They  have  five  children,  two  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters. He  says :  "The  slaves  condition  moved  my  heart. 
Before  the  war  I  preached  for  some  years  as  an  abolitionist. 
Was  at  times  in  danger.  Have  been  shot  at.  Have  been 
imprisoned  for  rescuing  a  slave  from  U.  S.  Marshall  Four 
armed  U.  S.  officers  with  two  aids  held  the  slave  in  an  upper 
room.  J.  G.  W.  Gowles,  after  a  parley  with  them,  came  to 
me  and  said,  '  If  anything  is  done  to  save  the  slave  you 
must  do  it.'  A  call  for  volunteers  was  made.  E.  G.  Sackett, 
afterwards  killed  at  Winchester,  Va.,  and  Lyman,  one  of 
John  Brown's  men,  and  two  colored  men,  who  afterwards  fell 
at  Harper's  Ferry,  volunteed.  On  order  the  five  made  a 
rush  through  the  guarded  door,  then  up-stairs.  A  door  was-, 
opened  by  force — the  slave  rushed  through  and  was  free. 
Arms  were  plentiful,  but  not  a  shot  was  fired.  Imprisonment 
of  those  directly  and  indirectly  engaged  followed.  Being  law 
abiding  we  patiently  suffered  the  penalties,  yet  our  con- 
sciences compelled  us  to  deliver  our  brother  from  the  blood 
hounds." 


HARLAN    P.   CARSON.  693 

David  Williams  Evans  was  born  at  Caermarnthe  Castle, 
in  the  city  of  Caermarthen,  South  Wales,  September  21, 
1838.  He  comes  of  an  ancient  liberty-loving  race,  a  people, 
in  their  principles,  eminently  Puritan,  in  their  habits  of 
•thought,  purely  Calvinistic.  His  parents,  accompanied  by 
their  children,  emigrated  to  this  State  during  his  early  child- 
hood and  settled  at  Rock  Island,  where  all  united,  by  letter, 
with  the  Presbyterian  Church.  After  a  short  attendance 
upon  the  schools  of  the  city,  his  purpose  of  studying  for  the 
ministry,  a  purpose  cherished  in  his  heart  from  the  earliest 
years,  took  shape  under  the  direction  of  the  Rev.  Aratus 
Kent,  of  Galena,  whose  praise  was  in  all  the  churches  as 
the  efficient  agent  of  Home  Missions.  Then  followed  those 
years  of  study  at  the  Galena  Classical  Institute  and  at  Beloit 
•College,  culminating  in  his  graduation  with  the  class  of 
1862.  Four  years  later  the  course  of  theological  studies 
was  completed  at  Union  Theological  Seminary.  About  the 
same  time  his  Alma  Mater  bestowed  on  him  the  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  stud- 

ies, Mr.  Evans  was  licensed  by  the  Third  Presbytery  of  New 
York,  and  soon  afterwards,  in  the  Spring  Street  Presbyte- 
rian church  of  the  city,  was  ordained  as  an  evangelist.  Com- 
ing West,  he  was  invited  to  supply  the  First  church  of  Ga- 
lena for  a  season  Here  he  began  his  studies  for  the  minis- 
try, and  here,  after  the  lapse  of  ten  years,  he  began  his  labor 
in  that  ministry  into  which  he  had  toiled  through  that  de- 
cade. He  was  married  at  Galena  in  April  of  1868 
by  the  Revs.  Kent  and  McLean  to  Miss  Eliza  Titcombe 
Spare,  then  the  principal  of  a  young  ladies  seminary  at  War- 
ren, 111.  The}^  have  four  noble  children,  the  joy  and  comfort 
of  their  parents. 


Harlan  Page  Carson  was  born,  January  3,  1845,  o^  ^ 
farm  in  Macoupin  county.  111.,  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestr\'  on 
his  father's  side,  and  Dutch  descent  on  his  mother's.  His 
father,  James  M.  Carson,  was  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Spring 
Cove  church  years  before  his  birth,  and  has  continued  active 
in  the  office  ever  since.  He  is  also  nephew  of  Gideon  Black- 
burn, D.  D.,  founder  of  Blackburn  University.  His  rsother, 
Eliza  J.  Gulick,  previous  to  marriage,  was  identified  with  the 
Dutch  Reform  Church.  It  was  /ler  spiritual  mindedness  and 
consecration  impressed  upon  him  in  early  childhood  and  fol- 


694  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

lowed  up  by  the  prayerful  and  faithful  training  of  his  father 
after  she  had  gone  to  glory,  that  led  his  mind  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  gospel  ministry.  The  expressed  wish  of  a  sainted 
mother,  and  a  grandmother  who  named  him,  intensified  and 
wrought  out  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  constituted,  as  he  believes,, 
his   call  to   the  gospel  ministry.  His  education 

was  obtained  at  Blackburn  University,  where  he  helped  to 
form  the  first  graduating  class,  and  graduated  in  the  classical 
and  theological  course  June,  1870.  The  following  Septem- 
ber he  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Alton,  in  session  in 
Alton,  and  on  July' 21,  1872,  he  was  ordained  pastor  of  the 
Hardin  church.  He  remained  pastor  of  that  church  until 
April,  1879,  when,  the  pastoral  relation  having  been  dissolved 
at  his  own  request,  he  went  to  take  charge  of  the  Taylor- 
ville  church,  Mattoon  Presbytery.  He  was  mar- 

ried to  Elizabeth  Holliday,  October  8,  1873,  daughter  of  A. 
D.  Holliday,  near  Virden,  and  has  two  children — Rollin  Gul- 
ick,  born  September  15,  1874,  and  Elizabeth,  born  January 
3,  1877- 

Lyman  Marshall,  A.  M.,  was  born  in  Weare,  N.  H.,  June 
20,  1823.  Is  one  of  the  eldest — a  twin^ — of  a  family  of  eight 
sons  and  one  daughter.  His  father,  Moody  Marshall,  is  of 
Scotch  and  English,  and  his  mother,  Sarah  Beard,  of  Scotch 
and  Irish  extraction;  the  latter  of  the  Londonderry  (Presby- 
terian) colony.  His  earliest  recollections  of  home  are  of 
reading  and  committing  to  memory  the  Word  of  God,  and 
of  the  family  altar.  The  eight  brothers  all  served  on  their 
father's  farm  till  they  were  about  twenty  years  of  age,  at- 
tending school  and  teaching  in  the  winters.  Four  of  them, 
including  the  twins,  (of  the  class  of  1850,)  graduated  from 
Dartmouth  College  with  honor,  earning  the  means  by  their 
own  labor.  Seven  are  now  living.  Three  are  ministers  of  the 
gospel,  one  a  respectable  lawyer  in  New  York  City,  the  rest 
are  farmers  well  to  do.  All  have  been  married,  and  all  with 
their  wives  and  elder  children  are  active  members  of  Evan- 
gelical churches.  This  is  not  strange.  Their  father's  lioiise- 
hold  kept  Holyday  at  the  house  of  God,  three  miles  away. 
Their  "training  up  the  aisle  "  to  their  pew,  following  one  or 
both  parents,  usually  in  the  order  of  their  ages,  is  proverbial 
in  their  native  town  to  this  day.  After  graduating,  Lyman 
taught  school  three  years,  in  the  meantime  pursuing  the 
study  of  the  law,  for  which  he  had  the   most  ardent  love,. 


LYMAN    MARSHALL.  695 

with  the  strongest  desire  and  incHnation  to  make  its  practice 
his  life  vocation.  After  much  effort  to  banish  convictions  of 
duty,  he  at  length  yielded  to  the  persistent  admonition  of  the 
last  words  of  his  paternal  grandfather,  Jonathan  Marshall, 
who,  on  his  death  bed,  with  his  hands  on  the  heads  of  his 
two  little  grandsons,  then  not  six  years  old,  said,  "  I  hope 
my  little  grandsons  will  be  like  David  and  Jonathan  as 
brothers  attached  to  each  other,  and  both  be  good  ministers.'' 
The  desire  was  granted;  and  here  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
would  have  it  recorded  of  his  own  experience,  to  the  glory 
of  God,  that  the  compensations  of  the  Divine  Being  are 
wonderful.  It  was  a  "  happy  day  "  that  he  yielded  to  the 
voice  of  his  God.  "  From  that  hour  he  would  rather  be  the 
humblest  of  His  ministers  to  preach  the  glorious  gospel  of 
Christ,  then  to  be  the  tallest  lawyer  on  the  earth."  He 
studied  theology  at  Andover,  Mass.,  completing  two  full 
years  in  the  class  of  1856.  He  was  licensed  in  October, 
1855,  by  the  Derry  Association  of  Congregational 
and  Presbyterian  Ministers.  Was  elected  city  mission- 
ary of  Manchester,  N.  H.,  in  March,  1856,  and  or- 
dained as  an  evangelist  and  stated  pastor  of  the  Christian 
Mission  (Third  Congregational)  church  in  October  of  same 
year.  His  four  years  pastorate  here  won  him  the  friendship 
and  esteem  of  all  classes,  as  was  touchingly  testified  by  one 
of  the  largest  surprise  parties — 4,000  people — ever  visiting  a 
minister  in  New  England  at  one  time.  Resigning  this 

charge  he  was  immediately  called  to  Greenfield,  one  of  the 
most  pleasant  villages  and  rural  parishes  in  New  Hampshire. 
After  a  successful  pastorate  of  four  years,  he  accepted  an  in- 
vitation to  the  church  in  Harrisville,  twelve  miles  distant. 
He  served  this  church  two  years,  when  in  the  summer  of 
1866,  he  was  called  to  the  New  School  Presbyterian  church 
of  Traverse  de  Sioux,  (Saint  Peter)  Minnesota.  Nearly  four 
busy,  pleasant  years  were  spent  here.  In  May,  1870, 
he  received  a  call  to  the  Presbyterian  church  of 
Lebanon,  111.  Commenced  labors  there  the  19th 
of  June,  and  in  December  21,  1871,  was  installed 
pastor,  which  relation  still  continues.  November 
25,  185 1,  he  married  Eliza  Wingate,  daughter  of  Dr.  Stephen 
Wingate,  M.  D.,  of  Great  Falls,  N.  H.  They  have  two  sons, 
Frank  Lyman,  born  March  3,  1853,  and  Ira  Waldron,  born 
May  3,  1857,  Both  sons  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.     The   elder  is  married,  and   has   a  little  daughter 


696  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

which,  at  her  birth,  had  ten  (10)  Hving  grand  parents,  1.  e.,  all 
the  four  grand  and  six  of  the  great  grand  parents.  (Ex.  20: 
12;  and  Psalm  103:17  and  128:6,  and  then  the  whole  of  it.) 
His  entire  r_anistry  has  been  pleasant,  always  with  the  confi- 
dence and  love  of  his  people,  with  several  seasons  of  religi- 
ous awakening,  and  a  few  special  ingatherings.  He  has  en- 
joyed the  esteem  of  his  brethren  in  the  ministry,  and  a  fair 
share  of  the  appointments  and  honors.  It  is  justly  due  Mr. 
M.  to  say,  that  his  beloved  wife  has  been  a  faithful  helper  in 
all  his  labors. 

R.  J.  L.  Matthews  was  born  in  Floyd  county,  Ind.,  April 
21,1832.  Ancestry  Scotch-Irish.  He  was  mainly  brought  up 
at  New  Albany,  Ind.  Attended  the  collegiate  institute  at 
that  place,  and  graduated  at  Hanover  College  in  1855.  He 
was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Albany,  Ind.,  hav- 
ing studied  theology  at  the  seminary  at  New  Albany.  In  the 
fall  of  i860  he  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  church  at  Charles- 
town,  Ind.,  where  he  labored  two  years.  In  1863  he  ac- 
cepted a  chaplaincy  at  Jeffersonville,  Ind.,  which  he  held^ 
two  years.  In  the  summer  of  1865  he  removed  to  Illinois, 
where  he  supplied  the  church  at  Vandalia  for  two  years,  la- 
boring with  success,  indicated  by  a  large  ingathering  to  the 
church,  and  the  erection  of  the  building  now  occupied  by 
the  Presbyterian  church  there.  In  the  fall  of  1867  he  was 
invited  to  the  Central  church  at  Jacksonville,  111.  His  health 
becoming  impaired,  a  trip  to  Europe  was  taken,  and  he  re- 
mained about  two  years,  principally  in  Naples,  Italy,  where 
he  held  the  appointment  of  United  States  Consul.  Return- 
ing to  this  country  in  the  fall  of  1869,  he  engaged  in  literary 
pursuits,  but  continued  the  work  of  the  ministry  as  the  way 
opened  near  his  old  home  at  New  Albany  and  Indianapolis, 
supplying  mission  churches,  preaching  somewhere  nearly 
every  Sabbath.  In  1873  he  was  again  called  to  labor  in  Illi- 
nois and  became  pastor  of  the  church  at  Olney.  He  left 
that  field  in  1875.  Mr.  Matthews  has  since  continued  in  the 
ministerial  work,  pursuing  also  literary  labors.  For  a  year 
he  was  chief  editor  of  the  Indianapolis  Sentinel  and  corre- 
spondent of  several  Eastern  periodicals,  supplying  at  the 
same  time  a  mission  church   at  that  point.  For 

the  past  two  years,  and  at  the  present  writing,  he  is  pastor  of 
the  church  at  Newport,  Ky.,  opposite  Cincinnati. 

Mr.  Matthews'  first  wife,  whom   he   married  in   1857,  died 


ALBERT    B.  BYRAM.  69/ 

in  1868,  leaving  a  son,  born  November  28,  1862.  To  his  pres- 
ent wife,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  1876,  also  a  son  has 
been  born — Robert  J.  L. — December  7,  1877. 


ALFRED  M.  Mann  was  born  at  Pleasant  Ridge  near  Ches- 
"ter,  Randolph  county,  111.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah 
S.  Hood,  March  20,  1861.  Spent  several  months  that  year 
in  the  service  of  the  Board  of  Publication.  Studied  with 
Rev.  A.  J.  Clark  for  several  years.  Was  licensed  by  Alton 
Presbytery,  April,  1875.  Removed  to  Southern  Kansas  in 
■October  of  that  year  and  took  charge  of  Wellington,  and 
Clear  Water  churches.  Was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Emporia,  in  December,  1875.  December  22,  1876,  was  in- 
stalled pastor  of  Belle  Plaine  church,  which  he  had  organ- 
ized the  previous  summer.  That  is  his  present  home  and  ad- 
dress— Belle  Plaine,  Kansas. 


Albert  B.  Byram  was  born  in  Dark  county,  Ohio,  near 
the  western  borders  of  the  State,  October  31,  1843. 

Piis  parents — Ebenezer  and  Sarah  R.  Byram — were  natives 
of  New  Jersey,  from  which  State  they  emigrated  to  West- 
ern Ohio,  in  the  year  1834  or  1835.  They  were  of  English 
and  Holland  descent,  of  a  morally  and  physically  vigorous 
stock.  In  1837  Ebenezer  Bj^am  was  made  an  elder  in  the 
New  School  Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  lived  and  la- 
bored till  the  union  in  1S70.  He  is  still  living,  and  at  Janes- 
ville,  in  Northwestern  Iowa,  whither  he  emigrated  in  1853. 

Albert  B.  was  educated  at  the  University  of  Iowa  City, 
and  at  the  Northwestern  Theological  Seminary,  Chicago. 
He  was    licensed  by  Chicago   Presbytery  in  the  spring   of 

1876.  In  April,  1877,  he  took  charge  of  the  church  at 
Greenville,  111.,  and   was  ordained  their  pastor   November  7, 

1877,  and  here  he  still  remains,  He  was  married 
in  July,  1873,  to  I^.Iiss  Mary  E.  Dawson  at  West  "Liberty, 
Iowa.  They  have  one  child — a  son — Elbert  Winfred,  born 
June  29,   1878. 

Charles  Turner  Phillips  was  born  in  Orange  township, 
Delaware  county,  O.,  July  13,  1847.  ^^is  father,  Jeremiah 
Phillips,  is  a  Methodist  minister,  and  still  resides  in  Olney, 
111.     The    family  are  of  Scotch    descent.     Charles   Turner, 


698  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

then  a  boy  of  fourteen,  entered  the  army  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  war  and  served  till  its  close.  He  then  went 
West  to  Salt  Lake,  and  had  stirring  adventures  in  the  moun- 
tains. After  many  tribulations  he  found  his  way  into  the 
ministry  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  was  licensed  in 
the  spring  of  1875,  and  ordained  in  the  spring  of  1876. 
Meanwhile  he  preached  and  taught  in  Tennessee.  In  Octo- 
ber of  that  year  he  was  installed  pastor  of  two  churches 
in  Reno  county,  Kan.  His  next  field  was  the  Presbyterian 
church  at  Ducoign,  111.,  where  he  still  remains. 

He  married  Mfss  Nellie  E.  Eckley,  daughter  of  Milton 
Eckley,  in  Obion  county,  Tenn.,  in  October,  1870.  Mr. 
Eckley  was  formerly  an  elder  in  Richland  church,  Richland 
county,  111.  The  fruit  of  this  marriage  is  four  children,. 
Thomas  M.,  Nellie  E.,  Philip  L.,  dead,  and  Charles    H. 


William  L.  Johnston  was  born,  October  15,  1848,  near 
Annan,  Dumfriesshire,  Scotland.  The  space  to  follow  his 
early  and  stirring  career  is  wanting.  His  education  was  ob- 
tained largely  by  studying  men  and  things,  by  traveling  and 
the  constant  exercise  of  his  remarkable  faculty  of  close  obser- 
vation. His  academic  and  theological  course  was  taken  mostly 
at  Blackburn  University,  Carlinville,  111.  He  was  licensed  hy 
Alton  Presbytery  in  April,  1873,  and  immediately  took 
charge  of  the  church  at  East  St.  Louis.  He  was  soon  in- 
stalled its  pastor,  and  remained  in  that  charge  until  August 
3,  1879.  The  same  month  he  left  for  the  Foreign  Missionary 
service  at  Sidon,  Syria,  under  a  Commission  from  the  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  John- 
ston's labors  at  East  St.  Louis  were  remarkable  for  their 
adaptation  to  circumstances,  their  persistence  under  difficul- 
ties and  discouragements  and  for  their  success. 

He  was  married,  September  14,  1875,  to  Miss  Ida  Flor- 
ence Davis.  Their  first  born  child,  Lilly  Belle,  born  July  6, 
1879,  was  baptized,  August  3,  1879,  the  day  Mr.  Johnston 
preached  his  farewell  sermon  at  East  St.  Louis.  The  writer 
had  the  pleasure  of  officiating  both  at  the  marriage  and  at 
the  baptism, 

Oliver  Silas  Thompson  was  born,  August  6,  1841,  at 
Camden,  Carroll  county,  Ind.  On  his  father's  side  he  is 
English ;    on   his    mother's,    Scotch-Irish.       His    education,. 


EDWIN    L.  KURD,  D.  D.  699 

both  literary  and  professional,  was  obtained  at  several  insti- 
tutions and  is  both  liberal  and  thorough.  He  was  licensed 
by  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis  in  the  spring  of  1870.  In 
1871  he  was  ordained.  He  first  preached  at  Chouteau  Ave. 
Presbyterian  church,  St.  Louis ;  then  at  Troy,  Mo.  For  sev- 
eral years  past  he  has  been  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
Belleville,  111.,  and  there  he  still  remains.  July 

14,  1875,  he  married  Miss  Kate  Henry,  only  daughter  of  Dr. 
Henry,  of  Nashville,  111.,  a  descendant  of  Patrick  Henry. 
She  is  a  graduate  of  Monticello  Seminary.  They  have  one 
child. 

Edwin  L.  Hurd,  D.  D.,  is  a  native  of  Wyoming  county. 
Western  New  York,  where  he  became  a  member  of  the 
church  of  his  parents — the  Presbyterian  Church — at  the  age 
of  fourteen.  At  the  age  of  seventeen,  when  nearly  prepared 
for  college,  he  was  estopped  from  all  study  by  ill  health,  and 
induced  to  travel  in  a  sparsely  settled  and  morally  destitute 
region  of  Southern  New  York  and  Northern  Pennsylvania 
in  the  work  of  one  of  the  benevolent  societies.  "  The  young- 
est and  one  of  the  most  successful  in  the  United  States,"  the 
secretary  of  that  society  said  of  him.  Having  regained 
health,  and  his  parents  having  removed  to  Galesburg,  111.,  the 
seat  of  Knox  College,  he  determined  to  pursue  his  studies  in 
that  institution  and  entered  the  Freshman  class  in  1849,  grad- 
uating in  1853.  The  same  autumn  he'entered  Union  Theolog- 
ical Seminary  and  graduated  in  1856.  January,  1857,  he 
took  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of 
Augusta,  111.,  where  he  remained  for  more  than  twelve  years. 
At  the  close  of  that  period  there  was  but  one  adult  member 
of  the  congregation  who  was  not  a  communicant. 

For  about  four  years  he  was  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Sandwich,  111.,  when  he  was  called  to  the  charge  of 
Highland  Park  Presbyterian  church.  In  1877  he  was  appointed 
Professor  of  Theology  and  Mental  and  Moral  Science  in 
Blackburn  University.  This  post  he  still  occupies  with 
credit  to  himself  and  advantage  to  the  institution.  Mrs. 
Hurd  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  George  W.  Gale,  D.  D.,  of 
Galesburg,  111. 

Edward  Scofield,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Norwalk,  Conn.,  Sep- 
tember 22,  1810.  In  May,  1829,  he  united  with  the  Congre- 
gational Church  in  his  native  place.     He  entered  the  prepa- 


700  PRESBYTEKIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

ratory  department  of  Illinois  College  in  1831,  graduating  in 
1837.  ^^  ths  ^^11  of  the  same  year  he  entered  Lane  Theo- 
logical Seminary — completing  its  three  years  course. 

He  was  licensed  by  Cincinnati  Presbytery  in  1839,  ^^^  ^^ 
1840  was  ordained  over  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Cleves, 
Ohio.  June  i6th  of  that  year  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth 
Williams,  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children. 
Three  children  died  in  infancy,  the  remaining  seven  in  early 
life  made  profession  of  their  faith  in  Christ,  and  united 
with  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Although  driven 

from  one  field  -to  another  in  the  endeavor  to  preserve 
health,  it  was  his  privilege  of  the  thirty-nine  years  of  his 
ministry,  to  spend  twenty-one  with  three  churches,  namely: 
seven  each,  at  Batavia,  Ohio;  Anderson,  and  Alishawaka, 
Ind.  During  his  early  ministry,  he  often  assumed 

the  care  of  two,  sometimes  three  churches  at  the  same  time. 
In  addition  to  these  named  above,  he  served  the  Presbyterian 
churches  at  Monroe,  New  Richmond,  Mt.  Pleasant  and  Lack- 
land in  Ohio,  Franklin,  Ind.,  and  Lena,  Centralia,  Metropo- 
lis, Waterman  and  Somonauk,  111.,  at  which  latter  place  his 
labors  closed  on  earth,  October  12,  1878. 

He  labored  much  with  his  pen.  In  1849  there  was  pub- 
lished a  second  edition  of  his  work  on  "  Family  Government," 
which  was  also  translated  into  the  Arabic,  by  American  mis- 
sionaries, for  use  in  Syria.  In  1 864  he  prepared  and  pub- 
lished a  small  book  on  "  Civil  Government  and  Rebellion," 
which  was  distributed  by  the  Christian  Commission  among 
the  Indiana  soldiers,  during  the  late  war.  In  1867  was  com- 
pleted and  issued  his  work,  entitled  "  A  Solar  Heaven — A 
New  Theory."  Other  works  have  followed  or  preceded 
these — much  of  his  literary  labor,  both  poetry  and  prose, 
being  for  the  secular  or  religious  press. 


'ff^aet.,i  /,,  j.:,„  Siv'^'"  ■'  ' 


CHAPTER  XX. 

CAPT.  BENJAMIN  GODFREY,  MONTICELLO,  JACKSONVILLE  AND    DU- 
COIGN  FEMALE  INSTITUTIONS    AND  BLACKBURN  UNIVERSITY. 

Of  Capt.  Benjamin  Godfrey,  the  founder  of  Monticello 
Female  Seminary,  the  trustees  of  that  institution  present 
to  the  readers  of  this  volume  a  fine  steel  engraving,  and  a 
few  particulars  of  his  eventful  hfe,  regretting  their  inability 
to  give  no  more. 

He  was  born  at  Chatham,  jMass.,  December  4,  1794.  He 
was  the  fourth  and  youngest  son  of  Knowles  Godfrey,  a  na- 
tive of  the  same  State.  He  had  but  little  opportunity  for 
early  culture,  as  at  the  early  age  of  nine  years  he  ran  away 
from  home  to  go  to  sea.  His  first  voyage  was  to  Ireland^ 
where  he  made  his  home  for  nine  years.  He  was  probably 
occupied  in  these  years  in  short  coasting  voyages.  The 
war  of  1812-15  brought  him  home.  He  then  spent  some 
time  with  his  uncle  Benjamin,  with  whom  he  studied  and 
acquired  a  fair  practical  education,  to  which  he  added 
the  knowledge  of  the  science  of  navigation.  He  was  con- 
nected with  the  naval  service   during  some  part  of  the  war.. 

He  afterwards  made  several  voyages  as  commander  of  a. 
merchant  ship  to  various  parts  of  the  world,  including  Italy 
and  Spain.  He  also,  in  command  of  his  own  ship,  made 
many  voyages  from  Baltimore  to  New  Orleans  and  the  West 
Indies.  On  the  last  voyage  he  was  ship-wrecked  near  Bra- 
zos, Santiago,  and  lost  nearly  all  he  had,  and  came  near  los- 
ing his  life.  In  1826  he  located  at  IMatamoras,  Mexico^ 
where  he  opened  up  a  very  successful  mercantile  business. 
Before  he  came  out  of  Mexico  he  had  accumulated  a  very 
handsome  fortune,  and  was  transporting  the  silver  across  the 
country  on  the  backs  of  mules,  when  he  was  robbed  of  the 
whole — some  $200,000 — by  guerrillas.  Of  that  misfortune 
he  has  been  heard  to  say  that  it  was  the  only  time  in  his  life 
when  he  became  entirely  discouraged.  He  gave  up,  sat 
down  by  the  road-side  and  cried.  But  the   next 

we  hear  of  him  he  was  in  successful  business  in  New  Or- 
leans, where  he  remained  until  1832,  when  he  came  North 


702  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

and  settled  in  Alton,  and  with  W.  S.  Gilman.  established  thf- 
well-known   firm    of  Godfrey  and    Gilman.  He 

united  with  the  Alton  Presbyterian  church  on  profession, 
November  3,  1833.  The  same  year  he  erected  with  his  own 
means  a  commodious  stone  church,  with  a  basement  and 
spire,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Third  and  Market  streets, 
where  the  Episcopal  church  now  stands.  He  retained  the 
title  to  the  property  in  his  own  hands,  and  gave  the  use  of  it 
to  the  Presbyterian  and  Baptist  churches,  who  occupied  it 
jointly  until  1834,  when  the  Baptists  removed  elsewhere,  and 
the  Presbyterians  occupied  it  solely  until  April  27,  1845. 
Sometime  subsequently  to  1838,  Capt.  Godfrey  had  given 
that  property  to  Monticello  Seminary.  In  April,  1845,  the 
trustees  of  that  institution  sold  it  to  the  Episcopalians. 

July  5,  1840,  Capt.  Godfrey  was  elected  an  elder  in  the 
Alton  Presbyterian  church,  and  remained  such  until  Septem- 
ber 18,  1844,  when  his  church  relation  was  transferred  to 
Monticello  church,  in  which  he  acted  as  elder  until  his  death. 
Large-hearted  by  nature,  made  increasingly  so  by  years  of 
life  upon  the  ocean,  his  consecration  to  Christ  expanded  his 
benevolent  spirit  to  noble  proportions.  He  began  to  devise 
liberal  things.  Extensive  travel  and  observation  had  re- 
vealed to  him  the  power  of  female  influence  over  society  at 
large,  and  created  in  his  mind  a  horror  of  the  Romish  sys- 
tem as  it  stood  related  to  this  influence.  The  idea  of  the 
ISIonticello  Female  Seminary  as  first  conceived  in  his  own 
mind  he  thus  describes: 

One  morning,  while  Ijang  in  my  bed  somewhat  indisposed,  my  wife  came  into 
the  room,  and  as  she  went  out  made  some  remark.  One  of  our  little  children, 
that  had  just  begun  to  lisp  a  few  words,  caught  the  remark,  and  while  playing  by 
itself  on  the  floor,  repeated  it  over  and  over  for  some  time.  This  led  me  to  re- 
flect on  the  powerful  effect  of  a  mother's  example  on  the  minds,  manners,  and 
habits  of  their  offspring,  and  the  no  less  powerful  influence  that  females  have 
over  society  at  large.  The  mind  is  formed  to  a  great  extent  in  childhood,  and 
while  under  the  direct  care  of  the  mother.  From  the  time  it  can  lisp,  and  even 
betore,  it  goes  to  her  with  all  its  little  troubles  and  difficulties,  its  pleasures  and 
pains,  and  her  kind  participation  in  all  its  concerns  endears  it  so  closely,  and 
gives  it  such  implicit  confidence  in  her,  that  it  takes  for  granted  any  thing  she 
does  or  says  is  right,  and  is  actuated  accordingly. 

With  these  reflections,  the  idea  came  into  my  mind  to  erect  a  Seminary,  in 
which  females  could,  with  the  blessing  of  God,  be  prepared  to  discharge  their 
numerous,  arduous  and  responsible  duties.  After  consulting  my  wife  as  to  the 
propriety  of  such  a  step,  to  which  she  acceded  unhesitatingly,  and  being  desir- 
ous to  act  the  part  of  a  faithful  steward  of  what  God  had  placed  in  my  posses- 
sion, I  resolved  to  devote  so  much  of  it  as  would  erect  a  building,  to  be  devoted 
to  the  moral,  intellectual,  and  domestic  improvement  of  females. 


CAPT.  BENJ.  GODFREY.  7O3 

This  was  the  germ  of  Monticello  Female  Seminary.  Upon 
the  building  Capt.  Godfrey  expended  ;^5  3,000.  After  it  be- 
came a  chartered  institution,  he  acted,  until  his  death,  as  one 
of  its  five  trustees,  and  his  ideas  as  to  its  management  usually 
prevailed.  It  opened  April  ii,  1.838,  and  has  been  from  that 
time  till  this,  a  great  and  most  complete  success.  It  has 
been  most  fortunate  in  its  principals,  particularly  Rev.  The- 
ron  Baldwin,  Miss  Philena  Fobes  and  Miss  Harriet  N.  Has- 
kell, who  have  occupied  that  position  for  nearly  the  whole 
period  of  its  existence,  now  more  than  forty-one  years. 

Capt.  Godfrey  purchased  large  tracts  of  land  in  Illinois, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1862,  had  unsold  in  his  own 
name  4,000  acres  in  Madison  county  alone.  After  closing 
his  business  in  Alton,  he  devoted  himself  to  farming,  with 
his  residence  at  Godfrey.  But  his  active  nature  could  not 
long  rest  content  with  this  quiet  life.  He  became  a  large 
railroad  contractor,  and  constructed  the  road  between  Alton 
and  Springfield.  This  was  perhaps  the  most  perplexing  and 
harassing  business  of  his  life.  His  private  property  became 
deeply  involved,  and  much  of  it  was  entirely  lost ;  but  not- 
withstanding these  losses  and  his  large  benefactions,  he  died 
a  wealthy  man.  Says  inspiration :  "  They  who  honor  me  I 
will  honor." 

He  was  twice  married.  First  to  Miss  Harriet  Cooper  of 
Baltimore,  Md.,  Nov.  27,  18 17,  with  whom  he  lived  twenty- 
one  years,  and  by  whom  he  had  twelve  children.  He  was 
again  married,  August  15,  1839,  to  Miss  R.  E.  Petit  of 
Hempstead,  Long  Island,  with  whom  he  lived  twenty-three 
years,  and  by  whom  he  had  three  children.  Of  his  child- 
ren five  died  in  infancy.  The  rest  lived  to  adult  years.  But 
four,  however,  are  now  living,  viz.:  James  Ryder,  born  Aug. 
29,  181 8,  at  Baltimore,  Md.  He  has  been  disabled  by  paral- 
ysis for  two  or  three  years  past,  and  is  at  this  writing,  entirely 
helpless.  Emily,  born  January  19,  1830.  She  married  Joseph 
R.  Palmer  at  Brownsville,  Texas,  and  now  resides  at  Bruns- 
wick, N.  J.  Catharine,  born  at  Monticello,  Jan.  20,  1835,  mar- 
ried to  Hon.  John  M.  Pearson.  Benjamin,  born  at  Alton,  June 
28,  1S40.  All  excepting  Emily  reside  at  Godfrey,  Madison 
county.  111.  Capt.  Godfrey  died  at  his  residence,  Godfrey, 
III.,  August  13,  1862. 

Jacksonville  Female  Academy.  This  institution  grew 
out  of  a  private  school  for  girls,  established  by  Mrs.  Ellis, 


704  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

wife  of  Rev.  John  M.  Ellis,  first  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyte- 
rian church  of  Jacksonville.  Its  organization  occurred  in. 
December,  1830.  Its  first  building  was  opened  for  pupils  in 
1833.  It  was  chartered  by  the  Legislature  in  183$,  being  the 
first  educational  institution  chartered  in  the  State  of  Illinois.. 
A  little  later  during  the  same  session  of  the  Legislature,  Illi- 
nois, McKendree  and  Shurtleff  colleges  were  chartered. 
The  beautiful  grounds  of  the  academy  were  donated  by  Dr. 
Ero  Chandler,  an  early  and  enterprising  citizen  of  Jackson- 
ville. The  original  building  was  thirty  by  forty  feet  on  the 
ground,  having  two  stories  and  a  basement.  Several  large 
additions  have  since  been  made,  and  the  structure  at  pres- 
ent is  conspicuous  and  imposing. 

Principals  of  the  academy  and  terms  of  service  :  Miss- 
Sarah  C.  Crocker,  1833  to  1835;  Miss  Emilv  Price,  1835  to 
1837;  John  Adams,  LL.D.,  1837  to  1843;  Rev.  W.  H.  Wil- 
liams, A.  M.,  1843  to  1848;  Miss  Lucretia  Kimball,  1848  to 
1850;  Miss  Elizabeth  Mead,  1850  to  1851;  Rev.  Charles  G. 
Selleck,  A.  M.,  185 1  to  1857;  Mrs.  Phoebe  Thompson,  1857 
to  1858;  Newton  Bateman,  LL.D.,  and  Miss  Harriet  P.  Mur- 
dock,  1858  to  1859;  Benjamin  F.  Mitchell,  A.  M.,  1859  to 
1865:  Gilbert  Thayer,  A.  M.,  1865  to  1874;  E.  F.  Bullard, 
A.  M.,  1874. 

The  institution  began  to  graduate  classes  regularly  in  1845, 
and  the  alumnae  now  (1879)  number  more  than  three  hundred. 

As  the  institution  is  first  in  the  order  of  time,  its  aim  is  not 
to  be  second  to  any  as  regards  excellence.  It  is  a  thoroughly 
Christian  school  of  the  highest  grade,  having  a  course  of 
study  as  extensive  as  any  in  the  land. 

Though  under  Presbyterian  control,  it  is  conducted  on  lib- 
eral principles  and  enjoys  a  large  patronage  from  all  Christ- 
ian denominations. 

The  Institution  has  no  endowment,  but  is  out  of  debt  and 
comfortably  self-sustaining. 

The  Board  is  self-perpetuating.  L.  M.  Glover,  D,  D.,  Pres- 
ident.    Hon.  Edward  Scott,  Secretary. 


DucoiGN  Female  Seminary,  Chartered  February  13, 
1855 — Became  Private  Property  1872.  This  institution  de- 
serves a  permanent  record  in  the  history  of  Education  and 
Religion  in  Southern  Illinois,  which  is  especially  appropriate- 
here,  as  all  the  ministers  in  sympathy  with  the  Presbyterian. 


DUCOIGN    FEMALE    SEMINARY.  705 

Church,  operating  in  this  section  of  country  during  the  years 
embraced  in  its  history,  are  closely  identified  with  it — the 
most  of  them  having  been  on  its  Board  of  Trustees,  and  at 
least  four  having  acted  as  agents  to  collect  funds. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  sketch  to  give  a  full  history  of 
its  progress,  step  by  step,  but  to  show  the  spirit  with  which 
the  work  was  begun,  and  to  some  extent  bring  out  results. 
As  it  is  impossible  to  speak  of  all  the  persons  that  became 
interested,  or  of  the  individual  teachers  that  labored,  and 
gave  of  their  means  to  carry  forward  this  work,  only  those 
that  contributed  to  bring  it  into  existence,  will  be  mentioned 
by  name. 

The  idea  of  the  enterprise  originated  with  Miss  Eliza  Paine, 
of  South  Hadley,  Mass.,  she  having  cherished  and  talked 
over  the  plans  that  led  to  it  long  before  an  opportunity 
offered  for  beginning  the  work. 

Miss  Paine  offered  her  services  to  the  "  Boston  Ladies'  So- 
ciety for  the  promotion  of  Christian  education,"  and  was 
sent  by  them  to  Ducoign,  Perry  county.  111.,  June,  1852. 
Finding  a  large  school  on  her  hands,  and  believing  this  to  be 
the  spot  for  her  long  cherished  enterprise,  she  at  once  took 
the  first  step  towards  its  accomplishment  by  sending  for  her 
first  helper,  Miss  E.  Reynolds,  who  arrived  three  months 
later — September,  1852. 

This  it  must  be  remembered,  was  before  the  day  of  rail- 
roads in  Southern  Illinois.  These  teachers  reached  Ducoign 
via.  St.  Louis,  going  from  St.  Louis  down  the  Mississippi  to 
Chester,  thence  forty  miles  over-land  by  private  conveyance. 
Our  State  Normal  Schools  had  not  then  come  into  existence. 
There  were  but  few  good  schools,  and  not  enough  of  any 
kind  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  people.  There  had  been  a 
school  of  the  higher  order  at  Salem,  Marion  county.  B.  G. 
Roots,  the  pioneer  teacher  of  "  Egypt "  had  kept  a  family 
boarding  school  in  Perry  county,  and  afterwards  taught  the 
"Sparta  Seminary"  for  some  years ;  and  two  young  ladies 
from  the  East,  Miss  Gannett  and  Miss  Chamberlain,  had  pre- 
ceded Miss  Paine  by  a  year  or  two,  and  been  doing  good 
work  in  the  schools  of  Vergennesand  Jonesboro. 

At  the  close  of  a  year  in  the  district  school,  the  two  ladies 
first  named,  met  at  the  house  of  Rev.  Josiah  Wood — he  hav- 
ing become  deeply  interested  in  the  Seminar>'  enterprise — 
and  after  much  consultation  and  prayer,  articles  were  drawn 
up  setting  forth  principles  determining  the  character  of  the 

44 


y06  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

school,  to  present  as  a  basis  for  home  subscriptions.  One  of 
these  articles,  giving  tone  to  the  whole,  was,  "  It  shall  be  a 
Christia?i  school.  The  teachers  shall  be  members  of  some 
Evangelical  church,  and  the  Bible  the  corner  stone  of  all  its 
moral  instructions."  From  this  time  on,  Mr.  Wood  became 
thoroughly  identified  with  this  enterprise,  giving  thought, 
time,  and  money.  A  preparatory  school  went  into  operation 
in  the  fall  of  1853,  in  Rev.  Mr.  Wood's  house,  and  afterwards 
was  continued  in  the  dwelling  house  purchased  of  Dr.  Wall 
on  the  present  Seminary  lot.  The  corner  stone  of  the  Sem- 
inary building  was  laid  June  13,  1855,  and  as  apropos  of  the 
principles  embodied  in  the  articles  of  compact,  a  Bible  (do- 
nated by  Rev.  A.  T.  Norton)  was  among  the  things  deposited 
in  this  corner  stone.  The  paper  for  subscriptions  was  circu- 
lated at  Ducoign  and  vicinity,  and  the  people 
subscribed  liberally ;  but  the  main  reliance  for 
money  to  carry  forward  this  work,  was  from  the  first, 
churches,  missionary  associations,  ladies'  societies,  and  be- 
nevolent individuals  at  the  East.  And  this  was  brought 
about  very  largely  by  and  through  personal  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances of  Miss  Paine  and  her  co-workers.  We  do  not 
forget  that  many  Christian  helpers  were  found  at  the  west. 
One  lady  of  CoUinsville,  III. — Mrs.  P.  Morrison — gave  large- 
ly of  her  means  to  relieve  the  institution  from  embarrass- 
ment, after  the  practical  working  of  the  school  had  demon- 
strated the  desirability  of  its  continuance.  The  mission- 
aries gave  their  influence  to  the  work.  The  objects  of  the 
school,  as  set  forth  in  the  first  circular  issued  by  the  princi- 
pal (Miss  Paine)  in  the  fall  of  1854,  were  :  1st.  "To  train 
teachers  on  the  field.  2d.  To  provide  for  the  education  of 
our  home  missionaries'  daughters  at  the  West.  3d.  To  as- 
sist the  deserving  needy.  4th.  To  prepare  our  pupils  for  the 
greatest  possible  usefulness  in  every  sphere  of  duty."  In 
looking  over  a  catalogue  of  pupils,  I  find  the  names  of  ten 
young  ladies,  daughters  of  home  missionaries,  who  were  in 
the  school  from  one  to  four  years  each,  during  its  early  his- 
tory. One  donation  of  a  thousand  dollars  was  the  result  of 
interest  excited  through  one  of  these  missionary  families. 
Cpuld  the  history  of  the  pupils  connected  with  this  institu- 
tion be  fully  written,  we  should  see  that  streams  of  influence 
have  gone  forth  from  it  to  bless  all  the  region  round  about. 
A  very  large  proportion  of  the  additions  to  the  Ducoign 
church  during  the  first  ten  years  that  this  school  had  an  ex- 


BLACKBURN    UNIVERSITY.  /O/ 

istence,  were  from  its  pupils.  Others  who  became  interested 
in  religion  while  there,  united  with  churches  in  other  places 
after  returning  to  their  homes.  When  these  left  the  school, 
they  went  imbued  with  the  spirit  to  work  for  the  Master. 
They  had  not  only  received  good  themselves,  but  were 
made  blessings  to  the  families  and  neighborhoods  from  which 
they  came.  Some  are  known  to  have  established  and  main- 
tained with  little  or  no  assistance  Sunday-schools  in  places 
were  there  had  been  none  before ;  others  have  been  success- 
ful in  elevating  the  standard  of  common  school  instruction; 
and  of  those  that  were  called  to  give  up  their  labors  on 
earth  soon  after  leaving  the  Seminary,  we  have  pleasing 
evidence  that  their  faith  and  trust  held  out  to   the  end. 

The  founders  and  patrons  of  this  school  have  been 
disappointed  as  to  its  permanency  as  a  chartered  Seminary, 
built  and  sustained  by  Christian  benevolence.  But  it  has 
not  been  a  failure.  The  influence  of  teachers  and  pupils 
connected  with  it,  is  felt  for  good  through  all  Southern 
Illinois.  Since  it  became  private  property,  a  school  for 
;both  sexes  has  been  sustained  with  creditable  success. 

The  writer  of  the  above  graceful  article  is  Mrs.  E.  R.  Roots,  wife  of  B.  G. 
Roots,  Esq..  last  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Ducoign  Female  Semi- 
nary, the  early  and  distinguished  educator  of  Southern  Illinois.  Most  of  our  read- 
ers will  understand  that  she  is  the  same  as  Mrs.  A.  L.  Saunders  and  MiSS  E. 
Reynolds. 

Blackburn  University.  I  shall  not  give  a  history  of 
this  Institution,  but  barely  name  some  of  the  most  sali- 
ent facts  concerning  it.  The  means  for  its  establishment 
were  procured  by  Rev.  Dr.  Gideon  Blackburn  about  1835  on  a 
plan  of  his  own.  This  plan  secured  some  16,000  acres  of  Illi- 
nois lands  which,  being  entered  in  his  own  name,  he  deeded  in 
trust  to  seven  Trustees  to  carry  out  his  plan.  But  as  for  nearly 
twenty  years  the  lands  had  little  more  than  a  nominal  value, 
the  Trustees  made  no  effort  to  establish  the  Institution,  and 
conveyed  the  lands  to  Illinois  College  to  endow  a  Theolog- 
ical Professorship  in  connection  with  that  Institution.  This 
conveyance,  however,  did  not  stand,  and  the  courts  instructed 
the  Trustees  to  go  forward  and  carry  out  Dr.  Blackburn's 
deed  of  trust  by  establishing  the  Institution  at  Carlinville. 
A  charter  was  procured  which  embodied  the  provisions  of 
the  deed  of  trust,  and  the  Institution  was  opened  in  a  small 
way,  September  20,  1858,  under  the  charge  of  Rev.  John  C. 
Downer.     A  building  was  erected  on  the  site  designated  by 


708  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Dr.  Blackburn.  Robert  B.  Minton,  A.  M.,  and  Rev.  John  L, 
B.  Soule  were  appointed  professors.  They  entered  upon 
their  work  and  prosecuted  it  successfully.  In  1865  Rev. 
John  W.  Bailey — soon  made  a  D.  D. — was  appointed  Professor 
of  Theology.  The  building  was  enlarged  to  the  proportions 
of  the  present  structure  and  courses  of  classical,  scientific 
and  theological  training  marked  out.  These  have  been 
steadily  prosecuted  until  this  present,  with  some  changes  in 
the  instructors  and  some  variations  in  the  number  of  the  stu- 
dents. But  upon  the  whole,  the  progress  of  the  Institution 
has  been  pretty  steadily  onward,  and  its  promise  of  future 
usefulness  is  highly  encouraging. 

Since  the  failure  of  Jacksonville  College  to  furnish  Presby- 
terians of  Southern  and  Central  Illinois  with  such  an  institu- 
tion as  they  needed,  Blackburn  University  has  arisen,  a  star 
of  much  present  effulgence  and  of  large  future  promise.  Its 
endowment,  together  with  the  revenue  derived  from  the  stu- 
dents, meet  all  expenses,  and  the  Institution  is  free  of  debt. 
Its  property  is  probably  worth  to-day  at  least  ^125,000. 

Its  present  Trustees  are  Ex-Gov.  John  M.  Palmer,  Presi- 
dent, Springfield;  Rev.  A.  T.  Norton,  D.  D.,  Alton;  Phi- 
lander Braley,  Esq.,  Carlinville  ;  Rev.  G.  W.  Gallaher,. 
Jacksonville  ;  Rev.  Wm.  L.  Tarbet,  Virden  ;  Samuel  Brown, 
Esq.,  Plainview ;  Hon.  George  E,  Warren,  Jerseyville ;. 
Rev.  Thomas  W.  Hynes,  Pocahontas ;  J.  N.  McCord,  M. 
D.,  Vandalia ;  Russell  Hinckley,  Esq.,  Belleville ;  E.  L. 
Hurd,  D.  D.,  CarHnville ;  Hon.  J.  C.  Irwin,  Edwardsville ; 
Rev.  O.  S.  Thompson,  Belleville. 

Its  Faculty:  Rev.  E.  L.  Hurd,  D.  D.,  Professor  of  Theol- 
ogy and  Mental  and  Moral  Science.  Robert  B.  Minton,  A. 
M.,  Professor  of  Mathematics,  Rev.  Rufus  Nutting,  A.  M., 
Professor  of  Latin  and  Greek  Languages.  John  D.  Conley, 
A.  M.,  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Natural  History.  Mrs. 
Kate  Hopkins,  Principal  of  Ladies'  Department.  Henry 
Merz,  Instructor  in  German  and  French  Languages.  Thomas 
E.  Moore,  Principal  of  the  Preparatory  Department. 


CHAPTER  XXL 
The  Rev.  Aratus  Kent,  of  Galena. 

Contributed  by  Rev.  D.  W.  Evans,  of  Litchfield,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Kent's  many  friends,  scattered  through  the  Northwest, 
will  wish  for  nothing  more  and  will  accept  nothing  less  than 
an  outline  of  the  man  as  he  was — a  man  of  unbending  integ- 
rity, of  stainless  purity,  of  zealous  devotion  to  piety,  and  to 
crown  all,  of  a  self-sacrificing  spirit  and  an  inflexible  will, 
which  enabled  him  to  bend  all  his  powers  to  whatever  work 
he  undertook.  I  shall  attempt,  therefore,  simply  to  chrystal- 
ize  in  words  the  daily  life  of  this  good  man,  and  that  with  the 
faithfulness  which  Cromwell  once  demanded  of  the  young 
artist,  Lely,  to  whom  the  commission  of  painting  the  great 
Protector  had  been  entrusted  :  "  Paint  me  as  I  am,"  said  he, 
"if  you  leave  out  the  scars  and  wrinkles  I  will  not  pay  you  a 
single  shilling."  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Mr.  Kent  did  not 
leave  a  record  of  his  work  in  some  tangible  shape.  But  few 
of  the  incidents  of  his  life  have  been  preserved.  A  full 
memorial  of  one  of  the  most  successful  of  the  men  who  have 
stood  in  the  pulpits  of  this  section,  could  not  be  but  a  rich 
treasure  in  the  Church  at  large,  a  lamp  to  guide  our  young 
ministers  especially  to  sure  success  in  the  holy  vocation  of 
ministerial    service. 

Our  subject  was  of  Puritan  ancestry,  born  at  Suffield, 
Connecticut,  January  17,  1794.  Though  none  had  less 
reason  than  he  for  borrowing  honors  from  his  ancestry 
or  his  relatives,  yet  it  is  a  matter  of  interest  to  note  that  he 
and  Chancellor  Kent,  of  N.  Y.,  trace  their  lineage  back  to  the 
one  family,  which  at  an  early  day  settled  in  the  valley  of  the 
Connecticut  river.  His  father,  a  thrifty  merchant 

and  farmer,  early  instilled  into  the  mind  of  his  child  those 
habits  of  industry,  of  study,  of  devotion,  which  made  Puri- 
tan New  England  so  prominent  a  factor  in  the  evangelization 
and  education  of  the  Western  States.  Having  completed 
his  preparatory  studies  at  Westfield,  Mass.,  he  entered  the 
Sophomore  year  at  Yale  College  and  graduated  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two,  with  the  last  class  taught  by  the  eminent  President 


7IO  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

Dwight,  of  whom  it  was  said,  "  That  no  man  except  the 
'father  of  his  country'  had  conferred  greater  benefits  on  our 
nation."  To    perfect  so    far    as    possible    these 

preparations  for  his  great  work  in  the  West,  he  spent  the 
subsequent  four  years  in  theological  studies  under  the  emi- 
nent pastors,  Romeyn  and  Mason,  of  New  York  city,  and 
soon  afterwards  devoted  another  year  to  select  studies  at 
Princeton  Seminary,  N.  J.  Such  were  the  men  and  such 
the  influences  which  moulded  the  early  life  of  Aratus  Kent, 
who  at  Galena,  111.,  developed  into  an  indefatigable  self-sacri- 
ficing pioneer  missioaary,  successful  evangelist,  faithful  pas- 
tor and  zealous  promoter  of  the  higher  schools  of  learning. 

He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  York,  April 
20,  1820.  After  a  year  of  missionary  work  in  the  then 
wilds  of  Ohio,  and  another  in  Blanford,  Mass..  where  a 
powerful  revival  attended  his  preaching,  he  perfected  his 
preparation  for  the  gospel  ministry  by  devoting  another 
whole  year  to  study  at  Princeton  Seminary,  N.  J.  The  Pres- 
byterian church  at  Lockport,  N.  Y.,  called  him  from  Prince- 
ton to  the  pastorate  of  their  church ;  there  he  was  ordained 
and  there  he  spent  three  years  in  faithful  service.  This  was 
followed  by  a  year  devoted,  in  his  native  town,  to  study  and 
the  care  of  his  aged  father,  then  eighty  years  old.  Death, 
which  soon  came  to  the  relief  of  the  aged  sufferer,  released 
the  son  also  from  filial  duties  and  sent  him  forth  in  quest  of 
his  life's  great  work.  Of  this  period  he  writes  under  date 
June  4,  1828:  "Having  closed  up  my  accounts,  and  seen 
some  suitable  monuments  erected  over  the  graves  of  my  de- 
ceased parents,  I  bade  adieu  to  the  place  of  my  father's  sep- 
ulchres, and  immediately  after  dinner  mounted  my  horse  and 
turned  my  face  toward  the  north.  But  my  heart  was  heavy,  for 
I  was  like  unto  Abraham  who  went  forth,  not  knowing  whither 
he  went."  We  may  well  add  that  like  that  ancient  patriarch  he 
went  forth  girt  with  the  single  purpose  of  enquiring  into  and 
following  the  leadings  of  the  divine  will.  After  some  months 
of  uncongenial  labors  under  the  direction  of  a  New  Hamp- 
shire missionary  society,  he  took  temporary  charge  of  the 
church  at  Bradford,  where  he  preached  in  an  almost  continu- 
ous revival.  The  pulpit  of  the  Allen  street  Presbyterian  church 
of  New  York  City  being  at  this  time  vacant,  an  effort  was 
made  to  secure  him,  for  what  was  then  a  most  important  field. 
The  few  months  which  he  spent  with  that  devoted  and 
wealthy  people,  were  to  him  full  of  rich   and   enriching   ex- 


ARATUS    KENT.  /I  I 

perience.  Each  of  these  varied  fields  became  to  him  a 
means  of  discipline.  Each  in  turn  helped  in  the  unfolding 
of  that  unerring  judgment  and  accurate  estimate  of  men  and 
things  for  which  he  was  afterwards  so  noted.  He  was  be- 
ing led  by  a  way  that  he  knew  not,  "  to  the  great  and  wide 
field  at  the  world's  end "  awaiting  him.  He  entered  each 
field  of  work  in  turn,  with  the  spirit  of  a  soldier  who  coveted 
only  the  opportunity  to  do  self-denying  work;  who  sought 
for  superiority  only  in  hard  labor  and  a  holy  life.  The  world 
lies  before  such  men,  and  avenues  of  labor  open  on  either 
hand,  making  the  question  of  future  settlement  exceedingly 
perplexing.  It  was  so  with  Mr.  Kent.  These  few  months 
spent  in  the  pulpit  of  the  Allen  street  church.  New  York, 
brought  him  into  contact  with  the  Secretary  of  the  A.  H. 
M.  Society,  and  kindled  anew  his  sympathy  with  the  great 
work  of  that  society  in  the  West.  Bradford  sought  to  re- 
tain him  ;  Lockport  urged  her  claims  that  he  would  resume 
among  them  that  work  which  he  had  begun  three  years  be- 
fore. The  Allen  street  church  of  New  York  enticed  him 
with  the  advantages  of  a  city  pastorate.  But  his  heart  re- 
sponded to  neither.  It  was  not  until  Dr.  Peters,  the  Secre- 
tary of  Missions  came  to  him  with  the  call  that  was  backed 
by  the  wants  of  thousands  of  miners  and  merchants,  who 
were  living  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  without  church  or 
school,  that  his  heart  was  touched.  He  responded  promptly, 
"  I  go,  sir,"  and  rejoiced  to  find  at  last  that  Providence  was 
opening  the  way  for  him  to  labor  where  his  heart  and  mind 
had  gone  before — at  the  frontier  of  the  then  far  West.  We 
find  him,  at  this  time,  a  tall,  well  proportioned  man,  in  vigor- 
ous health,  with  a  mind  well  stored  with  thought,  with  men- 
tal faculties  well  disciplined  by  study,  and  a  heart  already 
enriched  with  tokens  of  the  divine  favor.  He  was  then  in 
possession  of  those  noble  purposes  and  strong  forces  of 
character  which  won  for  him  his  triumphs  in  Northern  Illinois. 
Indeed,  a  man  more  like  the  Master  in  integrity  of  heart, 
in  self-sacrificing  spirit,  and  unswerving  fealty  to  duty,  it 
were  hard  to  find.  We  are  not  surprised  then  to  learn  that 
those  who  sent  him  out  on  his  mission  to  the  miners  and 
merchants  of  the  lead  regions  of  Fevere  river,  entertained 
for  him  the  most  flattering  hopes  of  success,  and  we  are  pre- 
pared for  the  statement,  that  he  did  not  disappoint  those 
hopes.  The  blessing  of  God  upon  his  labors  made  the 
wilderness  of  reckless  living  on  the  banks  of  that  stream  to 


^12  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

blossom  with  principles  and  virtues.  It  might  well  be  said 
of  him  as  of  the  Master,  that  graces  sprung  up  in  his  path 
and  truth  took  root  wherever  he  wrought ;  and  it  gives  me 
great  pleasure  to  find  that  having  placed  this  estimate  upon 
the  character  of  the  first  pioneer  missionary  of  Northern  Illi- 
nois, it  is  fully  sustained  by  one  who  knew  him  perhaps  more 
intimately  than  the  writer.  Before  the  friends  of  Rockford 
Seminary,  of  which  Mr.  Kent  was  one  of  the  founders  and 
President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  Prof  Emerson  of  Beloit 
College,  in  a  tribute  to  his  memory  said,  "  Roses  mark  his 
steps  where  he  trod  the  wilderness."  Let  us  now  resume  the 
thread  of  our  narrative.  Mr.  Kent  has  heard  in  his  heart 
the  cry  of  thousands  of  souls  gathered  without  the  gospel 
in  the  lead  mines,  in  and  around  what  is  now  the  rugged 
city  of  Galena.  Prompt  then  as  ever  in  the  performance  of 
a  known  duty,  he  immediately  sets  out  by  way  of  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  rivers,  to  the  theatre  of  his  future  actions. 
Benevolent  then  as  in  after  life,  he  leaves  the  chief  of  his 
earthly  treasures,  a  valuable  horse,  as  a  parting  gift  to  the 
American  Tract  Society.  On  April  3,  1829,  just  after  leav- 
ing St.  Louis,  going  north  on  the  Mississippi,  he  writes,  "  I 
am  as  one  that  dreams,  with  my  paper  on  a  trunk  and  my 
pen  trembling  with  the  jarring  of  a  steamboat  contending 
with  the  strong  current  of  the  Mississippi,  I  am  urging  my 
way  up  the  great  valley  to  the  lead  mines,  not  knowing 
the  things  that  shall  befall  me  there."  He  landed  in  Galena, 
April  18,  twenty-seven  days  after  leaving  New  York.  Here 
and  then  the  great  work  of  his  life  was  begun.  He  imme- 
diately made  himself  known  as  a  missionary,  and  the  very 
next  day,  being  the  Sabbath,  he  secured  the  largest  dining 
hall  for  services.  The  villagers  and  many  others  who  came 
on  the  Sabbath  to  do  business  in  the  village,  crowded  the 
room  and  heard  the  message  of  the  gospel  that  day  for  the 
first  time  in  many  years.  There  we  meet  the  man,  there  the 
place  and  the  occasion  of  the  first  preaching  of  Christ  in 
Northern  Illinois.  We  may  well  pause  a  moment  to  take  in 
the  surroundings,  that  we  may  better  understand  the  man. 
Galena  was  settled  by  a  mixed  people  gathered  from  Eu- 
rope and  the  Eastern  States — among  these  were  a  few  en- 
terprising young  people  from  New  England  and  New  York, 
who  remembered  with  something  of  affection  the  Church  of 
their  fathers.  A. few  may  have  professed  religion  in  their 
more  Eastern  home,  but  were  now  "blighted  and  famished 


ARATUS    KENT.  /I  3 

Christians,'  "  Sabbath-breaking,  profanity  and  gambling 
had  obtained  an  alarming  and  sickening  prevalence."  On 
the  river  there  was  not  another  minister  above  St.  Louis, 
Northern  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  Iowa  and  Minnesota  were  oc- 
cupied by  Indians.  The  settlement  at  Chicago  had  not  yet 
begun.  And  the  Rev.  Jeremiah  Porter  had  not  yet  come 
with  the  garrison  to   Fort  Dearbon.  Mr,  Kent 

thus  records  his  hopes  and  discouragements  :  "  Here  is  opened 
a  great  and  effectual  door  to  preach  the  gospel.  I  have  long 
desired  to  know  what  was  the  will  of  God,  and  if  I  have 
never  found  my  place,  I  hope  that  amid  all  discouragements 
I  may  remember  that  I  said  I  was  willing  to  go  to  the  world's 
end  if  I  could  but  be  in  the  place  God  designed  I  should 
occupy."  It  was  indeed  a  "  great  and  wide"  field  at  the 
world's  end — discouragements  there  were  in  abundance.  But 
his  courage  grew  with  the  difficulties.  His  faith  gathered 
strength  with  opposition.  Confiding  in  the  power  of  Him  on 
whom  he  leaned  he  was  equal  to  every  trying  emergency. 
Standing  alone  for  years,  the  only  champion  of  a  pure 
Christianity,  he  became  to  the  wide  range  of  country  over 
which  he  traveled  the  bulwark  of  its  intelligence  and  piety. 
An  incident  in  one  of  his  early  tours  of  exploration  exhibits 
the  spirit  of  the  man.  Coming  to  a  bluff,  that  commanded  an 
extensive  view  of  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  and  of  the 
prairies  on  either  side,  he  alighted  from  his  horse  and  uncov- 
ering his  head  he  proclaimed  aloud,  "  I  take  possession'  of 
this  land  for  Christ."  Such  grave  trusts  have  been  assumed 
by  several  of  the  wisest  and  most  prudent  missionaries  of 
the  Cross.  However,  subsequent  events  have  shown  but  few 
to  be  less  an  empty  boast  than  that  trust  assumed  by  Aratus 
Kent,  with  uncovered  brow  and  uplifted  hand  on  the  over- 
hanging bluffs  of  the  Northern  Mississippi,  before  yet  the 
trails  of  the  Black  Hawk  had  been  erased  from  the  prairies. 
That  he  exhibited  a  no  less  wonderful  patience  than  faith  in 
working  out  the  trusts  so  reverently  assumed  is  seen  in  the 
fact  that  it  took  nearly  three  years  of  toil  before  he  was  ena- 
bled to  organize  with  six  members  the  first  Presbyterian  church 
at  Galena,  and  then  amidst  a  population  of  several  thousand 
souls.  Only  two  of  the  original  six  were  from  Galena;  the 
other  four  lived  out  from  five  to  forty  miles ;  two  were  resi- 
dents of  a  town  soon  afterwards  known  as  Mineral  Point, 
Wis.  That  scattered  membership  gives  us  a  hint 

at  least  of  the  spirit  of  the  man.     In  that  early  period  he 


714  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

went  everywhere  preaching  the  Word.  Every  settlement^ 
hamlet,  village  and  town  within  a  radius  of  a  hundred  miles 
of  Galena  was  wrought  upon  by  his  preaching.  He  never 
took  distances  into  account  in  the  matter  of  reaching  souls 
with  the  gospel,  which  he  himself  so  loved.  Neither  cold  or 
heat — neither  dust,  mud  or  snow  ever  weighed  with  him  in 
the  fulfilment  of  his  many  engagements  over  that  large  dis- 
trict and  country.  When  once  a  friend  remonstrated  with 
him,  pleading  "that  he  must  save  himself,"  his  reply  was,  "  I 
do  it  not  to  please  myself,  but  the  Saviour."  In  that  reply  he 
struck  the  key-note  of  the  anthem  of  his  life,  whose  rich  ca- 
dences continued  to  grow  sweeter  and  clearer  to  the  very  end. 
This  continued  until  April,  1841,  when  we  was  installed  pas- 
tor of  the  church  which  he  had  gathered.  Dr.  Horatio- 
Newhall,  a  life  long  friend  and  an  elder  of  the  church,  writes 
of  him  at  this  period,  that  his  labors  as  a  pastor  were  con- 
stant; all  knew  him  to  be  a  man  of  God.  In  zeal  and  self- 
sacrifice  he  was  rarely  if  ever  surpassed.  The  poor,  the  ig- 
norant, the  obscure,  where  objects  to  him  of  as  much  interest 
as  the  wealthy  and  the  accomplished,  dealing  out  to  each  as 
his  case  required,  instruction,  counsel,  reproof  or  consola- 
tion. He  had  no  desire  for  popular  applause.  The  only 
superiority  he  sought  was  in  labor,  the  only  ascendency  he 
coveted  was  in  self-denial  and  holiness.  In  these  respects  he 
had  few  competitors  for  pre-eminence.  The  fruits  of  all  this 
labor  and  self-denial  were  shown  in  the  revivals  of  1837, 
1840,  1841,  1842,  and  1844.  In  these  revivals  alone  two  hun- 
dred and  sixty-six  were  added  to  the  church.  The  history 
of  "those  years  is  a  record  of  abounding  labors,  patient  en- 
durance, of  fealty  to  duty  in  the  midst  of  unrequited  toils. 
He  had  a  record  of  travel  covering  twenty  thousand  miles, 
and  four  hundred  and  seventy-nine  different  places  of 
preaching,  with  three  thousand  sermons.  I  have  sat  in  pro- 
found admiration  of  the  work  of  this  devoted  man  of  God. 
I  have  been  made  glad  in  discovering  that  the  spring  of  that 
marvelous  constancy  that  rose  above  every  obstacle  and 
found  a  way  through  defeat  to  victory,  lay  in  his  deep  seated 
love  for  the  Saviour.  There  was  also,  I  may  add,  a  clear  con- 
ception of  this  fact,  that  great  events  come  in  the  track  of 
small  causes.  He  did  not  therefore  despise  the  day  of  small 
things,  but  felt  honored  in  being  permitted  to  meet  in  town 
and  hamlet  the  growing  emigration  of  the  Northwest,  to 
stamp   upon   it  the  impress  of   Christian  civilization.     Sus- 


ARATUS    KENT.  715 

tained  in  the  day  of  small  things  by  visions  of  a  great  and 
prosperous  future  for  the  country,  he  went  forth  and  sowed 
the  seeds  of  truth  in  the  hearts  of  the  dwellers  by  the  rivers,. 
on  the  prairies,  and  in  the  forests,  and  in  hamlets,  villages 
and  towns.  Knowing  that  with  the  growth  of  the  North- 
west, these  seeds  of  truth  would  blossom  to  cheer  the  toilers, 
fill  cabins  with  happiness,  and  the  whole  land  with  the  frag- 
rance of  truth  and  virtue.  Another  trait  that  secured  suc- 
cess for  him  in  his  early  struggles  with  the  obstacles  that 
environed  frontier  work  was  his  faithfulness  to  his  own  con- 
victions— what  his  principles  required  he  performed  with 
rigid  punctiliousness.  What  a  most  sensitive  conscience 
commanded  he  did  with  all  the  force  of  a  stroncr  will.  To  a 
genial,  social  nature  was  added  a  puritanic  goodness  almost 
stern  in  its  integrity,  His  nature  had  an  admixture  of  traits 
that  won  for  him  the  respect  of  all  classes  alike.  The  rough 
miner  who  had  spent  a  quarter  of  a  century  among  savages^ 
the  trim  and  cultivated  merchant  from  a  New  England 
home,  all  alike  respected  the  man  who  could  bend  the  re- 
sources of  a  strong  mind  and  vigorous  body,  to  lay  those 
humble  foundations  of  churches,  schools,  collegfes,  institu- 
tions,  whose  living  influences  are  felt  to-day  throughout 
Northern  Illinois,  Southern  Wisconsin  and  Iowa.  In  re- 
viewing these  years,  Mr.  Kent  writes  under  date  of  Novem- 
ber, 1843  :  "As  Paul  did,  so  may  I  after  foiirteen  years,  re- 
count the  events  that  have  transpired  since  I  came  first  to 
the  lead  mines  of  the  Mississippi.  My  parish  from  the- 
Rock  river  to  the  Wisconsin  has  been  surveyed,  I  have 
preached  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  Fort  Winnebago,  (Portage) 
Madison,  Potosi,  Lancaster,  Carrville,  Mineral  Point,  Bel- 
mont, Platteville,  Pecatonica,  Rockford,  Grand  Detour,  Lyn- 
don, Rock  Island,  Albany  and  Savannah.  I  have  been  in 
perils  of  waters  six  times,  perils  in  the  wilderness  three 
nights,  several  times  lost,  but  out  of  them  all  the  Lord  has 
delivered  me. 

"  When  I  came  to  Galena  there  was  no  church  of  any  de- 
nomination, either  Protestant  or  Catholic,  within  two  hundred 
miles,  no  Sabbath,  no  minister,  no  God  recognized,  and  there 
was  no  communication  with  the  rest  of  the  world  while  the 
Mississippi  was  frozen.  Now  we  have  churches,  Presbyte- 
ries, Conventions  and  Synods.  My  district  has  been  sup- 
plied with  Bibles,  and  also  with  the  bound  volumes  of  the 
Tract  Society.     Our  village  has  become  a  city  of  three  or 


yi6  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 


f 


four  thousand.  Our  church  has  grown  to  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five,  besides  those  gone  to  four  new  churches. 
Monthly  tract  distribution  scatters  two  hundred  and  fifty  a 
month.  We  have  thirteen  Sabbath-schools  in  the  county, 
and  have  raised  for  Foreign  Missions,  $1,530.  God  has  done 
great  things  for  us." 

Mr.  Kent  was  one  of  those  men  who  had  broad 
though  conservative  views.  To  him  the  school  was 
an  ally  of  the  church.  Education  was  an  handmaid  of 
religion.  We  would  expect  then  to  find  in  him  an  ardent 
friend  of  learning.  Indeed  no  sooner  had  he  gained  a  foot- 
hold for  a  church  at  Galena  than  he  opened  a  school  by  its 
side.  Here  he  planted  the  germ  of  an  institution  which,  at 
that  early  period,  did  a  good  work,  and  which  for  twenty- 
five  years  flourished  under  the  name  of  the  Galena  Classical 
Institute.  At  Presbytery  and  Convention  he  was  the  same 
ardent  friend  of  learning.  When  the  Convention  of  Repre- 
sentatives from  the  churches  of  Northern  Illinois  and  Wis- 
consin met  at  Beloit  in  1844,  to  deliberate  over  the  enterprise 
of  establishing  a  college  and  female  seminary  within  their 
bounds,  Mr.  Kent  became  an  enthusiastic  supporter  of  the 
measure.  He  was  chairman  of  the  committee  of  ten  whose 
report  led  to  the  selection  of  Beloit,  Wis.,  for  the  location  of 
the  college,  and  Rockford,  111.,  for  the  female  seminary.  In 
the  labors  of  the  committee  he  displayed  such  prudence  with 
zeal,  such  judgment  with  enthusiasm,  that  he  won  for  himself 
the  unqualified  admiration  of  his  co-laborers  in  the  great 
work  that  lay  before  them.  They  selected  him  President  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  of  both  institutions,  and  rewarded  his 
over  mastering  zeal  by  imposing  upon  him  the  honor  of 
laying  the  corner-stones  of  the  buildings  of  both  institu- 
tions— of  the  college,  June  24,  1845,  of  the  seminary, 
July  .15,  1852.  And  is  very  gratifying  to  be  able 
to  trace  the  history  of  these  institutions,  which  have 
already  poured  hundreds  of  graduates  into  the  lap  of 
this  Northwest,  to  help  mould  its  Christian  civilization, 
back  to  their  sources  in  the  purposes  and  prayers  of  brave, 
cultivated  and  godly  men.  But  to  none  are  they  more  indebted 
than  to  this  heroic  though  humble  pastor  of  the  First  Pres- 
byterian church  of  Galena.  An  incident  which  transpired 
at  the  first  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  College 
is  worthy  of  mention  here,  as  showing  the  prevailing  habit  of 
Mr.  Kent's  mind — that  of  prayer.     Already  had   the   Con- 


ARATUS    KENT.  ^l/" 

vention  of  Presbyterian  and  Congregational  Ministers — one 
in  spirit  and  one  in  the  faith  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers — deter- 
mined to  estabhsh  a  college  which  would  "provide  able  and 
learned  men  to  be  leaders  and  guides  in  the  advancing  civili- 
zation." It  was  a  great  thought.  To  execute  that  purpose 
was  for  that  early  day  a  great  work,  and  one  Vv'hich  must  bi^ 
wrought  out  in  the  face  of  overwhelming  obstacles.  The 
first  meeting  of  the  Board  was  therefore  one  fraught  with  grave 
responsibilities.  Such  men  as  Peet,  Clary,  Hickox  and 
Chapiri,  names  revered  throughout  the  churches  of  Wisconsm, 
were  there.  Mr.  Kent  was  in  the  chair,  hopeful  and  confident. 
They  sat  pondering  in  silence  the  magnitude  of  the  trusts 
imposed  upon  them.  At  length  there  steals  into  their  hearts 
a  sense  of  responsibility  that  staggers  their  faith,  and  one 
breaks  the  painful  silence  by  giving  voice  to  the  question 
which  lay  heavily  on  all  their  hearts.  "  Well,  brethren, 
what  are  we  to  do?  "  With  ready  answer  Mr.  Kent  replied,. 
^'  Let  us  pray,"  "The  prayer,"  says  President  Chapin,  "that 
then  went  up  to  heaven,  warm  and  fervent  from  his  lips,  car- 
rying the  hearts  of  all,  was  the  first  gasp  of  the  new  born 
college  for  life.  The  breath  of  a  divine  inspiration,  we  be- 
lieve, came  upon  it  then,  and  its  history  since  has  been  a  con- 
tinued answer  to  that  prayer."  It  was  the  habit  of  his  mind 
to  walk  in  the  light  of  God  and  work  in  His  strength.  Hence 
that  prayer  going  forth  in  faith  came  again  laden  with  new^ 
hope  and  fresh  courage  for  each  heart  in  that  band  of  Christ- 
ian philanthropists.  All  felt  as  if  an  alabaster  box  of  pre- 
cious ointment  had  been  broken,  for  the  fragrance  of  that 
prayer,  like  the  ancient  perfume,  filled  the  house.  And  to 
this  day,  in  the  memory  of  all  who  participated  in  that 
simple  but  powerful  pleading  at  the  Throne  of  Grace,  that 
hour  remains  sacred.  Nor  is  the  force  of  that  prayer  yet 
spent.  It  broods  like  a  benediction  over  the  labors  of  its 
scholarly  faculty,  and  lingers  like  the  echo  of  a  far  off  song  in 
the  acquirements  of  every  alumnus  who  leaves  its  halls.  Both 
the  Faculty  and  Trustees  feel  that  a  college  which  has  re- 
ceived such  signal  tokens  of  favor  in  answer  to  prayer  is  des- 
tined to  perform  no  meagre  part  in  the  great  work  of  educa- 
ting and  evangelizing  our  whole  land.  Similar 
testimony  as  to  his  power  in  prayer  comes  to  us  from  the  sem- 
inary at  Rockford.  At  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  in  185  i, 
after  other  appropriate  remarks,  he  said,  "  Here  let  it  rest 
until    195 1,"  and  then  led  the  company   in  fervent  prayer.. 


71 8  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

"  Who  knows,"  writes  the  revered  Principal,  "how  much 
the  permanency  of  the  Institution  is  owing  to  that  prayer." 
Among  the  traits  which  gave  him  power  with  God  and  man, 
his  habit  of  commimion  with  God  zcas  the  most  prominent  and 
effective.  His  labors  to  promote  the  educational  interests  of 
the  newly  settled  country  were  chiefly,  though  not  altogether, 
3pent  in  building  up  these  two  colleges.  He  has  put  labor, 
thought  and  his  ov^n  means,  saved  by  a  stringent  economy 
in  all  family  and  personal  expenses,  into  two  or  three  other 
of  the  higher  schools  of  learning  in  this  State  and  Iowa,  But 
of  these  two,  the  college  at  Beioit  and  the  sister  institution 
at  Rockford,  the  latter  was  the  object  of  his  special  care.  In- 
deed, very  appropriately  has  he  been  called  the  father  of 
Rockford  Seminary.  He  remained  its  President  from  its  or- 
ganization until  his  death  in  1869.  For  nineteen  years  he 
presided  at  its  anniversaries  and  presented  their  diplomas  to 
each  successive  class.  He  was  an  efficient  administrator  of 
its  affairs,  even  to  the  last,  as  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  no 
one  from  the  many  friends  of  the  seminary  would  entertain 
the  idea  of  relieving  him  from  the  responsibilities  of  his 
office,  though  he  often  urgently  expressed  the  desire  that  a 
younger  man  should  take  his  place.  I  can  in  no 

better  way  express  the  high  esteem  in  which  his  judgment 
was  held,  than  by  recalling  the  reply  which  his  life-long 
friends  at  Galena  made  to  the  urgent  request  of  the  Trustees 
of  the  seminary  at  Rockford,  that  he  should  move  to  that 
city.  So  valuable  were  his  services  at  the  seminary,  that  the 
Principal  was  commissioned  by  the  Board  of  Trustees  to  go 
to  Galena  to  induce  him  to  remove  his  residence  to  Rockford. 
When  the  subject  was  laid  before  him,  he  said  he  would  not 
act  unadvisedly  in  such  a  matter,  and  would  take  counsel. 
Having  invited  in  a  {^^  of  the  citizens,  the  claims  of  the 
seminary  and  the  proposition  of  its  friends  and  Trustees  were 
presented  to  them  in  its  strongest  light,  and  these  men,  who 
had  lived  by  his  side  knew  his  strong  faith  and  heroic  spirit, 
replied,  "  Mr.  Kent  has  been  here  so  many  years  that  he 
is  like  a  great  oak  whose  roots  extend  under  the  entire 
city,  and  to  take  him  away  would  be  like  tearing  up  the  en- 
tire city."  "And  so  he  staid,  died  there  and  was  buried 
there."  But  to  the  last  the  seminary  at  Rockford  was  the 
child  of  his  affections.  He  cherished  it  and  wrought  unceas- 
ingly to  promote  its  interests.  Under  his  fostering  care  it 
had  a  vigorous  and  healthy  growth,  and  stands  to-day  no 


ARATUS    KENT.  7I9 

less  a  monument  of  the  sagacity,  the  untiring  zeal  and  ripe 
judgment  of  Aratus  Kent  than  of  the  devotion  and  rare  accom- 
phshments  of  its  honored  principal — Miss  Anna  P.  Sill. 

During  these  later  years  he  was  the  indefatigable  Superin- 
tendent of  Missions.  In  January,  1849,  after  nearly  twenty 
years  of  pastoral  work  at  Galena,  at  the  urgent  solicitation 
of  the  friends  of  Home  Missions,  he  accepted  the  appoint- 
ment of  Superintendent  for  Northern  Illinois.  His  duties 
were  exceedingly  arduous  ;  but  as  everywhere  he  proved  equal 
to  the  demand.  Dr.    Horatio   Newhall   wrote  of 

him,  "  That  his  labors  as  agent  were  herculean.  In  storms 
and  sunshine,  in  heat  and  cold,  in  dust  and  mud,  his  self-de- 
nying labors  were  prodigious.  Again  and  again  the  execu- 
tive committee  of  the  society  urged  him  to  be  more  careful 
of  himself.  His  friends  often  reminded  him  of  his  age  and 
besought  him  to  have  some  regard  for  his  health.  His  only 
answer  was,  I  do  it  not  to  please  myself,  but  to  please  my 
Saviour."  And  they  who  knew  him  best  believe 

his  statement  far  short  of  the  truth  when  he  wrote  to  a 
friend,  some  three  years  before  his  death,  that  "during  his 
ministry  he  had  a  record  of  four  hundred  and  seventy-seven 
different  places  of  preaching,  two  thousand,  one  hundred 
and  sixty-nine  sermons — in  all  many  more.  Had  traveled  in 
private  conveyances  probably  20,000  miles,  and  that  now,  by 
special  arrangement,  he  rode  free  over  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad,  which  afforded  him  peculiar  facilities  for  doing 
good." 

He  had  found  a  secret,  which  but  few  have,  that  of 
turning  into  use  while  on  his  journeys,  or  amid  strangers, 
every  hour  of  the  day.  His  hours  at  home  and  abroad 
alike  were  filled  with  useful  labor.  Wherever  he  tar- 
ried, the  early  morning  found  him  astir,  and  occupied  in 
seeking  the  divine  blessing.  From  early  communion  with 
the  Master,  this  servant  went  forth  to  crowd  a  full  day  into 
the  work  of  his  Lord.  Every  hour  was  utilized.  It  was  his 
habit  while  in  motion  on  the  cars,  or  waiting  at  depots,  or  tar- 
rying in  the  homes  of  his  friends,  to  perfect  his  plans  for  the 
extension  of  the  Church  and  to  write  words  of  encourage- 
ment and  counsel  to  thoSe  who  wrought  with  him  in  the 
many  churches  which  he  had  already  planted.  To  not  a  few 
did  those  letters  bring  the  impulse  needed  to  carry  them 
safely  through  some  trying  ordeal,  or  over  some  towering 
obstacle.     Those  letters  had  in  them  a  touch  of  that  wisdom 


720  PRE3BYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

which  in  the  early  morn  he  had  sought  from  the  mind  of 
God,  and  they  deemed  themselves  fortunate  who  in  their 
work  shared  his  prayers,  sympathy  and  counsel.  In  the  ex- 
tension of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  he  coupled  great  pru- 
duce  to  an  aggressive  spirit.  To  self-reliance  he  added  a 
habit  of  gleaning  wisdom  from  many  counselors.  As  in  his 
pastoral  work  at  Galena,  the  Session  of  the  church  shared 
fully  in  all  his  plans.  It  was  his  "  cabinet  "  which  he  fully  con- 
sulted on  all  measures.  So  afterwards,  when  his  relations  to 
that  church  were  severed*  and  the  burden  of  the  many  Home 
Mission  churches  rested  on  his  heart,  they  still  remained  his 
trusted  friends.  He  made  but  few  moves,  introduced  but 
few  measures  in  his  work  in  which  he  did  not  first  fully  coun- 
sel with  his  God  and  his  beloved  brethren  at  Galena.  No  one 
more  than  he  realized  how  great  a  truth  lies  in  Solomon's- 
words,  that  "  In  the  multitude  of  counselors  there  is  safety." 
This  trait  made  him  a  man  who  moved  slowly,  but  never  back- 
ward. Mr.  Kent  appeared  to  those  who  knew  not  of  the  secret 
springs  of  his  benevolence,  and  saw  not  the  workings  of  his 
self-sacrificing  spirit,  an  austere  man,  stern  if  not  severe,  both 
in  character  and  in  theology.  But  all  who  knew  him  con- 
fessed that  the  goodness  of  his  heart  redeemed  the  man. 

As  a  preacher,  a  rigid  theology  found  no  place  in  his  pul- 
pit. He  wrought  there  that  his  hearers  might  execute  in  life 
the  principles  which  fell  from  his  lips.  His  concern  was 
more  to  build  them  up  as  lively  stones  in  the  temple  of  our 
God,  than  to  present  an  exact  statement  of  any  one  system 
o(  truth.  It  was  more  to  him  that  his  hearers  practised  the 
truth  they  knew,  than  that  they  should  acquire  truth  which 
they  could  not  convert  into  living  principles.  But  he  ex- 
celled more  as  a  pastor  than  a  preacher.  He  abounded  in 
pastoral  labors.  With  a  mind  capable  of  great  things  in  the 
study,  he  deliberately  sacrificed  the  advantages  which  a 
greater  knowledge  of  books  would  have  given  him,  and  went 
forth  seeking  for  the  straying  sheep  ot  the  fold.  His  sym- 
pathy, wise  counsels  and  prayers  in  the  privacy  of  the  home 
circle,  have  been  the  means  of  cheering  many  a  despondent 
soul,  lifting  the  fallen  to  their  feet,  literally  saving  the  lost. 
His  severe  aspect  of  countenance  melted  away  in  the  sunny 
solicitude  which  he  felt  for  their  welfare,  and  which  beamed 
forth  from  his  eyes  in  his  social  intercourse  with  his  people. 
He  was  specially  fitted  for  that  kind  of  work.  Never  seek- 
ing place  or  position  for  himself,  he  gave  himself  with  a 


ARATUS    KENT.  721 

noble  and  entire  consecration  to  seek  much  for  others. 
Ever  forgetful  of  self,  he  ministered  in  holiest  and  in  hum- 
blest forms  to  others.  Of  him  as  of  the  Master  it  might  be 
said  in  truth,  "He  saved  others,  himself  he  cannot  save." 
The  spirit  within  him  that  was  ever  reaching  out  a  helping 
hand  to  a  less  fortunate  fellow  man,  at  times  deepened  into 
the  very  self-abnegation  of  the  Apostle  Paul,  who  "  could 
wish  that  myself  were  accursed  from  Christ,  for  my  breth- 
ren, my  kinsman,  according  to  the  flesh."  His  prayerful 
life  made  him  watch  for  the  opportunities  to  be  useful.  At 
home  and  abroad,  on  the  street,  on  the  steamboat,  in  rail- 
road cars,  and  in  private  carriage,  he  was  ever  on  the  alert  to 
seize  the  flying  chance  to  speak  the  helping  word.  Let  me 
set  forth  this  trait  by  a  single  illustration  :  A  short  time  be- 
fore his  death,  being  entertained  one  evening  with  a  circle  of 
friends  in  one  of  his  home  mission  fields,  a  stranger  accosted 
him,  saying,  "I  presume  you  do  not  know  me."  "No,"  said  Mr. 
Kent.  "I  do  not  at  present  recall  you,"  "  Several  years  ago," 
continued  the  gentleman,  we  were  "ascending the  Mississippi 
river  together  on  the  steamer  War  Eagle  of  the  Northern 
Line.  In  the  cabin  there  was  a  group  of  young  men  playing 
cards,  gambling  for  the  stakes.  Being  somewhat  of  an  ex- 
pert at  the  game  I  watched  it  with  a  lively  interest,  and  stood 
behind  the  players  waiting  my  chances  to  take  a  hand.  You 
were  sitting  at  a  distance  absorbed  in  your  own  thoughts — 
I  did  not  know  you  nor  you  me,  but  the  twice  that  I  lifted 
my  eyes  from  the  players  they  caught  your  eyes,  and  the 
consciousness  that  your  were  looking  at  me  disconcerted  me 
— and  it  did  not  help  the  matter  that  I  went  around  the 
table  so  that  my  back  was  in  your  direction.  Your  eyes 
seemed  to  follow  me.  There  was  in  them  a  kindness  and  re- 
proof that  penetrated  my  very  soul  and  held  me  in  check. 
Yet  I  argued  with  myself  that  I  was  my  own  master,  and 
would  play  at  all  hazzards.  In  my  heart  I  was  recklessly 
resisting  the  influences  pleading  with  me,  and  in  another 
moment  would  have  signified  my  wish  to  stake  something  on 
the  game,  when  you  stepped  up  behind  me,  and  as  gently  as 
possible  laid  your  hand  on  my  shoulder  and  whispered  in  my 
ear,  '  I  guess  I  wonldn't,'  and  without  attracting  any  atten- 
tion, passed  on  to  the  other  end  of  the  cabin — but  your 
words  did  not  pass  on.  They  remained  to  guide  my  life  in- 
to new  channels.     I  am  pastor  now  at  H ,  and  am  trying 

to  imitate  you  as  you  for  long  years  have  followed  Christ." 

45 


722  PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLINOIS. 

Surely  a  "  word  fitly  spoken  is  like  apples  of  gold  in  pictures 
of  silver." 

But  there  was  another  influence  operating  on  Mr.  Kent's 
life  that  secured  for  him  a  great  measure  of  his  success,  to 
which  I  have  not  yet  alluded.  It  was  the  constant  companion- 
ship of  his  heart — the  loving,  graceful,  beautiful  wife  and 
mother  of  the  household.  With  what  tact,  what  infinite 
skill  would  she  round-out  whatever  her  quick  sensibilities 
discovered  lacking  in  her  husband's  word,  tone,  act  or 
work.  How  unobtrusively  she  would  charm  us  all  into  our 
best  behavior  and  smile  away  the  lingering  clouds  from 
every  brow.  We  feared  the  dominie,  but  we  worshiped 
the  loving,  gentle  mother  as  the  queen  of  all  our  hearts. 
Among  the  many  noble  and  beautiful  Christian  women 
for  which  the  city  of  Galena  has  been  noted,  Mrs.  Caroline 
Corning  Kent  stood  foremost.  She  was  known  only  to 
be  loved  and  wrought  in  womanly  ways  for  the  Master's 
cause  with  a  devotion  not  second  to  her  husband's."  He 
loved  her  with  all  the  devotion  of  which  his  somewhat  rough 
nature  was  capable,  and  she  in  turn  with  the  rich  graces  of 
her  own  heart  beautified  and  softened  his  ruggedness.  To 
our  boyish  eyes,  Mr.  Kent  stood  as  an  oak,  strong,  unwedg- 
able  and  gnarled,  but  in  some  way,  we  knew  not  how,  she 
threw  the  mantle  of  her  graces  around  those  knots  and  hid 
from  all  eyes  what  may  have  been  deemed  unsightly.  And 
we  saw  his  rugged  strength  heightened  and  ennobled  by  the 
charm  which  her  finer  grace  lent  to  his  every  virtue.  Their 
rich  contrast  of  character  formed  for  those  who  knew  them 
at  home  a  very  striking  picture — a  combination  of  virtue  and 
of  grace  that  was  exceedingly  lovely.  And  it  would  be  a 
pleasant  task  to  delineate  more  in  detail  the  beautiful  por- 
trait of  their  family  life  with  its  charming  and  strong  con- 
trasts, but  my  time  has  been  so  broken,  and  my  space  so 
limited,  that  I  have  to  pass  it  over  as  a  beautiful  landscape 
of  which  the  artist  catches  a  glimpse  without  time  to  repro- 
duce its  tints  or  outline  on  canvas. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kent  had  three  children,  all  of  whom  died  in 
infancy. 

Yet  their  home  was  always  full  of  children.  In  their  broad, 
practical  charity  they  made  their  house  the  orphans'  home. 
They  reared  and  educated  twelve  orphan  children,  all  of 
whom,  with  perhaps  a  single  exception,  still  live.  Some  of 
them  fill  places  of  trust  and  honor — all  are   useful   members 


ARATUS    KENT.  723 

of  society.      How  they   accomplished    so    much    with   the 
small  means  at  their  command,  we  learn  from  a  memoran- 
dum penned  by  Mr.  Kent  a  short  time  before  his  last  illness. 
Referring  to  his  early  married  life  he   says  :  "  It  has  been  a 
striking  providence  that  we  set  about  housekeeping  with  a 
purpose  to  practice  rigid  economy  (in  defiance   of  surround- 
ing habits)  and  to  dispense  with  hired  help,  indoors  and  out, 
that  we  might,  by  these  retrenchments;  lay  by  more  to  give 
to  those  benevolent  objects  which  are  so  constantly  claiming 
our  charities.     We  have,  therefore,  for  thirty-six  years  of  our 
wedded  life,  employed  on  ordinary  occasions  no  such   help, 
but    by  the   assistance  of  children,  educated  and  trained  to 
industrious  habits,  we    have    lived    quite   as  comfortably  as 
other  families  with  whom  we  associate,  and  thus  we  have  re- 
duced our  expenses  in  wages,  wood  and  food,  and  prevented 
much  waste  and  vexation  incident  to  employing  irresponsible 
persons.     And   it   affords    us    pleasure    to   reckon  up  some 
seven    thousand    dollars    given    away,    while    we    have    still 
enough    laid    by    for   a    decent    support   in    our   old   age." 
The  magnitude  of  the  sum  saved  and  given  away  appears  in 
its  proper  light  only  when  we   remember  that  it  was  accom- 
plished on  a  salary  of  six  hundred  dollars  a  year.     This  prac- 
tice of  economy  on  their  part  lifted  itself  into  the  sphere  of 
the  positive  virtue  of  self-denial,  and   together  with  the  be- 
neficient  spirit  which  prompted  every  act,  is   worthy  of  our 
profoundest  admiration.      Indeed  it  was   ever  the  one  con- 
troling  desire  of  their  hearts,  their  one   holiest   ambition,  to 
execute  in  their  lives  the  oft-enjoined  maxim  that  the  child- 
ren of  God  are  but  the  almoners   of  God,  stewards    of  the 
bounties  which  the  most  High  has  entrusted    to  their  care. 
While  penning  these  lines  in  my  study,  a  noted  missionary 
sits  below  in  the  quiet  of  the  parlor  talking  with  her  hostess 
of  the  wants  of  the   great   missionary   field.     She  is   weary 
with   her  journeyings   in   behalf  of  the  Woman's  Board  of 
Missions,  indeed  is  worked  down  to  the  verge  of  exhaustion. 
While  expressing  her  gratitude  for  the  solicitude  which  had 
prompted  the  preparation  of  some  delicacies  for  her  use,  she 
said  :  "  I  seldom  purchase  such  things  for  myself,  but  keep  all 
for  Persia."     And  when  that  evening  she  stood  in  my  pulpit 
I  knew  whence  the  spring  of  that  mysterious  influence  which 
she  wielded.     It  was  the  sublime  spirit  of  self-sacrifice.    Noth- 
ing for  self— all  for  the  Master  "and  for  Persia."      It  winged 
her  words  with  power,  it  mantled  her  cheek  and  kindled  her 


724  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

eye  with  such  a  glow  as  beamed  from  the  countenance  of  the 
Divine  Jesus  who,  as  a  missionary,  walked  in  Oriental  lands 
eighteen  centuries  before  her.  This  devotion  to  the  land, 
Avhere,  as  a  missionary,  she  had  spent  the  best  years  of  her 
life,  forcibly  recalled  to  my  mind  the  constant  self-denial 
practiced  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kent  and  instilled  into  the  minds 
of  all  who  became  inmates  of  their  home.  They  saved, 
not  to  hoard,  but  to  spend.  They  gathered,  not  to  accu- 
mulate, but  to  distribute.  But  nothing  for  self,  "All  for 
Persia."  To  them  Persia  was  the  world.  Their  gifts,  large 
and  small,  have  entered  almost  every  avenue  which  the  be- 
neficence of  the  Presbyterian  Church  has  opened,  at  home 
and  abroad.  The  "  causes "  of  our  Church  were  each  in 
turn  remembered.  Himself  an  agent  of  Home  Missions,  he 
generously  aided  the  Foreign  Board.  Thought- 

ful for  the  comfort  and  education  of  those  whom  he  had 
adopted  into  his  family,  he  aided  nine  other  young  men  ta 
qualify  themselves  for  efficient  ministerial  work,  and  he  has 
induced  many  others  to  enter  the  ministry,  whom  he  aided 
by  funds  furnished  at  his  solicitation  by  his  relatives  in  New 
York,  by  Augustus  Estey,  Esq.,  and  others  of  Galena. 
While  bestowing  his  charities  with  a  discriminating  judgment 
at  home,  he  gave  freely  of  his  services  and  his  means  to 
the  establishment  of  three  colleges  and  two  young  ladies* 
seminaries,  all  of.  which  are  now  in  a  prosperous  condition- 
In  October  of  1868,  in  the  seventy-fourth  year  of  his  age,, 
he  was  in  his  usual  good  health  and  actively  engaged  in  his 
Mission  work.  The  opening  of  the  railroad  to  the  Missouri 
river,  and  his  life-long  interest  in  the  Missionaries  to  the 
Dacotahs,  led  him  to  vi3it  them  at  the  Santee  Agency.  Shut 
out  as  these  families  were  from  Christian  sympathy,  they  an- 
ticipated great  pleasure  from  his  visit,  and  they  were  not 
disappointed.  To  the  missionaries  those  weeks  remain 
memorable  for  their  sweet  communion  in  reference  to  the 
Master's  work.  To  Mr.  Kent  they  were  at  once  the  crown- 
ing joy  of  his  earthly  life  and  the  avenue  by  which  his  spirit 
entered  "the  joy  of  his  Lord."  Having  unwittingly  drank  of 
the  alkaline  waters  of  that  region  he  returned  nome,  after 
four  weeks'  absence,  suffering  severely  from  gastritis,  which 
was  soon  followed  by  a  low  type  of  fever  and  symptoms  u 
softening  of  the  brain.  For  months  he  was  confined  to  tli 
house,  but  with  the  early  spring  of  iS69he  rallied  sufficient  / 
to  visit   the  East.     His   mmd  became  clear  and  his   ..^aim. 


ARATUS    KENT.  725 

■greatly  improved.  But  he  lived  no  longer  for  the  earth  and 
its  labors.  The  forces  of  the  world  invisible  had  taken  so 
strong  a  hold  of  his  affections  that  he  continually  longed  for 
the  "rest  that  remaineth."  During  this  brief  season  of  un- 
clouded intellect,  it  was  to  him  a  source  of  great  disappoint- 
ment that  he  had  not  already  been  called  to  deliver  an  ac- 
count of  his  stewardship.  As  the  young  anticipate  the  pleas- 
ures of  a  delightful  journey,  as  the  college  lad  the  freedom 
of  the  long  vacation  and  the  pleasant  reunions  of  summer 
months  at  home,  so  this  servant  of  God  yearned  with  restless 
longing  for  the  hour  when  the  silver  cord  should  be  broken 
and  his  freed  spirit  would  mount  to  dwell  forever  with  the 
Lord.  After  four  months'  absence,  visiting  friends 

in  Cape  May  and  a  beloved  sister  in  Philadelphia,  he  returned 
to  the  scene  of  his  labors,  and  soon  after,  on  the  8th  of  No- 
vember, breathed  his  last  and  entered  into  life.  And  three 
days  later  devout  men  carried  to  the  grave  the  remains  of 
one  who  feared  nothing  in  the  universe  so  much  as  that  he 
might  not  know  all  his  duty,  or  knowing  would  not  do  it. 
His  physician  and  life-long  friend,  Horatio  Newhall,  of  Ga- 
lena, wrote  of  him  :  "  The  country  owes  him  a  debt  of  grat- 
itude. He  has  performed  labors,  endured  hardships  and  en- 
countered exposures  in  the  prosecution  of  his  work  which  he 
never  would  have  attempted  to  gain  wealth  or  fame.  No 
man  has  lived  in  the  Northwest  who  has  so  left  behind  him 
the  impress  of  his  life  and  influenced  so  many  minds.  May 
not  the  humble  minister  who  has  spent  his  energies  gather- 
ing disciples  on  the  frontier,  and  training  them  and  their 
children  for  usefulness  on  earth  and  glory  in  heaven,  be  re- 
garded as  having  accomplished  as  much  for  his  country's 
weal  as  the  Senator  whose  thrilling  speeches  have  electrified 
the  nation?" 

An  unpretentious  marble  marks  his  grave  in  the  old  cem- 
-etery  at  Galena.  He  wished  for  nothing  more.  He  who 
had  lived  to  impress  his  life  upon  his  age  had  reared  a  mon- 
ument for  himself  in  the  hearts  of  men,  more  beautiful,  more 
enduring  than  marble.  Beloit  College  pouring  streams  of  ripe 
scholarship  into  every  profession  ;  Rockford  Seminary,  with 
her  Christian  culture,  sweetening  and  exalting  the  daily  life 
of  hundreds  of  our  homes ;  churches  in  villages,  towns  and 
cities  throughout  this  Northwest,  which,  from  seedlings 
planted  by  his  hand,  have  grown  to  spread  their  benedictions 
over  tens    of  thousands — these  are  his  monuments,  a  mag- 


726  PRESBYTERIANISM    IN    ILLINOIS. 

nificent  mausoleum,  which  shall  keep  fresh  the  memory   of 
Aratus  Kent. 

It  is  true  Mr.  Kent's  labors  were  expended  principally  in  the  Northwest  portion, 
of  Illinois  and  in  the  adjacent  parts  of  Wisconsin  and  Iowa.  It  is  also  true  that 
he  was  one  of  the  first  members  of  Sangamon  Presbytery  and  of  Illinois  Synod, 
and  was  present  at  its  first  meeting  held  at  Hillsboro,  in  September,  1831. 
Moreover,  in  the  latter  years  of  his  life  he  made  several  tours  for  ministerial 
labor  through  nearly  the  whole  extent  of  what  is  now  the  Synod  of  Illinois  South. 
Hence  the  introduction  of^  the  preceding  graceful  and  interesting  article  cannot 
be  regarded  as  militating  with  the  general  plan  of  the  volume,  though  its  most  ap- 
propriate place  would  have  been  among  the  doings  and  sketches  of  1831. 


INDEX  TO  CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

PAGE. 

Abbey,  Ed.  W. 

143 

Bamett,  John  andWm. 

19 

433 
335 

335 

219 

Adams,  Joseph, 

367 

Bartle,  W,  T. 

Adams,  Wm.  R. 

586 

Barton,  C.  B. 

Alexander,  James  M. 

481 

Titus  T.       - 

AUen,  A.  C. 

309 

Barr,  Hugh, 

Allendale,  ch. 

633 

Barrett,  E.  D. 

626 

Allen,  Robert  W.      - 

169,  484 

Barstow,  Joseph  D.  - 

616 

Allison,  James  W.    - 

521 

Blackburn,  Gideon,  - 

-      12,  199 

Alton,  ch.  the  first,    - 

73 

"           Samuel,  - 

205 

Alton,  ch.  the  second, 

172 

Blanke,  Henry, 

538 

Alton  Presbytery,      246, 

268, 

281,  293 

Brandt,  J,  B. 

611 

300,  310,  312,  320, 

321, 

330,  351 

"       Col.  J.  B,     - 

514 

352,  362,  363,  368, 

374, 

387,  400 

Brard,  Miss  Frances  C. 

-     56,    87 

401,  403,  404,  415, 

416, 

429,  433 

Beach,  Charles  F.     - 

591 

436,  447,  448,  452, 

457, 

465,  468 

Beckwith  Prairie  ch. 

560 

486,  487,  509,  524, 

537, 

547,  552 

Beecher,  Edward,     - 

168 

561,  573>  581,  590, 

602, 

614,  627 

Bethel  ch..  Bond  Co., 

99 

642,  663,  674 

"    Coles  Co. 

176 

Alvord,  Alanson, 

- 

679 

"   Crawford  Co. 

435 

A.  H.  M.  Society,       459 

465 

525-536 

"   Wayne  Co. 

-    137,  140 

Anderson,  A. 

- 

58 

Bell,  first  Protestant  in  111 

145 

Andrews,  Amzi, 

- 

59 

Belleville  ch. 

188,  293,  317 

Anna  ch. 

- 

617 

Bennet,  Isaac, 

19,    75,  187 

Apple  Creek  ch.,  111. 

- 

85,  168 

Bement  ch. 

545 

Apple  Creek  ch.,  Mo. 

- 

61,    72 

Bergen,  John  G. 

-    120,  141 

Areola  ch. 

- 

275 

Bethany  ch. 

328 

Armstrong,  C.  Solon, 

- 

667 

Bird,  W.  H. 

369 

Armstrong,  J.  R.      - 

- 

608 

Birch,  Geo.  W.  F.     - 

573 

Ashmore  ch. 

- 

298 

Bishop,  Noah, 

465 

Assembly,  the  first, 

- 

8 

Bissell,  Sandford  R. 

592 

Associate  Reformed, 

- 

15 

Bliss,  Stephen. 

-     75-    77 

Assumption  ch. 

- 

523 

"      Samuel  W. 

82 

Auburn  ch.    - 

- 

676 

Brich,  John, 

114 

Avery,  Abraham  S. 

- 

467 

Bridgeport  ch. 

592 

Baldridge,  Samuel,  M.  D. 

- 

225 

Bridgman,  Wm. 

610 

S.  C. 

- 

76,  445 

Brighton  ch. 

372 

Baldwin  ch. 

- 

318 

Blodgett,  Harvey,     - 

356 

Baldwin,  Mrs.  C.  W. 

- 

26 

Blood,  C.  E. 

295 

Theron,     - 

- 

64,  156 

Brooks,  A.  L. 

636 

Barnes,  Mrs.  Lydia, 

- 

151 

"      John  F. 

iSi 

'*     William, 

- 

578 

"      Roswell, 

1S9 

728 


PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLLINOIS. 


Brown,  Amos  P. 

- 

- 

235 

Cerro-Gordo  ch. 

414 

"       Benj.  B. 

- 

- 

679 

Chester 

58 

*'      James  R. 

- 

- 

679 

Chester,  E,  F. 

349 

"      John   H. 

- 

- 

464 

Chittenden,  Wm.  E.   - 

331 

"       Preston, 

- 

- 

73 

Coe,D.  B. 

525 

Brownlee,  James, 

- 

- 

616 

College,  Jacksonville, 

-  141,  150 

Brownstown  ch. 

- 

- 

488 

Collins,  Miss  Almira,  - 

36 

Bovell,  Stephen  J. 

- 

- 

599 

"       William 

62 

Buck,  Elijah, 

- 

- 

583 

CoUinsville  ch. 

83 

Buffalo  ch. 

-     '■' 

- 

609 

Conn,  Mrs.  Eliza, 

54 

Bullard,  Artemas, 

- 

- 

161 

"      Samuel, 

626 

Burr,  Mrs.  P. 

- 

- 

53.    54 

Cook,  Solomon, 

679 

Butler  Calvin, 

- 

- 

401 

Corbett,  H.  M. 

564 

"    James  G. 

- 

- 

67s 

Cottage-of-Peace 

95 

"    Joseph, 

- 

190, 

192,  267 

Crocker,  Dea.Josiah,  - 

-  49-  148 

"    ch. 

- 

- 

494 

Crozier,  John, 

419 

BruUItt's  Creek  ch. 

- 

- 

214 

Cumberland  Presbyterian 

9 

Bryant,  E.  G. 

- 

- 

562 

"           Precinct  ch. 

489 

Cairo  ch.     - 

- 

- 

513 

Danforth,  Cyrus, 

75 

"      first  Sabbath 

in 

- 

514 

Danville  ch. 

-  212,  213 

"      its  church  building, 

- 

514 

Darrah,  Martin  B. 

19 

Caledonia  ch. 

- 

- 

437 

Darwin  ch. 

213 

Campbell,  John  C. 

- 

- 

211 

Dashiell,  Alfred  H.     - 

217 

Cambridge    Platform, 

- 

2 

Davies,  Samuel, 

6 

Cameron,  James, 

- 

- 

415 

Davis,  James  Scott,     - 

666 

Candee,  I.  N. 

- 

- 

488,  656 

"      Geo.  F. 

683 

Cannon,  Ann  B. 

- 

- 

25 

"      Thomas  D. 

621 

Carbondale  ch. 

- 

- 

448,  676 

Dawson  ch 

483 

Carlinville  ch. 

- 

- 

207,  288 

Decatur  ch.  first  &  Second, 

427 

Carlyle  ch. 

- 

- 

296 

Deering,  John  K. 

404 

Carmi  ch. 

- 

- 

"5 

Deming,  F.  A. 

SOI 

CarroUton  ch. 

- 

- 

86,  169 

Denmark  ch. 

638 

Catlin,  Oren, 

- 

- 

34,  38,  85 

Denny,  A.  N. 

553 

Cave-in  Rock, 

- 

- 

45 

Deirow,  Nathan  B.     - 

-      41,46 

Cave-Spring  ch. 

- 

- 

•441 

Dickey,  Ninian  S. 

680 

Chamberlin,  Wm. 

- 

- 

300 

DiUingham,  Henry  D. 

614 

Chatham  ch. 

- 

- 

222 

Dimond,  David, 

432 

Charles,  B.  H. 

- 

- 

492 

Dixon,  A.  M. 

381 

Charleston  ch. 

- 

- 

240 

Dwight,  President,     - 

3 

Clark,  A.  J. 

- 

- 

621 

Dook,  Miss  Lucinda, 

226 

"     Gen.  Geo.  R. 

- 

- 

406 

Dodge,  John   V. 

403 

"     Gideon   C. 

- 

- 

408 

"       Richard  V.     - 

400 

Crab- Orchard  ch. 

- 

- 

297 

Dongola  ch. 

674 

Crawford,  John, 

- 

. 

44 

Donnell,  Thomas, 

71 

Central  ch.  Jacksonvile, 

- 

278 

Downer,  J.  C. 

479 

Central  Presbytery 

140, 

142 

161,  166 

Du  Bois  ch. 

668 

Centralia  ch. 

- 

- 

473 

Ducoign,  the  Name,  - 

352 

INDEX  TO  CONTENTS. 


729 


Ducoign,  New,  the  ch. 

- 

474 

Fulton  ch. 

- 

139 

"        Female  Seminary, 

- 

704 

Gallaher,  Thomas, 

- 

117 

Dunn,  James  R. 

- 

363 

Wm.  G. 

- 

116 

Ebenezer  ch. 

- 

436 

Galum  ch. 

- 

348 

Eddy,  Chauncy, 

- 

328 

Gardner,  William. 

- 

29 

Edgewood  ch. 

- 

661 

Wilham  B 

330 

Edwards,  Jonithan,    - 

- 

3 

Gear,  D.  L.    - 

- 

58 

"       Joseph  S.     - 

- 

468 

Georgetown  ch. 

- 

518 

Edwardsville  ch.  the  first 

- 

39 

Gerry,   Reuben, 

- 

257 

"           ch.  the  second 

- 

268. 

Gibson,  John, 

- 

389 

Efiingham  ch. 

- 

598 

W.  J. 

- 

-  389-  390 

Ehzabethtown    ch.     - 

- 

635! 

W.  P. 

- 

617 

Ellis,  John  M. 

55. 

56,  59 

Giddings,  Salmon, 

21, 

33-  34,  37.  52 

"     Mrs.  F.  C.  B.    - 

- 

66 

Gilead  ch.,  Jeflferson 

Co. 

170 

Elkhom  ch. 

- 

187 

"     ♦'    Lawrence  Co. 

676 

Filers,  William, 

- 

591 

Gilgal  ch. 

- 

670 

Elliott,  John, 

- 

679 

Gillispie  ch.     - 

- 

487 

Elm-Point  ch. 

- 

440 

Glover,  L.  M. 

- 

382 

Enfield  ch. 

- 

649 

Godfrey,  Capt.  Benj 

- 

701 

Episcopacy  in  Virginia, 

- 

5.    7 

Golconda  ch. 

- 

41 

Equality  ch. 

- 

182 

Goodale,  Geo.  W. 

- 

548 

Evans,  David  W. 

- 

693 

Gordon,  Joseph, 

- 

368 

Ewlng,  Alex, 

- 

186 

Gould,  Daniel, 

- 

-       41,  73 

"      David, 

- 

410 

"         Thomas, 

- 

-       75.  78 

"     F.  N. 

- 

260 

" 

- 

633 

Ewington  ch. 

- 

405 

Grand  Tower  ch. 

- 

674 

Exeter  ch. 

- 

327 

Grandview  ch. 

- 

361 

Farris,  \Vm.  B. 

- 

673 

Grass  Lake, 

- 

64 

Felch,  C.   P. 

- 

612 

Graves,  F.  W. 

- 

219 

Finley,  John  E. 

- 

II 

"        Joseph  S. 

- 

388 

First  churches  in  IIU. 

- 

139 

Gray,  Joseph  J, 

- 

563 

Eish,  Edward  F. 

- 

663 

Grayville  ch. 

- 

575 

Fisher,  Geo.  W. 

- 

670 

Greenville  ch. 

- 

-    103,  281 

Fithian,  William, 

- 

334 

Gregg,  Martin  B. 

- 

647 

Elint,  Timothy, 

- 

52,71 

Greenfield  ch. 

- 

517 

Flora    ch. 

- 

495 

Greenhef,  Wm  C. 

- 

267 

Folsom,  Ezekiel, 

- 

562 

Greenup  ch. 

- 

679 

Foote,  Chas.  H. 

- 

548 

Gridley,  R.  W. 

- 

264 

Foster,  A.  S.  - 

- 

679 

Grosvenor,   Lemuel, 

- 

3S8 

"         Lemuel 

- 

193 

Grout,  Joseph  M. 

- 

393 

Fowler,  Joseph, 

- 

283 

Grove  ch. 

- 

43 

Fox,  John, 

- 

679 

Hale,  Albert, 

- 

-     lSl,222 

Eraser,  Abram  B. 

- 

679 

Halsey,  Chas  F. 

- 

6C2 

"         George 

- 

679 

Hamilton,  Alfred,  D 

.  D. 

5S1 

"    William  J.      168, 

184, 

194,  215 

D.  H. 

- 

-    555-  574 

Friendsville  ch. 

- 

482 

William 

-      20,  1 86 

"        Seminary    - 

- 

482 

Hanna,  Mrs.  Agnes, 

- 

43 

730 


PRESBYTERIANISM    IN  ILLLINOIS. 


Hardin  ch. 

429 

Illinois  State,  - 

_ 

55 

Hardy,  Solomon, 

104 

"      Territory, 

- 

51 

Harrisburg  ch. 

648 

"      Presbytery         162 

167, 

168,  178 

Harsha,  W,  W. 

662 

184,  194,  232,  242, 

263, 

327,  334 

Harrison,  Wm.  H. 

51 

364,  393,  407,  418, 

434, 

437,  449 

Harristown  ch 

614 

458,  490,  5 16,' 540, 

542, 

555,  569^ 

Hart,  Chas.  C. 

679 

577,  585,  594,  607,  619,  636,  655 

Hassinger,  Peter 

435 

670. 

Hawkins,  John  L. 

-      20, 365 

Illiopohs  ch.    - 

- 

641 

Hawley,   Stiles            -■'■''■ 

160 

Ilsley,  Wm.  H. 

- 

143,  682 

Head,  Simon  C. 

690 

Indiana  Territory, 

. 

51 

Heard,  Joseph 

50 

Ingersoll,  John, 

- 

417- 

Hebron  ch. 

298 

Jacks6n,  Andrew, 

- 

12 

Hedges,  Thornton  K. 

639 

Jacksonville,  First  ch. 

- 

no 

Hempstead,  Stephen. 

17 

"         Female  Acadei 

ny- 

70J 

Hendrickson,  Wm  A. 

679 

Jenney,  Elisha, 

179,534 

Herman    ch. 

632 

Jennings,  C.  P. 

- 

679 

Herrick,  Henry 

163 

Jerseyville,  First  ch,   - 

- 

195 

Hershey,  Andrew  M. 

20 

"         Second  ch.- 

- 

484 

"                     a                it  _ 

285 

*'         German, 

- 

552 

Hickory  Creek  ch. 

391 

Johnson,  Adam  C. 

- 

685 

Hill,  Timothy, 

588 

"        John  M.      - 

. 

664 

Hillsboro,  III. 

12S 

Johnston,  Wm.  L. 

- 

698 

Hillsboro   Presbytery, 

-    537,552 

Jones,  John  D. 

. 

665 

Hitchcock,  Miss  P.  A. 

325 

"      L. 

- 

595 

Hogan,  John, 

251 

Wilhston,       - 

- 

352 

Holhster,  Edward, 

-       40, 73 

Jordon's  Grove  ch.     - 

- 

318 

Homer  ch. 

624 

Kansas  ch. 

- 

523 

Homes,  Henry 

61 

Kaskaskia, 

14, 

15,49,50 

Hood,  John 

672 

church. 

- 

54 

Hopewell  ch.,  Bond  Co. 

328 

"            Library  Association, 

56,57 

"         Franklin  Co. 

357 

"            Presbytery,  72, 

162, 

170,  1 8a 

'*        Lawrence  Co. 

508 

185,    208,  221,  243, 

264, 

273,  286 

"        or  New  Hope 

46 

296,   309,  317,  328,  348, 

350,  357 

Howe,  Elbridge  G.    - 

-  89, 96,  98 

365.  383,  394,402, 

411, 

418,  435 

Howell,  Ellis  D. 

505 

440,  450,  459,  460, 

480, 

491,  51S 

"      John  S. 

20 

577,  587,   594,  620, 

636,  670. 

"      John  Smith,     - 

358 

Keating,   Edward,     - 

- 

256 

Hunt,  N.  A. 

363 

Kemper,  Aug.  S. 

- 

572 

Huntington,  Enoch    - 

260 

Kennedy,  John, 

- 

58,  402 

Hurlbut,  T.  B. 

232 

Kenmore,  Charles,     - 

- 

486 

Hurricane  ch. 

352 

Kent,  Aratus, 

- 

709 

Hurd,  Edwin  L. 

696 

Kidd,  John, 

- 

659 

Huston,  John, 

50s 

Kimball,  Milton, 

- 

218 

Hyde,  Smith  H. 

607 

King,    Geo.  Ives, 

- 

644 

Hynes,  Thomas  W.     - 

359 

Kingsbury,  Enoch,    - 

- 

210,211 

Ignorant  preachers,     - 

340 

"         Nathaniel, 

- 

274 

INDEX  TO  CONTENTS. 


73^ 


Kirby,  William, 
Kirkwood,  Robert, 
Knob-Prairie  ch. 
Krum,  John  M. 
Laird,  F.  H.  L. 
Lapsley,  J.  E. 

"         Robert, 
Laurie,  Thomas, 
Larkinsburg  ch. 
Lawrenceville  ch. 
Leavenworth,  Mrs. 
Lebanon  ch. 

"         German  ch 
Leffler,  Benj. 
Leggett,  Miss  C. 
Lewis,  Henry  R. 
Liberty  ch. 

*'    Prairie  ch 


S.J. 


w. 


Madison 
Piatt  Co. 


Co 


Lick  Creek  ch. 

Lilly,  R.  H.  -  -      20 

Lincoln,  W.  E. 

Lippincott,  Thomas,  -    141 

Litchfield  ch. 
Little,  John  W. 
"      Geo.  L. 
Lively's  Prairie  ch     - 
Long,  Enoch, 
Loomis,  Hubbel, 
Loudon,  Clark 
Loughead,  S.  D.       - 
Longpoint  ch. 
Love,  David  R.  - 

Lovejoy,  E.  P. 

"    his  last  speech 

"    his  death 
Low,  Benj.  -  -      52, 

Luce,  Andrew, 
Lummis,  W.  D.- 
Lyons, Luke, 
McCluskey  ch. 
McComb,  Geo.  B.     - 
McCord,  John  W.     - 
McCune,  R.  Lewis    -  -      20 

McDonald,  John 
McFarland,  Allan 
D.  F. 


179  I 
284  I 

357  I 
250  I 
519 
625 

46 
308 
632 
386  j 

52 

618 ! 

644  ! 

350  j 

149  I 

446  I 

319  I 

374  i 

414  I 

209 

291 

692 

147 

459 

266 

603 

450 
256 

311 

590 
588 
412 

595 
247 

251 

259 
107 

646 
285 

274 
649 
448 

.575 
158 

521 

573 


McGready,  James,    - 
Mcintosh, 
McKee,  D.  D. 
McKelvey,  H.  A.      - 
McKinney,  Robert  C. 
McLeanesboro  ch.     - 
McMillan,  Edward,  - 
McMurray,  J.  E. 
McNair,  J.  L. 
Mack,  John, 
Macon  ch. 

Makemie,  Francis,     - 
Mann,  Alfred  M. 

"    John 
Manton,  D.  E. 
Manchester  ch. 
Marine  ch. 
Marion  ch. 
Marshall  ch. 

"        Lyman, 
Marquis,  David  C.     - 
Martin,  Almond  G.  - 

"     C.  D. 
Martinsville  ch. 
Mason  ch. 
Mascoutah  ch. 
Massac,  Ft. 
Mathes,  Alvin  R. 
Mattice,    Henry 
Mathews,  John 
Matthews,  Mrs.  S.    - 
R.  J.  L.     - 
Mattoon  ch.,  the  first, 

"         "    "   second, 
Maynard,  Washington, 
May,  Geo. 
Mayo,  B.  E. 
Mechanicsburg  ch.    - 
Messenger,  B.  Y. 
Metropolis  City  ch.  - 
Miller,  Geo.  D. 
Miller,  John 
Mills,  Samuel  J. 
Mitchell,  R.  A. 

"     Samuel  W.  - 

"     W.  L. 
Milton  ch. 


-  18, 19,  22 

249 
299 
664 

579 

-  419,648 

476 
416 
660 
679 
602 
I 
697 

55 
269 

-  220,343 

208 

354 
360 
694 
679 

536 
679 

444 

-  498,615 

545 
405 
685 
638 

57:  70,  141 

325 
696 

503 
504 

641 

75.77 
679 

316 
163 

405 

558 

679 

12,  13,  17,  52 

443 
613 

552 
559 


732 


PRESBYTERIANISM  IN  ILLLINOIS. 


Moawequa  cli. 

627 

Ottawa  Presbytery,   - 

- 

215 

Monfort,  C.  Van  H. 

610 

Oviatt,  T.  M. 

- 

679 

Monticello  ch. 

452 

Palestine  ch. 

- 

170 

"         Seminar}', 

702 

Palestine  Presbytery,  210, 

223, 

240 

245 

Montgomery,  John,  - 

180 

267,  274,  275,  289, 

297, 

309 

310 

Moore,  Miss  Josephine, 

65 

319,  329.  350.  351, 

360, 

366 

367 

Moro   ch. 

398 

383,  3S4,  394,  403, 

414. 

419 

425 

Morrison,  A.  P.         - 

679 

436,  441,  444.  451. 

460, 

481 

505 

"        James  L.  D*-' 

35 

507,  521,  545,  558, 

571, 

579 

589 

"         Mrs  P.       - 

702 

613,  624, 

640, 

661, 

673 

"         Robert,      - 

53 

Palmer,  Charles  H.  - 

- 

367 

Morton,  Henry  T.  - 

522 

"         Nathan  S.    - 

- 

461 

"         Samuel  M. 

688 

WiUiam  R.  - 

- 

499 

Mound  City  ch. 

536 

Palmyra, 

- 

77 

Mt.  Carmel  ch. 

276 

Pana  ch. 

- 

470 

Mt.  Olivet  ch. 

522 

Panther  Creek  ch.     - 

- 

264 

Mt.  Vernon  ch.,  Bond  Co.  - 

418 

Paris  ch. 

- 

87 

"         "         "  Jefferson  Co.  - 

447 

Patrick,  Hillery, 

- 

413 

Mt.  Vernon  ch. 

297 

Patterson,  Andrew  0. 

- 

19 

23 

Mud  Creek  ch. 

274 

Paull,  Findley, 

- 

172 

Mulberry  Grove  ch.  - 

354.  610 

Peccan  Bottom  ch.    - 

- 

264 

Murphysboro  ch. 

364 

Pennoyer,  Andrew  L. 

- 

679 

Murrayville  ch. 

310 

Pentzer,  Valentine,  - 

- 

400 

Naples  ch.     - 

180 

Perkins,  Geo.  K. 

- 

653 

Nashville  ch. 

187 

Perrin,  Truman, 

- 

80 

JVaylor,  A.  R. 

584 

Pettigrew,  Samuel,    - 

- 

450 

Neoga  ch. 

506 

Phillips,   Chas.  T.     - 

- 

697 

New  Amity  ch. 

638 

Pierson,  George, 

- 

409 

Newell,  Samuel, 

442 

Pinckneyville  ch, 

- 

416 

639 

"         Thomas  M. 

679 

Pisgah  ch.,  Gallatin  Co. 

- 

28S 

New  Haven  ch. 

146 

"          "    Morgan  Co. 

- 

184, 

224 

New  Hope,  Jasper  Co. 

559 

Pitkin,  Caleb  J. 

- 

479 

New  Providence  ch. 

142 

Piatt,  Henry  D. 

- 

433 

Newton  ch. 

276 

"     Joseph, 

- 

329 

Newton,  T.  H. 

586 

Pleasant  Prairie  ch,  - 

- 

163 

Nine-Mile  Prairie  ch. 

320 

Pleasant  Ridge  ch,    - 

- 

411 

Noble  Township  ch. 

612 

Plum  Creek  ch. 

- 

331 

Nokomis  ch. 

573 

Pocahontas  ch. 

- 

440 

North  Arm  ch. 

427 

Pollock,  G.  A. 

- 

611 

Norton,  Aug.  T.       - 

233 

Pond,  BiUous, 

- 

679 

Nutting,   Rufus, 

434 

Post,  W.  S. 

- 

486 

Odin  ch.        - 

292 

Porter,  Josiah, 

- 

314 

Okaw  ch.       - 

275 

Potter,  Mary  P. 

- 

28 

Old  Ducoign, 

320 

Powers,  W.  K. 

- 

679 

Ormsby,  Martin  B.- 

544 

Prairie  Bird  ch. 

- 

542 

Olmsted,  E.  B. 

375 

"        City  ch. 

- 

613 

Olney  ch.       -             -             - 

507 

Prentiss,  Norman  A. 

- 

544 

INDEX  TO  CONTENTS. 


??>}; 


Presbytery,  first, 

- 

- 

2 

583,  592.  618,  63 

I,  647,  669.675. 

"          Center, 

- 

- 

39 

Sanders,  W.  D. 

449. 

Prestley,  Wm.  H. 

- 

- 

683 

Sandoval  ch. 

539 

Princeton  College, 

- 

- 

6 

Sangamon  ch. 

lie 

Procter,  David  C. 

- 

- 

83 

"         Presbytery, 

162,  176,  183, 

Prospect  ch. 

- 

- 

43 

192,  209,  221,  240, 

245,  266,  277, 

Pyle,  Geo.  W. 

- 

- 

332 

293.  299,  310,  320, 

330,  35 1'  362, 

Quincy  ch. 

- 

- 

167 

3(^7'  387,  396.  403. 

415,  427,  436, 

Ranney,  J.  A. 

- 

- 

331 

446,  451,  463,  482, 

508,  523,  547, 

Rankin,  John  G. 

- 

- 

407 

560,  573,  581,  589- 

600,  613,  625, 

Rattan's  Prairie, 

- 

- 

398 

640,  662,  673 

Reasoner,  John  S. 

- 

- 

679 

Saye,  John  B. 

451 

Redbud  ch. 

- 

- 

411 

Scarritt,  Isaac, 

534 

Reed,  Isaac, 

- 

- 

79.    92 

Schermerhorn,  John  F. 

12.  13 

"      James  A. 

- 

- 

679 

Schofield,  Edward,   - 

699 

Reints,  John  H. 

- 

- 

658 

Scott,  Joseph  H. 

627 

Reporter,  Presbytery, 

- 

235 

"      Samuel  T. 

35 

Reynolds,  Miss  E. 

- 

- 

707 

Seaman,  Charles, 

646 

"         Robert, 

- 

- 

50 

Selleck,  Charles  G.  - 

261 

"         Thomas, 

- 

- 

562 

Sharon  ch.     - 

18 

Richland  ch. 

- 

- 

395-  396 

Shawneetown, 

14,  f5,  25.  106 

Richview  ch. 

- 

- 

487 

Shelby ville  ch.  0.  s.  - 

?>3(> 

^iggSj  Cyrus, 

- 

- 

265 

" 

409. 

"      C. 

- 

- 

286 

Sheldon,  James  B.    - 

589 

"       Illinois, 

- 

- 

136 

Shepard,  Adam, 

8t 

Ringland,  Adam  W 

- 

691 

Sherrard,  Thomas,    - 

562 

Robertson,  S.  H. 

- 

- 

620 

Shiloh  ch. 

-    189,  191 

Robinson  ch. 

- 

- 

395 

"         Lawrence  Co. 

297 

W.  McC. 

- 

- 

687 

Shipman  ch. 

469 

Rochester  ch. 

- 

- 

357 

Shoal  Creek  ch. 

-     33,  418 

Rockwood  ch. 

- 

- 

319 

Shobonier  ch. 

669 

Root,  Lucius  I. 

- 

- 

644 

Side,  New  and  Old, 

4 

Roots,  B.  G. 

- 

- 

707 

Silliman,  John, 

20.  21.  243 

Ross,  Robert  G. 

- 

- 

657 

Sim,  Wm.  R. 

492 

Routes.  Water,  Westward, 

- 

8 

Simpson,  Robert, 

414 

Rudd,  Robert, 

- 

- 

6S9 

Simrall,  John  G. 

679 

Russ,  John  H. 

- 

- 

404 

Smith,  Albert, 

-    456.  467 

Rutherford,  Robert, 

- 

- 

796 

"      Daniel, 

13.  17.  18,  51 

St.  Charies,  Mo. 

- 

- 

71 

"      Horace, 

-     163.  176 

St.  Johns'  (German 

)ch. 

- 

564 

«'      James,  D.  D. 

39S 

St.  Louis  in  1814, 

- 

- 

16 

"      Mrs.  John  Blair,. 

-     39-  «i8 

Salem  ch. 

- 

- 

480,  658 

•'      Joseph, 

22 

"         Macoupir 

1  Co. 

- 

309 

"      Samuel  B. 

492 

"         Presbytery, 

- 

79 

"      Socrates, 

2,S'> 

Saline  Mines,  ch.  of 

- 

- 

675 

"      Thomas, 

-     20,  650 

"     Works, 

- 

- 

15 

"      Wm.  A. 

679. 

"     Presbytery, 

540,  55 

565.  574, 

"      W\  H. 

63a 

734 


PRESBYTERIANISM    IN  ILLLINOIS. 


Sneed,  S.  K. 

- 

- 

509 

Tacusa  ch.     - 

. 

523 

Snow  Hill  ch. 

- 

- 

I 

Taggart,  Samuel  B. 

- 

589 

Society,  A.  H.  M. 

- 

- 

459 

46s 

Tamaroa  ch. 

- 

589 

Soule,  John  B.  L. 

- 

- 

619 

Taper  ch. 

- 

151 

South,  Green, 

- 

- 

195 

Tarbet,  Wm.  L. 

- 

438.  541 

Sparta  ch. 

- 

- 

318 

,695 

Taylor,  C.  H. 

- 

512 

Spaulding,  Geo. 

- 

- 

391 

'«      Eli  W. 

- 

581 

Spence,  Wm.  B. 

- 

- 

601 

"       Hiram  F.      - 

- 

436 

Spencer,  Thomas, 

.    ■■■' 

- 

596 

"      Wm.  M. 

- 

679 

Spilman,  Benj. 

23. 

24,  2 

5.  27 

131 

Taylorville  ch. 

- 

483 

"       B.  F. 

- 

19. 

20,  2 

3,  80 

Teitsworth,  W,  P.     - 

- 

617 

"       James  H. 

- 

- 

671 

Templeton,  Wm.  H. 

- 

519 

"       Thomas  A 

- 

lOI 

Tenney,  David, 

- 

38,52 

"       Thomas  E 

. 

- 

638 

Thayer,  Erastus  W. 

- 

292 

Spining,  C.  P. 

- 

- 

546 

Third  ch.  Springfield, 

- 

397 

Sprague,  Daniel  Green, 

34,  38,  85 

Thomas,  Col.  John, 

- 

54 

Spring  Cove  ch. 

- 

- 

206 

Henry  E.  - 

- 

679 

Springfield,  First  ch. 

- 

116 

Wm.  G.     - 

- 

679 

"         Second  ch. 

-' 

222 

Thompson,  Oliver  S. 

- 

698 

"        Third  ch. 

- 

597 

Thomson,  P.  W. 

- 

3S5 

Stafford,  James, 

- 

20 

145 

237 

Thornton,  J.  C. 

- 

599 

Star-faUing, 

- 

- 

443 

Tillson,  John, 

- 

131,  133 

Stark,  J.  W. 

- 

- 

570 

"        Mrs.  John, 

- 

107,  134 

Staunton  ch. 

- 

- 

328 

Timberville  ch. 

- 

633 

Stebbins,  Geo. 

- 

- 

637 

Todd,  Andrew, 

- 

277 

Steele,  John  A. 

- 

- 

679 

"       David  R.       - 

- 

538 

Steeles'  Mills  ch. 

- 

- 

519 

Tolono  ch.     - 

- 

498 

Stewart,  Robert, 

- 

- 

197 

Townsend,  Jesse, 

- 

105 

"       W.  K. 

- 

- 

172 

Trenton  ch. 

- 

496 

Stout,  Adriel, 

- 

- 

88 

Trinity  ch.     - 

- 

191 

Strange,  F.  G. 

- 

- 

684 

Troy  ch. 

- 

312 

String  Prairie  ch. 

- 

- 

195 

Tuck,  Nathan  F. 

- 

679 

Sugar  Creek  ch. 

- 

- 

144 

Tucker,  Joshua  T.    - 

- 

261 

"         '•     Sangamon  P 

•esb. 

209 

Turkey-Hill  ch. 

- 

49 

Sullivan  ch. 

- 

- 

++6 

Tuscola  ch.    - 

- 

507 

Sturtevant,  J.  M. 

- 

- 

157 

Tuthill,  Geo.  M. 

- 

415 

Swan,  B.C. 

- 

20 

loS 

565 

Uhlfelder,  Sigmund 

- 

457 

Swift,  Miss  Patty, 

- 

- 

147 

Unity  ch. 

- 

521 

Synod,  the  first, 

- 

- 

2 

Union  ch. 

- 

169 

"       Division  of, 

- 

- 

4 

"       county  ch. 

- 

570 

"      New-York, 

- 

- 

4 

"      ch.  Clark  Co. 

- 

572 

Synod  of  Illinois, 

162, 

183, 

194, 

214, 

"       ch.  Lawrence  Co. 

- 

445 

231, 

241, 

262, 

283, 

295, 

••       ch.  Macoupin  Co. 

- 

417 

307, 

355. 

389, 

391, 

458, 

Upper  Alton  ch. 

- 

247 

475. 

4S9, 

515. 

540, 

554, 

University,  Blackburn, 

- 

707 

■569,  576, 

585. 

593, 

607, 

Vanatta,  P.  R. 

- 

490 

619 

635, 

654 

670 

Van  Burensburg  ch. 

- 

391 

INDEX  TO  CONTENTS. 


735 


Vance,  Samuel  E. 

- 

- 

580 

Vandalia  ch.     - 

- 

- 

135 

Van  Deursen,  R.  E 

. 

- 

623 

Van  Nest,  P.  S. 

- 

- 

646 

Venable,  H.  I. 

- 

- 

290 

Vera  ch. 

- 

- 

669 

Vergennes  ch. 

- 

- 

374 

Villa  Ridge  ch. 

- 

- 

669 

Virden  ch. 

- 

- 

438 

Wabash  ch.  - 

- 

- 

74 

"       College, 

- 

- 

63 

"       Piesbyter>', 

402, 

412, 

418,  435. 

441,  451 

460,  481, 

498,  520, 

545.  558 

570, 

579, 

588,  594, 

610 

,  623,  639, 

659,  673 

Wagaman,  John  C. 

- 

679 

Wallace,  David  A. 

- 

- 

425 

Walnut  Grove  ch. 

- 

- 

274 

"       Prairie  ch. 

- 

- 

214 

Wakefield  ch. 

- 

- 

522 

Walton,  James  S. 

- 

- 

536 

Ward,  J.  Jerome, 

- 

- 

590 

"      Samuel, 

- 

- 

457 

Warren,  Joseph, 

- 

- 

(>33 

AVatson  ch. 

- 

- 

598 

"        Cyrus  L. 

- 

- 

152 

Waveland  ch. 

- 

- 

317 

W^ells,  W.  W. 

- 

- 

452 

West  Liberty  ch. 

- 

- 

244 

Western  Saratoga  ch. 

- 

364 

Westminster  ch. 

- 

- 

543 

West  Okaw  ch. 

- 

- 

561 

"     Union  ch. 

- 

- 

310 

Whittaker,  H.  B. 

- 

326 

White,  Reuben, 

- 

224 

Whitehall  ch. 

- 

86,  2S6 

Whitney,  Dewey, 

- 

209,  210 

Wilbur,  Backus, 

- 

19,23 

"      H.  N. 

- 

615 

Williams,  J.  A. 

- 

658 

Williams,  L.  S. 

- 

271 

"         Nathaniel, 

- 

579 

R.  G. 

- 

679 

W.  H.       - 

- 

308 

W.  W.       - 

- 

661 

Williamson,  Abraham, 

- 

41 

Wilson,  Joseph, 

- 

383 

"      Joseph  M.    - 

- 

654 

Winchester  ch. 

- 

270 

Wines,  Fred.  H.       - 

- 

6oi 

Wood,  Geo.  C. 

- 

271 

"       Josiah, 

- 

325 

•'       Morgan  L.     - 

- 

577 

Woodside,  John  S.  - 

- 

634 

Worcester,  Miss  E.  - 

- 

78 

"         Noah,  D.  D. 

- 

78 

Wright,  A.  W. 

- 

682 

Wylie,  Samuel, 

- 

52 

"    S.  R-'H. 

- 

447 

Xenia  ch. 

- 

495 

Year:     1816,   18 — '31,  167- 

-'32, 

178- 

'33,  184—34,    194- 

-  35, 

216— 

'36,  232— '37,  242- 

-'38, 

263- 

'39,  270 — '40,  284- 

-'31 

296— 

'42,  308—43,  3^3- 

-'44, 

327- 

'45,  334— '46,  356- 

-'47, 

364- 

'48,  381—49,  393- 

-'50, 

402— 

'51,  407—52,  418- 

-'53, 

434— 

'54,  437—55,  449- 

-'56. 

45S- 

'57-  476—58,  490- 

-'59. 

5i<>- 

'60,  540—61,  555- 

-'62, 

5"9— 

'63,  577— '64,  585- 

-'65, 

594— 

'66,  607— '67,  619- 

-'68, 

636- 

'69.  655—' 

70,  670 

York  ch. 

- 

292 

Young.  Clayton, 

- 

143 

"      John, 

- 

95 

'«      P.  D. 

- 

366 

Zion  ch. 

491 

Princeton  Theoloqical  ,.f ,f,"[!i'ia['L,ii'|^:^[f 


11012  01250  9644 


